Best Barbell Exercises – A Great Toning Workout!

Generally speaking a barbell is a long steel bar that is usually about -7 feet in length, it has fixed steel weight plates, or Olympic plates, at each end to increase the weight of the bar and the intensity of even the best barbell exercises.

There are also two different types of barbell sets: fixed weight and adjustable. Fixed barbell sets are great for professional gyms and clubs because you can avoid having to mess with barbell weights being removed and transferred around the gym among customers. Adjustable barbell sets require less storage space and are therefore more suited to home gyms, you will have to purchase a bar and the weight plates separately.

The industry standard is the Olympic barbell, it weighs 45 lbs is 7' long and can accommodate up to 1500 pounds of free weights. Olympic bars and weights are typically found in professional gyms, a more economical version for home use is the standard barbell and standard weight plates. The more weight an Olympic bar can hold, typically the more expensive it is. For example at BigFitness.com they list a 7' Olympic bar that can hold upto 1,500 lbs as being $56 more than the 7' Olympic bar that can hold upto 1,000 lbs, and $106 more than the 7' bar that can hold upto 700 lbs.

There are many shapes and types of barbells and weight bars. Some examples are York barbells, Olympic barbells, curl and triceps bars, hex bars, and the EZ-Curl Bar. Choosing the right bar for your barbell exercise is important for maximizing your strength.

Types Of Weightlifting Bars

Each type of weight lifting bar has a specific purpose for weight training.

• Olympic bars are the industry standard.  These are bars that are usually made from steel and coated with chrome, they weigh 45 lbs, are 7' long and can hold up to 1,500 lbs of weight plates.
• Standard bars are usually more suited to home gyms, they weigh about 30lbs are about 5' long and cannot hold as much weight as Olympic bars. Note that Olympic bars and weights cannot be interchanged with standard bars and weights as they have different hole diameters bored into their weight plates.
• Hex bars are specifically for shoulder shrugs. They are steel bars that are made in a hexagon shape, they have handles on each side of the bar and are made to accommodate weight plates on either end.  The idea is that you step inside the hexagon and lift the weighted bar that encircles you to do your should shrugs. 
• An EZ-Curl and triceps bar is specifically used to target and isolate your bicep and tricep muscles.  These are great for relieving stress on the wrists when doing standing curls, press downs and bicep curls. They are approximately 4 feet long, have curved hand grooves and are not as heavy as the Olympic barbell; however, they are effective nonetheless for targeted muscle training. 

Improve Your Muscle Balance And Co-ordination

Barbells are especially suitable for the development of muscle balance and muscle co-ordination. While performing weight lifting exercises they provide a unique freedom of movement that machine workouts do not.

When using lifting bars your body has to keeps the weight in balance during each extension and contraction, thus stimulating your stabilizer muscles. Stabilizer muscles are not really visible externally, but they are very important in determining your body’s strength and symmetry.

Whether you are looking for York or Olympic barbells, hex bars, EZ-Curl bars or any other type of weight lifting bar you will find an amazing selection at online weight lifting equipment stores.

You will be performing a barbell workout in your home gym within a matter of days when you order from the internet! We have compiled some of the best online barbell suppliers here for you. Enjoy their good prices, convenient shopping and quick shipping!

Barbells - MegaFitness.com
Visit MegaFitness & save on best-selling barbells, bars and other exercise equipment! All products are backed by a 110% low price guarantee.

Bars & Attachments - BigFitness.com
Think Fitness at BigFitness.com!  See a big selection of Barbells, Bars and Attachments.

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