Barbells come in a range of different weights, each designed with a specific purpose, from light technique bars that help you master your form to heavier, more specialised powerlifting bars built for withstanding maximal loads.
Whether you're a beginner, learning techniques, a recreational gym-goer building strength, or an experienced athlete preparing for competition - selecting the right bar will optimise your technique, performance, and overall confidence. This guide will explain the benefits of each barbell weight to help you decide which is best suited to your training goals.
What are the Benefits of Using Lightweight Technique Barbells?
The Mirafit technique bars weigh 2.2kg and 7kg. The benefit of using a light technique bar is, as the name suggests, to practice your technique. These can be especially useful when performing Olympic weightlifting movements like the snatch and split jerk as these require more explosiveness which is tricky to master with a heavier bar.
Other circumstances might include when you’re building back your strength after recovering from an injury, or for core exercises, such as ab roll outs or weighted hollow holds.
What are the Benefits of Using a 15kg Barbell?
The benefits of using a 15kg Barbell is that they have a thinner diameter, which is typically designed for women with smaller hands so they will still get a good grip on the bar. They are also the standard size for women in weightlifting and CrossFit competitions, so practicing at home with a 15kg barbell will help you get competition ready. They are also good to use in warm ups, or if you haven’t yet built up your strength to use the 20kg barbell. Though they are typically known as Barbells for Women, they can be useful for any gym-goer!
What are the Benefits of Using a 20kg Barbell?
The benefits of using a 20kg Olympic Barbell is that if you are planning to compete in powerlifting, it is the weight standard for competitions regardless of gender. It is also the most common bar found in commercial gyms over every other weight and so you’ll be able to train consistently with the same weight bar. The 20kg bar is typically wider in diameter and so has a greater surface area, which is beneficial for improving the stability of the bar when performing brute force lifts such as heavy back squatting, or pressing movements.
What are the Benefits of Using Heavyweight Barbells?
The benefits of using a more specialised heavy bar such as the 25kg Leviathan squat bar is that, if you are an experienced lifter, you need fewer plates to get your target weight. Also, squat bars are often stiffer than Olympic bars providing less whip and more stability. They are therefore designed to be able to carry more plates and therefore, heavier loads. The stiffness of the bar can also make you feel more confident and secure when performing heavy lifts.
In conclusion, whilst 15 and 20kg barbells are most common in gyms, there are also many other barbell weights which might be more suitable for you to achieve your training goals.
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Tags: Equipment > Bars & Weight Plates ; Misc. > Gym Planning
