Best Women’s Olympic Barbell

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Let's look at some options for the best women's Olympic barbell for CrossFit.

First of all - do women need a special barbell for weightlifting?

Short answer - they don't.

The best women's olympic barbell will have a 25 mm shaft diameter - so it's easy to grip for those with smaller hands. It will weight 15 kilograms or 33 pounds. It can be used for Olympic Weightlifting or strength building power lifts.
The best women's olympic barbell will have a 25 mm shaft diameter - so it's easy to grip for those with smaller hands. It will weight 15 kilograms or 33 pounds. It can be used for Olympic Weightlifting or strength building power lifts.

But, women's barbells have a shaft diameter of only 25 mm. Compare this to the 28 or 29 mm diameter of a men's bar. It is 10% less diameter.

And that means it's easier to grip for those with smaller hands.

Here's the barbells we are going to review today. Read on to find out about the important qualities of the best women's barbell.

Rogue Bella Bar 2.0 15kg women's bushing bar - A multipurpose bar, made in the USA with 190K tensile strength steel. Outstanding Rogue Fitness quality.
Bomba Women's Barbell - Black 15kg Women's 15kg bar - A budget priced bushing bar with 206K tensile strength steel. Made in the USA from Fringe Sport.
15kg Bomba Cerakote Barbell The Women's Bomba Barbell with Cerakote - a colorful and rust resistant ceramic coating.
Women's Olympic WL Bar from Rogue 15kg women's bearing bar - Made in the USA with 215K tensile strength steel. Needle bearings for ultimate spin - best for Olympic lifts. Outstanding Rogue Fitness quality.
Rogue Pyrros Bearing Bar - 25 mm A super-tough bearing bar made with stainless steel. Made in the USA, from Rogue.
Women's 25mm Boneyard Bars A boneyard bar is a new, seconds quality barbell right from the Rogue production line. These have minor cosmetic issues such as finish blemishes or double tracked knurling but otherwise are fully functional. There is NO warranty - but the price savings is big.
Looking for Black Friday 2019 sales on Women's Olympic Barbells? Check back here for all the best deals on women's olympic barbells. Black Friday is the best time to buy fitness equipment.

The better grip that comes with a 25mm bar will be an important factor on the Olympic lifts such as the snatch, and clean and jerk.

Women's barbells are also not as long as a men's bar. You give up about 3" of loadable sleeve length - which means fewer bumper plates will fit on the barbell.

As a consequence of that smaller diameter and shorter length a women's barbell will also be lighter - there's simply less mass involved.

15 kg to lbs 15 kilograms is 33 pounds.

A women's barbell will typically weigh 15 kilograms (33 lbs) as opposed to 20 kilograms (44 lbs) for a men's barbell.

Beyond that, to find the right women's barbell, find the model that works best for what you intend to use it for.

Looking for in-depth information on barbells in general? Check out our Olympic barbell buyer's guide.
Olympic lifts such as the snatch are a key part of the CrossFit WOD. Here a women's olympic barbell is used for a workout.
Olympic lifts such as the snatch are a key part of the CrossFit WOD. Here a women's olympic barbell is used for a workout.

Rogue Women's WL Bar

Are you specializing in the Olympic lifts? The clean and jerk and snatch are the epitome of the expression of power. You need to explode with a maximum of strength in a short amount of time. And technique is critical.

There's no way to "grind" out a snatch or clean.

You either get it, or you don't.

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And for a specialist weightlifting bar we want to look for a bearing bar.

Bearings are the weight bearing surfaces within the sleeve of the barbell that allow the weight to spin. And the better the spin, the easier it is to exhibit perfect technique.

Secondly, we want a good Olympic weightlifting bar to have some whip.

It should flex and rebound back into shape as the weights are lifted.

What are bumper plates? Dropping the bar from overhead is only recommended if you have bumper plates - the dense, rubber plates that are built specifically for Olympic lifting.

Finally, a weightlifting barbell has to be tough. Because you are going to be dropping it from overhead - with a lot of weight on it.

So, the best women's barbell for weightlifting will need: a tough bar, with bearings (ideally), and some "whip".

The Rogue Fitness Women's Olympic WL Bar is an excellent barbell for weightlifting.

If you've been looking for a quality women’s barbell that delivers the consistent whip and smooth spin necessary for serious Olympic lifting, your search ends here. The 25MM Rogue Women’s Oly WL Bar is machined and assembled in Columbus, OH, utilizing the same 215,000 PSI tensile strength steel, quality needle bearings, and uniform Olympic knurling as our standard men’s Olympic Weightlifting Bar.
The 25MM Rogue Women’s Oly WL Bar is machined and assembled in Columbus, OH, utilizing the same 215,000 PSI tensile strength steel, quality needle bearings, and uniform Olympic knurling as the standard men’s Olympic Weightlifting Bar.

The shaft diameter is 25mm, so it's easy to grip. And it weighs in at 15kg / 33 lbs.

The Women’s WL Bearing Bar features 10 sets of needle bearings, 5 sets per sleeve. Needle bearings provide the utmost in consistent, smooth spin. But, they do cost a bit more than a bushing bar - which is a much simpler type of weight bearing surface.

The WL Bar is made in the USA from 215,000 PSI tensile strength steel.

The only decision you'll need to make: Bright Zinc or Polished Chrome for the finish?

Both are pretty resistant to rusting (oxidation).

For a higher level of corrosion resistance - and to bring some style to your game - consider the Women's WL Bar in Cerakote.

What's Cerakote? It's a thin-film ceramic coating that offers amazing durability, protection, and a choice of colors and patterns.

Cerakote color option for the Rogue Fitness Women's WL Olympic Barbell
Cerakote color option for the Rogue Fitness Women's WL Olympic Barbell

Cerakote barbells are some of the best looking barbells around. It looks good, and works even better.

Beyond the looks, Cerakote offers a high level of corrosion resistance.

You may also want to check out the Women's Pyrros Bar.

It's also a bearing bar that's great for Olympic weightlifting.

Combining a stainless steel, 200,000 PSI tensile strength shaft with chrome sleeves and quality needle bearings, this version of the Rogue Pyrros Women’s Olympic WL Bar ranks among the best in the industry for feel, durability, and performance. Each 15KG bar is machined and assembled in Columbus, OH, and includes an exclusive Rogue knurl pattern that's precision-cut for a firm grip without the sharpness or abrasiveness of many import bars.
This version of the Rogue Pyrros Women’s Olympic WL Bar ranks among the best in the industry for feel, durability, and performance.

The Pyrros bar is made from stainless steel - providing a great bare metal feel and the most durable finish available in a barbell.

Powerlifting exercises such as the high bar squat, bench press, and deadlift can also be done with an women's olympic barbell. The best women's barbell will have a 25mm diameter for easy grip.
Powerlifting exercises such as the high bar squat, bench press, and deadlift can also be done with an women's olympic barbell. The best women's barbell will have a 25mm diameter for easy grip.

Bella Bar 2.0

If you are a CrossFit enthusiast - you probably want a dual purpose Olympic bar.

A dual purpose bar is good for the Olympic lifts, but also good for old school strength moves like the squat, benchpress, and deadlift.

The Bella Bar is Rogue’s go-to multipurpose 15KG barbell for female athletes. Fully machined and assembled in Columbus, Ohio, this versatile ladies bar is uniquely optitmized for Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, and/or a CrossFit WOD.
The Bella Bar is Rogue’s go-to multipurpose 15KG barbell for female athletes. Fully machined and assembled in Columbus, Ohio, this versatile ladies bar is uniquely optimized for Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, and/or a CrossFit WOD.

The so-called "slow lifts" like the squat and deadlift don't really require extreme barbell spin, or whip.

So, you don't necessarily need an expensive bearing bar. But, you still need a bar that's passable for the Olympic lifts.

Rogue Fitness sells the Bella Bar 2.0 that is an excellent solution.

The Bella Bar is Rogue’s go-to multipurpose 15KG barbell for female athletes. Fully machined and assembled in Columbus, Ohio, this versatile ladies bar is uniquely optitmized for Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, and/or a CrossFit WOD.
The Bella Bar is Rogue’s go-to multipurpose 15KG barbell for female athletes. 25mm shaft diameter - so it is easy to grip.

It uses quality snap ring bronze bushings to allow the sleeves to revolve for those Olympic lifts. These are a more cost-effective solution compared to a bearing bar.

It's also a tough bar. Made in the USA from 190K tensile strength steel.

It has dual knurl marks for powerlifting and weightlifting - so you know just how wide you can grip the bar and still stay legal.

There is no center knurl on this bar.

Why not? Because having knurl in the center of the bar can be a bit uncomfortable at times.

See the picture below of the "rack position" of the bar as an example. Think of it like taking a cheese grater to your skin. This does mean it's a little more troublesome to keep the bar on your back for squats. If you are a back squat enthusiast you might want a bar with center knurl for that reason.

Center knurl on the barbell can help hold the bar in place, but it can also cause too much friction with bare skin in the rack position of the clean, as shown here.
Center knurl on the barbell can help hold the bar in place, but it can also cause too much friction with bare skin in the rack position of the clean, as shown here.

The Bella Bar has the right combination of whip and rigidity for the powerlifts. When you are doing heavy deadlifts, benches, and squats you don't want a bar that flexes too much.

This is a great bar for the CrossFit WOD.

The Bella Bar normally comes with a black zinc shaft and bright zinc sleeves.

You can also get a version that uses Cerakote.

Cerakote is also popular in the gun industry – because of the range of custom colors that can be used, but also because of the amazing durability of this thin-film coating.

The Bella Bar Cerakote offers great looks and a high level of corrosion resistance.

These bars look good, and will look good for a long, long time.

Available in over 24 different color / sleeve options - you're sure to find one you like.

Cerakote Color Options for the rogue fitness Bella 2.0 Bar Cerakote Color Options for the rogue fitness Bella 2.0 Bar ... and more options!
Cerakote Color Options for the rogue fitness Bella 2.0 Bar - more options.
Cerakote Color Options for the Rogue Fitness Bella 2.0 Bar

For the sleeves - choose between black Cerakote or chrome.

The black Cerakote sleeve looks better, but chrome will be more durable, because loading and unloading the plates means any coating will wear over time.

And now, you can custom order a Bella Bar 2.0 with the color options of your choosing, using Rogue's ZEUS Build-A-Bar.

Not only do you pick the color of the sleeves and shaft, but also the bushings. And you can choose custom text or an image to be placed on the bar.

Cool stuff.

And lastly, for the ultimate in bare steel feel and aesthetics look at the Bella Bar Stainless Steel.

The Rogue Fitness Bella Bar (Women's Olympic Bar) offers exception bare steel feel in a durable and tough finish.
The Rogue Fitness Bella Bar (Women's Olympic Bar) offers exception bare steel feel in a durable and tough finish.

The stainless steel version of the Bella Bar also offers the ultimate in corrosion protection.

No matter what version of the Bella Bar you get, it's sure to be a hit. Check out the user reviews on the Rogue Fitness web site.

Fringe Sport Bomba V2

Rogue Fitness isn't the only vendor that sells made in USA women's Olympic barbells.

Fringe Sport sells their Bomba Women's Barbell.

Fringe Sport sells the Women's Bomba V2 Barbell
Fringe Sport sells the Women's Bomba V2 Barbell - it's an affordable but good 25mm / 15kg women's barbell.

It's a Women's bar so 25mm shaft diameter and 15 kilograms / 33 pounds is the weight - as you'd expect.

It's built from 206,000 PSI tensile strength steel - and made in the USA.

It's a bushing bar - using high impact bronze bushings. As we mentioned above, this saves considerable expense compared to needle bearings.

With a moderate amount of whip and a moderate amount of spin - it can be used for dual purpose lifting.

Whether Olympic weightlifting or powerlifting this bar will work.

And, it's bargain priced - especially considering it is made in the USA, has a lifetime warranty, and is overall a great product.

The Bomba Bar V2 is also available in Cerakote.

Fringe Sport sells the Women's Bomba V2 Barbell - also in super-tough Cerakote finish
Fringe Sport sells the Women's Bomba V2 Barbell - also in super-tough Cerakote finish

With excellent oxidation (rust) resistance, and cool looks it's perfect for your garage or home gym.

Fringe Sport offers the Women's Bomba bar in Blue, Pink, or Purple.

Best Women's Barbell - In Summary

With a 25mm shaft diameter a Women's Olympic barbell will be easier to grip, and is significantly lighter than a men's barbell.

Beyond that, to find the right women's Olympic barbell you need to figure out what kind of lifting you want to do.

To specialize in the fast, technique driven Olympic lifts go for a bearing bar.

If you are doing CrossFit style functional fitness or otherwise doing powerlifts as well - look for a dual-purpose bushing bar.

Photo and Image Credits

  • The Rogue Fitness logo and some product imagery on this page is property of Rogue Fitness and provided by Rogue Fitness.
  • The Fringe Sport logo and some product imagery on this page is property of Fringe Sport and provided by FringeSport.

The Bella Bar is Rogues go-to multipurpose 15KG barbell for female athletes. Fully machined and assembled in Columbus, Ohio, this versatile ladies bar is uniquely optimized for Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, and/or a CrossFit WOD