Which bar to buy?

[GarageIron]

I am not a crossfitter .i wana bea jeff seid/brad pitt Fight club

Then join a fight club... seriously.

I fully admit I was a Crossfit guy for a year or so and it is effective on body composition and depending on the programming, for strength and conditioning. But it also a cult of weirdness. Guys do it a year, open their own gym, then his student opens his, etc. Massive quality variance in training which is ever diminishing. There are guys teaching olympic lifts with 2 days of training. "he's pretty good at Oly lifts" ...no he isn't... That's why its in the Olympics. They train for years for one lift. "Ok, let's do 40 reps anyway and then run around".

BJJ. Go do that. Nobody there will give you any spoiled credit. The intensity of Crossfit combined with kicking ass, which you'll find out later in life is far more attractive to the opposite sex than your abs, but I was 17 once so I get it. Go kick ass at something. The look comes with doing it, not trying to look like you do it. Not being a dick here, but the work is what matters. We are upper middle class and my kids get the good stuff too, but they work, they train, they practice. I had nothing and earned what I have. Nothing I can buy them will make them kick ass. That's on them... And me to make sure it's on them. Sorry for the rant. Kids had hockey tryouts this weekend and I saw a few kids with $300 skates and a $0.10 stride.

[xTwiinKy]

^^ thats very interesting haha.

What is it exactly in Crossfit that is "kicking ass" Doing a set ?

[GarageIron]

^^ thats very interesting haha.

What is it exactly in Crossfit that is "kicking ass" Doing a set ?

Haha. I wasn't suggesting crossfit at all. just saying it can be effective (depending on what you are measuring).

[thejosef]

I didn't get a chance to read through this entire glorious thread.. but if I were just starting out, and wanted my first "nice" bar, here's the bars I would consider:

All-purpose bar: Rogue Ohio Bar (great warranty, choice of finishes, quick shipping, good price)
Lean more torward Oly lift, get a 28mm bar: Rep Fitness Excalibur (strong specs, great price, choice of 2 finishes)
Mainly doing powerlifts, get a 29mm bar: B&R bar or Rogue Ohio Power bar (bare steel FTW)
Best bar on a budget: Cap OB-86

You simply cannot go wrong with any of those, IMO.

Good luck bud.

[Cleveland33]

I didn't get a chance to read through this entire glorious thread.. but if I were just starting out, and wanted my first "nice" bar, here's the bars I would consider:

All-purpose bar: Rogue Ohio Bar (great warranty, choice of finishes, quick shipping, good price)
Lean more torward Oly lift, get a 28mm bar: Rep Fitness Excalibur (strong specs, great price, choice of 2 finishes)
Mainly doing powerlifts, get a 29mm bar: B&R bar or Rogue Ohio Power bar (bare steel FTW)
Best bar on a budget: Cap OB-86

You simply cannot go wrong with any of those, IMO.

Good luck bud.

Solid rundown.

OP you also might want to learn how to identify a vintage York bar and scour your local Craigslist.

[bobcat255]

Olympic bars are made and used for several purposes. The guys in the Olympics use vastly different bars than world class Powerlifters. Some bars are designed specifically for certain lifts (deadlift bars, olympic training bars), other bars are made as a hybrid for more versatility for cross training those lifts or people that want variety or can simply only afford one bar.

28mm bars are typically for olympic lifting because they whip the way that suits those lifts and meet the regulation specs. 29mm bars are stiffer and more suited to powerlifting. The knurl rings matter also or at least indicate the intended use of the bar. For example the Pendlay is marked with olympic marks while the TPB has powerlifting marks. Rogue is 28.5mm and has both marks (as does the B&R). What you plan to do with the bar is more important in making a decision than what brand it is. If you bought a TPB to practice your clean and jerk, you would slice your neck open and have your hands in the wrong spot. If you bought Pendlay to practice your competition bench, squat and DL, the bar marks would be wrong, the knurl would be soft compared to the meet bar, and the diameter would be different.

They are all Oly bars but made for different things. If you want a really good bar that is good at everything until you figure out what your thing is, yes I'd say B&R or maybe a Rogue if that is the brand you prefer. Just remember that rogues market is 90% Crossfit and designed that way. If you start getting into their specialty bars (power bar etc), that you are just buying a bar that they have made to be like someone elses bar that's been doing it much longer. That's not a big deal, they don't need to reinvent the wheel and they haven't in anything they make. That said, you'll get the bar quick and it will be decent, the customer service is good, your crossfitter friends will think you are cool (only if you buy bright shoes and matching knee sleeves also), and it will get the job done.

Now that I'm back at my laptop....

GarageIron, great post and repped! Just to help the OP, with a bit more specifics about the two bars he's interested in..

The Pendlay HD bar is a 28mm bar (good whip) with Olympic weightlifting markings. If you're planning on doing snatch and clean & jerk, then this is the bar you should choose.

The Rogue Ohio Bar is a 28.5mm bar (less whip) and will have both Olympic weightlifting markings and powerlifting markings.

Both bars are 190k tensile steel (good!), both are zinc coated (Rogue offers more color choices), both are dual bushing snap-ring design (good), both are 20kg, both are made in the US. The Rogue bar is cheaper, but with Pendlay the shipping is already included. I hope I covered everything.

So in conclusion: for Olympic weightlifting, get the Pendlay HD. For "jack of all trades, master of none" choose the Rogue Ohio Bar.

[congore]

Pendlay HD is a great bar and works great for powerlifts and especially Olympic lifts. However, I am craving a dedicated power bar as I'm beginning to pushing over the 400+ range on pulls. I train mainly big power lifts with cleans for athletic conditioning (MMA, jujitsu) and have found the HD to be a great all around bar. My kids have also started to lift (football, wrestling, track) and the 28mm bar has been good for their smaller hands. The other bars listed were good alternatives as well. My thoughts on building my gear was to get the best gear so I didn't have to upgrade and go in the following order: 1) barbell, 2) power rack, and 3) plates (bumpers or iron depending on need). Everything else is extra (GHD, kettlebells, dumbbells....). My kids just happen to benefit from my deeper pockets. Lots of advice on this site, so take advantage of others experiences and then make your decision. Its more important for a young person to just get under the bar and be lifting, than what kind of bar you are using. If you have the money or someone who will help, then count yourself lucky and get what you want. JUST GET UNDER THE BAR!

[bobcat255]

In case the OP - or anyone else for that matter - ever reads this thread.... have a quick update with personal experience.

So given how much great stuff was said about the CAP OB-86B, I decided I'd give it a try. Worst case, I'd keep it as a beater bar and get a nicer bar in the future (no such thing as too many bars, right?). Ordered from Amazon for <$130 (steal!) and got it today.

The bar is much better than I had imagined. It's really nice. The knurl looks/feels perfect, it really blew me away for the price. I didn't get a chance to use it, because mine was delivered bent (box is bent as well, not sure how that happens), but Amazon is replacing it. As long as I don't get another bent bar, I'll be using it for a long time to come.

Just wanted to say thanks to all of those who keep pushing that bar!

EDIT: Got the replacement bar today (10/10) and it's not bent like the previous one.