I’ve tested almost 50 different power bars in the last 5 years alone. I can have any bar I want, and these are the bars I choose to train with in my garage gym. We also look at how evenly the knurling is applied. The knurling should be consistent across the entire bar, but some lower-quality bars have obvious variations in different areas of the barbell. Finish Quality Give your at-home workout routine a boost with our brilliant selection of barbells. Whether you're looking to bulk up or just get a little stronger and more toned, these are an ideal way to introduce some strength training into your regimen through exercises like squats and deadlifts. Why not go for one of our weight sets? That way, you'll be all set with everything you need to get started. And if it's just weight platesyou're looking for, we've got you covered on that front too. That said, you're going to want to spend your hard-earned cash on a barbell that's *actually* high quality. Wondering what that might look like? "The barbell should match your strength needs, should be strong enough to resist bending, and have a finish that will last and won't rust over time." Then, you should decide whether you're looking for a standard barbell or an Olympic one. FYI: If you're used to lifting a barbell at the gym, it's most likely an Olympic one.) The best analogy I can give you is with cars. When I was growing up, we had a POS Ford Taurus. It was a terrible car. If you remember American cars in the 80’s, you know what I mean. Everything rattled. Nothing was well-made.

The Rep Delta bar is the lowest-price bar I’d recommend buying. And in this price range, it stands out. Most bars at this price have terrible knurl, bar spin, and finish. The Delta delivers in all 3 of those areas. This item is available at a heavily discounted price due to being a customer return or ex-display item. Why power bars and not Olympic lifting bars? I wrote an entire article about that, but the short version is that most folks shouldn’t be doing Olympic lifting movements at home, alone, without a spotter. All home gyms should start with a power bar and go from there. The barbell is the core of every strength training routine. The perfect, adaptable tool for supporting goals like muscle growth and strength development anywhere you train.

Barbells and Barbell Sets

This bar is 20kg (44.1lbs) with a 29mm diameter shaft, which also complies with IPF standards. Medium-depth, volcano-style knurling helps enhance your grip on the barbell for heavy lifts, but it won’t tear up your hands during higher-rep workouts.

Most companies use the sharpness of their knurling to control grip. Typically, the sharper the knurl, the more grip. That’s one way to do things and it works okay. Take your strength training to the next level with one of our multi gyms. These are a worthwhile investment for serious fitness fans who want lots of options when it comes to working out with weights. You can add intensity to any workout by wearing a weighted vest- these are fully adjustable and come in a range from 5kg, right up to an 18kg vest.

Viewing all products in the Rubber & Urethane Dumbbells category

As the name suggests, these barbells are the ones you're likely to see in your local Globo gym — these all-purpose barbells are built for anyone wanting to build muscle and to lift safely. Typically, a standard barbell will have a decent amount of knurling — the jagged material on which you grip during your lift — on its body, as it's designed to counteract a loss of grip during heavy sweating. Olympic Lifting and Powerlifting Barbells

If you like training with barbells, don’t have space for a traditional set in your home gym, and don’t mind a potentially long wait to get it, the SelectTech 2080—which offers seven fixed-weight barbells and seven fixed-weight curl bars in one— could be for you. The system includes a straight barbell, a curl bar (distinguishable by its undulating grips, it’s designed for upper-body exercises like—you guessed it—biceps curls), 12 weight plates, and a base that rests on the floor. You adjust the desired load, which ranges from 20 pounds to 80 pounds, by turning a dial at each end of a bar. Third, more is absolutely NOT better! In fact, more is sometimes worse. Let’s look at a bar’s tensile strength as an example. Earlier this year (2023), Rep discontinued all of their barbells and introduced a completely new lineup of bars ( we built you a handy guide to all the Rep bars you can read here). That’s why we always test every product ourselves, usually for at least 6 months, in our own home gyms before we ever review or recommend anything. I can’t tell you how many times that real-world use doesn’t agree with the specs!

Different types of Barbells

When I saw their new bars for the first time, I couldn’t believe how nice they were. As much as I liked the old bars, these were even better.