Bar maximum weight ratings

[groundskeeperwillie]

Can anyone tell me the maximum weight ratings for standard (not Olympic) barbells of the following lengths?
7 foot standard.
6 foot standard.
5 foot standard.

I currently use the 5 foot standard for DL, OHP & BOR, and the 6 foot bar for Squats and Bench. I'm thinking of buying a Power Rack and will need a 7 foot bar to fit inside it, I just need to know if the standard bar will be OK, or if I will need to buy an Olympic weight set. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks


gkw

[Mouse]

Can anyone tell me the maximum weight ratings for standard (not Olympic) barbells of the following lengths?


7 foot standard - 10kg
6 foot standard - 7.5kg
5 foot standard - 6kg

There or thereabouts.
Obviously an Oly set will allow you to lift more weight safely.
Standard 7' bar should let you squat 140 - 180 depending on the quality - but like I said in the PM they do bend nicely !!

[groundskeeperwillie]

Hi mouse. That's the reason for asking really. You're thinking of moving to the Oly set up, I'm wondering if to do the same. A 140kg set costs about £270ish, and should be plenty to begin with. Most of the plates I've got at the moment don't belong to me (although I can use them for as long as I like), and I can borrow more, but the 6 foot bar won't fit in the rack and a 7 foot one is required. The dilemma is; buy a 7 foot standard bar and risk it bending/snapping but just borrow more plates, or buy an Oly bar and weight set at mucho mula!



gkw

[Mouse]

Depends on how much cash you have to spare.
Think the rack is a must no matter what else.

If you can afford the Oly stuff as well - i'd say go for it - otherwise the standard bars are not that expensive if you have access to more standard plates in the meantime.


I've pulled 167.5 with mine, and yes it does bend nicely, but it's not bent out of shape.
I know what you mean though - I'd hate to be pulling or squatting heavy if it snapped

[alistair]

Hi Willie,

I use Decathlon 'standard bars'. They have 1.55m, 1.75m and 2m bars all rated at 160kg max weight. One thing to bear in mind is that there is no such thing as standard size, so you need to check your plates will fit if you get a new bar. These bars are pretty chunky, with grip area 32mm diameter and plate loading 28mm diameter. They are all pretty cheap (UK price for 2m £30) as the extra thickness means they do not need to be of very high quality steel.

[groundskeeperwillie]

@alistair. Thanks for the info, 160kg is plenty to be getting on with .

@mouse. Looks like the rack is a must buy then, but still haven't made my mind up about the weight set.



gkw