Fat bench bar vs skinner bar

[Saberback]

I'm pretty good with what to expect everytime I go into a workout.. Whether its bench, shoulder press etc.. I recently switched gyms and I noticed that the flat bench bar was a lot thicker opposed to my old gyms bar... I weighed it and everything and it's dead on 45lbs... How could my numbers be lower with a thicker bar? Will I eventually adjust? It's upsetting cause I went from doing 3x8 at 225, to 3x8,6,5... Nothing else in the gym has dropped.. Back,bis,shoulders, triceps... So it's planted in my head its this stupid thick bar.. Help me out

[owasM]

could be one bar is around 28mm and the other 30mm+,
as soon as i switched from 32mm to 28mm, by bench went up 10lbs.

[ProtienandIron]

Some bars can weigh as little as 15 kg. And some can be slightly over 20

[jmmainvi]

Some bars can weigh as little as 15 kg. And some can be slightly over 20

He says in the OP that he's weighed the bars and they're both right on.

@OP, its to be expected. Olympic bars are anywhere between 28mm (competition bars are all this size) and 32mm (generally bought by crowded gyms who don't want their bars to bend). A thicker bar is harder on your forearms and on your triceps, so your lockout strength will suffer. No, you won't "adjust to it" and get back your lost reps by magic, but you will eventually get stronger and when you switch back to a skinnier bar you'll be moving more weight.

[Stasher1]

He says in the OP that he's weighed the bars and they're both right on.

@OP, its to be expected. Olympic bars are anywhere between 28mm (competition bars are all this size) and 32mm (generally bought by crowded gyms who don't want their bars to bend). A thicker bar is harder on your forearms and on your triceps, so your lockout strength will suffer. No, you won't "adjust to it" and get back your lost reps by magic, but you will eventually get stronger and when you switch back to a skinnier bar you'll be moving more weight.

Unless I'm missing something, the OP only said that he weighed the thicker bar, not the one from his old gym.

[Detrus]

The weights can also be off. But that's to be expected, minor differences in equipment, thickness, length of bars can easily add or remove 20 lbs off your lifts. I remember someone saying that with deadlifts, using a stiff 5' bar that 'had no give' took 60 lbs off his lift.

[ProtienandIron]

He says in the OP that he's weighed the bars and they're both right on.

Unless I'm missing something, the OP only said that he weighed the thicker bar, not the one from his old gym.

Yep, this.^ But you make a good point about the grip size. I was at work on my phone when I replied so my post was a bit lazy.

[irongym]

I've never used a skinner bar...

Seriously though, 1 or 2 mm give or take wont make much of a difference.

[jmmainvi]

Yep, this.^ But you make a good point about the grip size. I was at work on my phone when I replied so my post was a bit lazy.

Yep, my bad there - I'd just woken up and apparently my post (or my reading comprehension) was lazy as well.

I've never used a skinner bar...

Seriously though, 1 or 2 mm give or take wont make much of a difference.

It does though. It makes much more difference on deadlifts or oly lifts, but it still makes a difference on squats and bench. Besides the change to the forearm and tricep muscles I mentioned in my last post, a thicker bar is going to be automatically more stiff than a thinner bar, and that's going to change the stretch reflex and the "bounce" at the bottom of any lift you're doing.

[Saberback]

He says in the OP that he's weighed the bars and they're both right on.

@OP, its to be expected. Olympic bars are anywhere between 28mm (competition bars are all this size) and 32mm (generally bought by crowded gyms who don't want their bars to bend). A thicker bar is harder on your forearms and on your triceps, so your lockout strength will suffer. No, you won't "adjust to it" and get back your lost reps by magic, but you will eventually get stronger and when you switch back to a skinnier bar you'll be moving more weight.

That makes alota sense.. It does seem like I was having more tension on the forearms with the thicker grip.. Thanks. And a guy I was talking to in the gym said I should probably just stick to te thick bar because when u go up more in weight the thicker bar evens the weight out better? He looked big so I took his word for it lol

[jmmainvi]

That makes alota sense.. It does seem like I was having more tension on the forearms with the thicker grip.. Thanks. And a guy I was talking to in the gym said I should probably just stick to te thick bar because when u go up more in weight the thicker bar evens the weight out better? He looked big so I took his word for it lol

Pretty sure that's broscience.

But using the thicker bar will transfer better to the thinner bar than using the thinner bar will transfer to the thicker bar. Just keep in mind that if you're ever planning to compete in PL you should spend a few weeks adapting to the regulation equipment. That's just common sense.

[doza808]

Having a thicker bar to hold on to will help you with your grip strength, even with pressing movements. I'd be happy if my gym incorporated them in their equipment inventory.

[AttyGuy]

I've never used a skinner bar...

Seriously though, 1 or 2 mm give or take wont make much of a difference.

That's what she said. . .