Starting Your Own Garage Gym - The Olympic Barbell

We’re going to talk about what is probably the most essential piece of gear for a great garage gym – the Olympic weightlifting barbell.

A Rogue Olympic weightlifting barbell - loaded with Rogue training bumper plates — A Rogue Olympic weightlifting barbell – loaded with bumper plates. Rogue makes the best barbells for the money.

We’ll provide examples of Rogue barbells – because we think Rogue Fitness makes the best barbells for your home or garage gym (or your CrossFit box!)

Here’s the barbells we’ll be reviewing. Be sure to read through to understand the specific strengths of each model.

Rogue Olympic WL Bar - Perfect barbell from Rogue for Olympic weightlifting in the garage gym

Rogue Olympic WL Bar 20kg men’s bearing bar – Made in the USA with 215K tensile strength steel. Needle bearings for ultimate spin – also great “whip” – so it is the best barbell for Olympic lifts.

Click to see price (Rogue Fitness)

The Rogue Ohio Power Bar is an excellent, no whip bar for the slow lifts - big squats, deadlifts, and bench presses.

Rogue Ohio Power Bar A 29 mm bushing bar made for no whip - great for power lifting - back squats, deadlifts, bench press, etc. Made in the USA, from Rogue.

Click to See Price (Rogue Fitness)

Rogue Ohio Bar - a great dual purpose bar for you garage gym - for both the powerlifts and Olympic lifts - this would be a great CrossFit barbell

Rogue Ohio Bar 20kg or 45 lb men's bushing bar - A multipurpose bar, made in the USA with 190K tensile strength steel. Use this if you want to power lift and Olympic lift - a great CrossFit barbell.

Click to See Price (Rogue Fitness)

Rogue Ohio Bar – Stainless Steel The awesome Rogue Ohio Bar in ultra-durable stainless steel – for the ultimate in bare metal feel and durability. 20kg bushing bar.

Click to see price (Rogue Fitness)

What is an Olympic Weightlifting Barbell? It’s the 7.2 foot long weightlifting bar used as a standard in competitive weightlifting, including the Olympics. A men’s Olympic bar is a metal bar that is 2.2 meters (7.2 ft) long and weighs 20 kilograms (44 lb).

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The outer ends are 50 millimeters (2.0 in) in diameter, while the grip section is 28 millimeters (1.1 in) in diameter, and 1.31 meters (4.3 ft) in length.

On both ends of the bar are rotating sleeves on which the Olympic weight plates (plates with a 2″ hole) are placed. The rotating sleeves allow the weight plates to spin, which is an essential component of several of the lifts you can do with this equipment. There are also women’s and training versions of the Olympic bar that are sized a bit smaller, and lighter.

Why is a women’s Olympic barbell only 15Kg? An Olympic barbell for women is typically 25mm in shaft diameter – this makes the bar easier to grip for those with smaller hands. Women’s bars are also shorter – with less loadable sleeve length. Consequently the bar is also significantly lighter at 15 kg (about 33 lbs) – compared to 20 kg (44 lbs) for a men’s bar (which have diameters ranging from 28-29mm typically). Read more about Women’s Olympic barbells.

Rogue 50Kb Calibrated Weight Plate for Olympic Barbell

The Olympic barbell uses weight plates with a 2.0 inch diameter hole in the center (in comparison a standard barbell – the skinny one – uses plates with a 1.0 inch hole). Beyond that you can choose metal plates (typically used for bodybuilding and powerlifting) or bumper plates (typically used for the Olympic lifts). What are bumper plates? They are plates made out of very dense rubber – and they are meant to be safely dropped from overhead.

Need to find out more about Olympic weight plates?

You’ve probably seen these before – not only are they used for the Olympic lifts, such as the snatch and clean and jerk, but they are the standard equipment for any serious amount of weight – so powerlifters and bodybuilders utilize them as well.

But there are some subtle, but important, differences in the different types of bars used for different purposes. And that’s what we’ll discuss in this article.

The goal will be to give you the information to select the best barbell for your home or garage gym – one that is robust, durable, and can help you achieve your goals.

And as a first step, let’s determine what sort of strength or power training do you wish to do? That will help determine which bar (and weight plates) we ultimately choose.

Comparison of bumper plate width Rogue Hi-Temp Training plate vs Rogue Competition Plate. The Competition plate is a denser material and has a beefy steel insert which keeps size to a minimum, but is more expensive.

How many bumper plates fit on a bar? That really depends – how long is the usable length of the sleeve (“loadable sleeve length or loadable sleeve space”) on the barbell and how thick or wide are your bumper plates? The loadable sleeve length on a Rogue Ohio Power Bar is 16.25″, as an example. Cheaper bumper plates tend to be thicker – because they use less dense material. Really good competition bumper plates are very thin – and very expensive! Secondly the best plates have a steel disc insert that helps add weight in a minimum of space. As an example, a Rogue Hi-Temp Bumper (45Lb) is 3.75″ wide. In comparison, a Rogue Competition Bumper plate (45lb) is only 2.5″ wide thanks to the high quality material and beefy steel disc insert.

Olympic Barbell – How Do You Want To Train?

First, there are two inherently different kinds of lifts you can do with an Olympic bar – the quick lifts and the slow lifts. What’s a “quick lift”? These are represented by the lifts contested in the Olympics – the snatch and the clean and jerk. These are lifts that demonstrate and build power – force or strength applied quickly. There’s no way to clean a barbell to your shoulders slowly. There’s a lot of technique involved. These are also an essential part of CrossFit training.

Why You Need a Garage Gym Let’s pause for a quick word about the garage gym. What are the benefits? Why turn your garage into a gym? Well, why throw away money on monthly gym membership fees, for a place you may be too busy to go to? Investing in good equipment for your home gym is something that pays dividends for years to come. Work out when you want, and how you want. That’s the beauty of the garage gym. You can also use it to supplement regularly scheduled workouts when the gym is closed.

In contrast, the “slow lifts” are the moves typically done by powerlifters and bodybuilders – the squat, the deadlift, the bench press, the overhead press – all these can be (and usually are) done slowly. You can “grind” out a tough squat. You can’t do that with the Olympic lifts – you either make it, or you don’t. The slow lifts train pure strength and hypertrophy (muscle size).

Young woman working out with a barbell, using the squat exercise.

It’s also possible that you may desire to do some of both. Even pure Olympic weightlifters use slow lifts to build pure strength.

Bearing bar vs Bushing bar

An Olympic bar has sleeves on the end which rotate. We need bushings or bearings to sit between the bar and the sleeve, allowing the sleeve to spin more freely around the bar, reducing friction and wear. Bushings are simpler, but don’t allow as much spin as bearings. Bearings are better for spin – but are more expensive. A picture is worth 1,000 words – so let’s take a look. Here’s a bronze bushing. It’s very simple:

Here’s a needle bearing, as used in some of the Rogue barbells:

See the difference?

What attributes of the bar are desirable for the Olympic lifts? Here’s a list:

Spin – you will need those revolving sleeves to spin smoothly. This makes a huge difference in your ability to clean the weight. This can be achieved with high quality bushings or bearings.
You’ll want bumper plates. It’s not impossible to smoothly lower a barbell with steel plates from overhead – but it’s a lot less work and energy to be able to drop the loaded bar at the conclusion of the lift.
Bar Whip – A good bar for Olympic weightlifting will have some “whip” – it will store some elastic energy and that will contribute to the total amount you can lift.
No Center Knurl – The knurl on the bar can chew up skin, over the long term. In the Olympic lifts, you’ll be “racking” the bar at your shoulders a lot – and if that bar comes in contact with the upper chest area enough, you’ll know it.
Durability – A barbell used for the Olympic lifts will be dropped from overhead many, many times during it’s lifespan. This places an enormous stress on the bar – and weak bars are prone to bending and permanent deformation.

How about the slow lifts (the squat, bench press, deadlift, etc.)?

As it turns out, some of the desirable attributes run counter to that of the Olympic lifts:

Weight is weight – For the slow lifts steel plates are fine. You are not (or should not) be dropping them. Steel plates are generally cheaper than bumper plates. It’s hard to make a good bumper plate that will withstand years of drops from overhead.
Whip is less desirable, no whip even better – For the most part you DO NOT want whip during the slow lifts. The stiffer the bar, the better.
Expensive revolving sleeve bearings not a concern – For convenience the weights still have to spin, but this isn’t anywhere near as much of a requirement as for the quick lifts. In fact, you probably want more cost-effective and robust bushings of a simpler design, to save cost.
Center Knurl for the Squat – You do want a centered knurl pattern on a slow lift bar – to help ensure that heavily loaded barbell stays in place on your upper back. Having a heavily loaded barbell slowly slide down your back as you squat is not fun.
Won’t be dropped – Generally speaking if you are dropping the bar when doing the slow lifts – you’re doing it wrong. There’s no reason to drop a loaded or empty barbell when doing the slow lifts, except in cases of extreme emergency.

Based on these criteria, read on for our top three choices. We hope we’ve armed you with the right knowledge to make the best decision for your needs.

A Note About Dropping Barbells Having bumper plates and a good bar isn’t an excuse to gratuitously drop them all over the place. Make no mistake, several hundred pounds is several hundred pounds – and you’ll get more life out of your gear (and your garage floor) if you treat if carefully. And to be clear, do not purposely drop a loaded barbell onto the safety pins or arms on a power rack. That will damage almost any bar, no matter how good it is.

Olympic Lifts – The Barbell We’d Choose

For a specialist in the Olympic lifts – hands down, we’d choose the Rogue Olympic WL Bar. Why? It’s got all the essentials we described above – It’s a bearing bar and it will revolve super smooth, there’s no center knurl, and it has great whip – as you’d expect because it’s purpose designed for the Olympic lifts.

This is the best barbell for olympic lifts.

The Rogue Olympic WL bar features 10 sets of needle bearings (5 sets per sleeve) that produce a smooth, reliable spin across day-to-day use

Let’s focus on the bearings for a moment – the Olympic WL Bar features 10 sets of needle bearings (5 sets per sleeve) that produce a smooth, reliable spin across day-to-day use. What’s a needle bearing? See the picture to the left…

Rogue Work Hardening Find out more about Rogue’s F-Scale Rating – and how their barbells are engineered to last a long, long time.

And lastly, a barbell used for Olympic weightlifting will be dropped from overhead many times. Rogue knows this, and has made some of the most durable barbells ever available. How? With their proprietary, patent pending process they call Rogue Work Hardening (RWH™). Rogue barbell shafts treated with RWH™ have improved durability and last longer than untreated bars when subjected to the stresses of being dropped.

This barbell has a tensile strength of 215,000 PSI and an F-6R rating on Rogue’s F-Scale (indicating durability). That means it’s going to last for years and years – even with heavy use.

Click to See The Rogue WL Bar Price on the Rogue Website

Slow lifts only – Barbell for Powerlifting and Bodybuilding

The Rogue Ohio Power Bar (or OPB, as it is commonly called in the garage gym community) is an excellent, no whip bar for the slow lifts - big squats, deadlifts, and bench presses.

If all you do is the “slow” lifts – in the traditional fashion of powerlifters and bodybuilders worldwide – then your best choice is the Rogue Ohio Power Bar. It weights 45 lbs – because it’s not an olympic bar. It’s a little thicker (29mm vs 28mm) and has no whip. It’s also got an aggressive center knurl.

This is the bar you want for big squats, deadlifts, and bench presses.

The knurl is on the aggressive side. Why? Because grip is a huge limiting factor on a heavy deadlift – and aggressive knurl helps.

With a tensile strength of 205,000 PSI, and an F-8R durability rating on Rogue’s F-Scale, this is one tough bar. You will get many years of use from this piece of equipment.

Which finish? If you can swing it from a budget perspective, get the stainless steel. That is by far the most durable version of the bar.

This is an important consideration for a garage gym – which may not be climate controlled and therefore have a lot of humidity.

Black zinc, bare steel, and Cerakote are available as well. Cerakote brings some interesting colors (and patterns!) and is nearly as oxidation resistant as the stainless steel finish.

The Rogue Ohio Power Bar is an excellent powerlifting barbell for all the slow lifts. It is also a very good value for the price.

Click to See The Ohio Power Bar Price On the Rogue Website

What’s a Boneyard bar? Looking for a cheap barbell (but a good barbell?) Before you look for a used barbell for sale on craigslist or fb marketplace – check this out. Rogue sells brand new, seconds quality barbells off of the standard production line as Boneyard Bars. These bars may have minor cosmetic issues such as finish blemishes or inconsistencies with the knurl, such as double tracking. However, the bars are brand new, and fully functional. This might be a way for you to pick up a good bar, at a discount, if you aren’t concerned with looks. See Boneyard Bars in the Rogue Closeout section

Dual Purpose – You’re Well Rounded and You Need Both

Rogue Ohio Bar - a great dual purpose bar for you garage gym - for both the powerlifts and Olympic lifts

If you want to dabble in both worlds (and we highly recommend it), and you only want one bar, you want a good dual purpose bar. This would be our choice for any CrossFit trainees. This would be the best barbell for CrossFit, if you are limited to one barbell.

The Rogue Ohio Bar (note this is not the “Power” model recommended above) is a great all-arounder.

It uses cost-effective bushings – but has no center knurl, and has good whip. How does Rogue manage this feat? From their product information: “We assemble the Ohio Bar with a snap ring design and quality composite bushings, which act as bearing surfaces between the bar sleeve and bar shaft, producing normal “whip” during Oly weightlifting but enough stiffness to hold for heavy powerlifting”.

And a dual use bar will be dropped from overhead. Therefore, it needs durability.

The Ohio Bar has a tensile strength of 190,000 PSI, and a rating of F8-R on Rogue’s F-Scale. This means the barbell shaft is treated with their patent pending Rogue Work Hardening™ (RWH) method.

Which finish? Get the Stainless Steel Ohio Bar if you can afford the extra cost.

This bar should last for many, many years of aggressive use.

Click to See The Ohio Bar Price On the Rogue Website

Why is it called the Ohio bar? Because it’s made in the USA, at the Rogue Fitness manufacturing facility in Ohio, and it represents the pride of Rogue’s “Made in the USA” mission.

Rogue Cerakote Ohio Bar - in Red with Black Sleeves

So there you go. Some great choices. But there’s even more. Want an upgrade in style (and durability)? Check the Rogue website for bar finishes like Cerakote in a variety of color schemes, patterns (camoflauge!), and more.

Cerakote is an advanced ceramic polymer coating that is available in a variety of colors and designs.

Rogue Camoflauge Patterns - Rogue Operator Bar with Cerakote

We recommend you check out the detailed customer product reviews as well – this is great intel to have before you make that purchase.

Need a Short, Space Saving Barbell?

With the Fringe Sport Shorty Barbell, we’ve created the only barbell on the market that conforms (and performs) to standard 20kg barbell specs- but is over a foot shorter than a normal barbell.

For some gyms, saving space is required.

Fringe Sport has an excellent 15 Kg Shorty Barbell.

This bar is just under 6′ long – which saves nearly 1′ of space.

This is great for gyms and boxes that have a minimum of space, or when you need to pack athletes tightly.

Rogue has a similar product that has been used a the CrossFit Games – the C-70 Bar which is a 35Lb shorty version of the Ohio Bar.

But the problem with the C-70 is that in order to maximize loadable sleeve length, Rogue has shortened the distance between the barbell collars to 43″. This means you CANNOT rack this bar on any standard power rack, nor do you get the full snatch grip room on this bar.

The Fringe Sport Shorty Barbell takes a different approach – the collar to collar width is kept standard at the expense of some loadable sleeve length.

The 15 Kg Shorty Barbell by Fringe Sport - Specialty for compact spaces. Great for any small garage gyms or boxes, competitions, traveling, junior athletes, or general use for Olympic, Power, and WOD lifts.

In effect you get a standard size barbell – including 28 mm shaft diameter, dual knurl marks for Olympic or powerlifting, and all the same gripping room you’d need for the full snatch grip – but in a shorter bar.

And as a consequence you can only load this bar to about 225 pounds of bumper plates, or 400+ lbs of iron plates (iron plates being much thinner than bumper plates – therefore you can load more on the bar).

You get a full 28mm diameter shaft that is perfect for Oly movements, as well as being great for general WODing and Power lifts- and the shaft is full 216,200 psi tensile strength- tested to over 2200 pounds of stress. And here’s the kicker- the shaft of the barbell is full width, so the Shorty Barbell fits on all standard racks and supports a full snatch grip- even from you tall drinks of water.

All things considered, the Fringe Sport Shorty Barbell is probably the best space saving barbell option for a home or garage gym.

The Fringe Sport Shorty Barbell is lighter at 15 Kg (33 Lbs) – because of the shorter length.

The loadable sleeve length is 8 7/16″.

It also features 216,000 PSI of tensile strength and uses bronze bushings.

The Fringe Sport Shorty Barbell is the only barbell on the market that conforms (and performs) to standard 20kg barbell specs while saving over 1 foot of space.

In Summary – Garage Gyms and Olympic Barbells

But What About All Those Slick Machines? Your commercial gym may be filled with slick looking machines – with lots of pulleys, cables, and nice thick padded seats (most of them let you sit and workout.) But the honest truth is that there are much more effective ways to train that do not involve expensive machines (or sitting down). You can (and should) build outstanding strength and endurance using the same basic implements (such as an Olympic barbell and free weights) that were available 50 years ago. No machines needed. This advice applies to rank beginners, novices, and grizzled veterans.

In summary, serious strength training requires an Olympic weightlifting barbell. The right model will be a useful fitness tool for years – and allow you to fulfill your personal endeavors in fitness. Be sure to get a model that will accommodate the style of lifting or training you wish to undertake. Bearings or bushings, center knurl or no center knurl, and whip or no whip – those are the key criteria. Beyond that, it’s really just a matter of what fits your tastes and budget.

We hope this information has been useful, and in the next article, we’ll discuss further all the proper equipment needed for a well equipped garage gym. If you have any questions, please let us know.

Now that you’ve got a barbell picked out – you’re gonna need some Olympic weight plates, so be sure to check out that info too. You may want to review our article on ideal garage gym power racks, which should also be considered an essential piece of gear for your garage.

Why Rogue Fitness Products? We’re a Rogue Fitness affiliate – so if you order equipment after clicking the links in this article we receive monetary compensation. But that’s not why we recommend Rogue. It’s because their equipment is tough, durable, well-made, and a lot of their best stuff is made in America. Their equipment looks good, and works even better. Their innovative designs and diversity of options make your training better – allowing you to reach your personal goals faster. And that’s why we love them.

Barbell Photo & Image Credits

All Rogue Fitness product imagery is property of Rogue Fitness, and provided by Rogue Fitness.

We are also a Fringe Sport affiliate – the photos of Fringe Sport products are property of Fringe Sport.

Tim

Tim is the founder of FitAtMidlife.com – an avid gym rat for 30+ years, he’s a reviewer of many, many shoes – and founder of the Speed Bag Gathering – the world’s only gathering of speed bag punching enthusiasts. See more gym reviews at Tim’s YouTube channel.