Standard weight lifting bars are one inch 25mm in diameter on the end and the middle shaft.
Olympic bar vs standard bar weight.
This is great if you re starting out or if you don t plan to train too heavy.
Standard weight lifting bars are cheaper and will start flexing badly around 200 pounds.
An olympic bar has rotating sleeves on the ends instead of being just one piece of steel all the way.
They are made to take standard weight plates.
Bars can withstand a whopping maximum weight load of 750kg.
Standard bars are sometimes made of material of lesser quality meaning they re more likely to bend under weight of 200 pounds or more.
Olympic bars are made better.
Standard weights are typically found in home gyms.
Even cheaper olympic bars are made to handle much greater loads.
However you can buy lighter weight olympic bars too.
An olympic barbell is one that you will find at most competitions and heavy weight lifting meets as these are the bars that can handle lots of weight without bending unlike the standard bars.
Standard bars weigh 13 to 19 lbs or so.
They are likely to bend permanently with heavier loads.
This is a standardized measurement and only a ladies olympic barbell will weigh lesser than this.
Standard bars are exactly 1 in diameter throughout the whole length besides the shoulders that stop the weight plates.
A bending bar can create unwanted motion and make heavier lifts more difficult.
Standard bars are lightweight in comparison to olympic.
They bend slightly when heavily loaded but that s part of their design.
Standard bars tend to be cheaper and understandably given their lower maximum weight capacity.