Women's bar / power rack issue

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sbl1881
sbl1881 Posts: 213 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I asked this question in a smaller forum, but wanted to open it up to the masses.

I am on week 1, day 2 of stronglifts and am using the women's bar. It's not only lighter, but shorter as well. I'm 5'3 with shorter arms, so I actually find the women's bar to be easier to use. Anyway, I did not add any weight on the bar day 1, and the bar fit in the power rack - no problem. The issue came today when I did try to add weight...the women's bar is too short for the power rack, so you can't add plates to the sides. Needless to say, I looked like an idiot trying to figure this out and there weren't any trainers around to help.

Any suggestions? Should I just suck it up and lift with the men's bar? It's not just an issue with the squats - it's a problem for the bench presses too...

Thanks for the advice!

Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    What is the weight of the lighter bar and then how much weight were you trying to put on it today?
  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,404 Member
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    You need a women's Olympic bar.
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
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    Pretty sure the grip section on a woman's oly bar is the same length as the men's - 4.3 ft. Sounds like you've got some non standard bar.
  • sbl1881
    sbl1881 Posts: 213 Member
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    Thanks. I should have clarified that although the weight difference is part of it, the shorter bar is easier for the short girl with the short arms. ;)

    The bar was on the same rack as the e-z curl bars, so maybe it was supposed to be used for something else. lol It looked like the longer one and was lighter and shorter, so I figured it was interchangeable. Wrong!!

    As you can tell, I'm a newbie and there is no one at the gym to assist. It's an anytime fitness gym, so it's not out of the norm to be there by yourself.

    I will start using the standard bar that is already loaded on the racks. If I fail a few sets, that's ok. I'll get it eventually.
  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,404 Member
    edited July 2016
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    The grip on the women's Olympic bar is smaller. Length of Olympic bars are uniform. There is no need to transfer to a men's bar. I use the women's Olympic bar.

    Women's bar weighs approximately 35lbs. Men's weighs 45lbs.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    someone let me know... what is a "women's bar"
  • sbl1881
    sbl1881 Posts: 213 Member
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    I'm sure none of you experienced people need it, but putting some labels on this stuff wouldn't hurt for us newbies. lol
  • sbl1881
    sbl1881 Posts: 213 Member
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    rainbowbow wrote: »
    someone let me know... what is a "women's bar"

    Not sure - I thought it was what I was using, but I guess not...
  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,404 Member
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    rainbowbow wrote: »
    someone let me know... what is a "women's bar"

    Women's oly bar is lighter (35lbs) with a smaller grip and uniform length. I use it. I like the grip better. You can progress just as you do with the men's bar.
  • sbl1881
    sbl1881 Posts: 213 Member
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    rileyes wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    someone let me know... what is a "women's bar"

    Women's oly bar is lighter (35lbs) with a smaller grip and uniform length. I use it. I like the grip better. You can progress just as you do with the men's bar.

    Ok, thanks. Now for the silly question...aside from lifting all of the bars to know which is lighter, is there an easy way to tell Olympic from Standard?
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    rainbowbow wrote: »
    someone let me know... what is a "women's bar"

    http://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-women-s-olympic-wl-bar

    http://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-25mm-womens-b-r-bar

    http://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-womens-25mm-training-bar
  • runningforthetrain
    runningforthetrain Posts: 1,037 Member
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    bump
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    sbl1881 wrote: »
    rileyes wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    someone let me know... what is a "women's bar"

    Women's oly bar is lighter (35lbs) with a smaller grip and uniform length. I use it. I like the grip better. You can progress just as you do with the men's bar.

    Ok, thanks. Now for the silly question...aside from lifting all of the bars to know which is lighter, is there an easy way to tell Olympic from Standard?

    Olympic bars have 2" diameter collars, standard bars are 1".
  • Keladelphia
    Keladelphia Posts: 820 Member
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    sbl1881 wrote: »
    rileyes wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    someone let me know... what is a "women's bar"

    Women's oly bar is lighter (35lbs) with a smaller grip and uniform length. I use it. I like the grip better. You can progress just as you do with the men's bar.

    Ok, thanks. Now for the silly question...aside from lifting all of the bars to know which is lighter, is there an easy way to tell Olympic from Standard?

    A women's Olympic bar will usually be made with needle bearings and will have more spin (if you try to spin it) and more whip (flexibility to help you out of the hole of the clean for example) than a standard power bar or mixed use womens bar. Olympic bars are usually calibrated in kilos 15 kilos for a women's bar as opposed to 35 pounds for a womens power/mixed use bar. It's not always the case though, I bought my Eleiko womens bar in pounds because it was discounted and essentially the same thing.

    If you're just looking to know the difference between a mens bar an a womens bar other than weight, the diameter of the bar is more narrow to accommodate the smaller hands of most women.

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