Introduction
A barbell is any lifter’s best friend. Nothing will help you pack on size and strength as the barbell will. That's why you can find barbells in every single gym across the globe and in-home gym arsenals of anyone who ever achieved any fitness result.
Even though barbells look simple, there are differences between them - type, build quality, material, knurling, and of course, length. This post will tell you why you should choose a 7ft barbell for your training. By the time you finish reading it, you might realize how this type of barbell might be just the thing your home gym lacked and how getting a 7ft barbell can be the key element to help you reach your fitness goals faster.
Why You Should Get A 7ft Standard Barbell
Olympic Barbell - What Makes It The Go-To Commercial Gym Standard
Most commercial gyms usually have Olympic barbells in their squat racks, power racks, and bench press stations. A 7ft Olympic barbell weighs roughly between 17kg to 20kg (44 lb). This type of barbell is incredibly strong, as it can withstand from 250kg to over 500kg, which is a lot.
Olympic barbells are also very durable, as they usually have enough elasticity that lets you drop them to the floor even when fully loaded. They also have "whip," which is a term that describes storing elastic energy, which is useful when performing technical Olympic lifts.
Also, Olympic barbells are long, making them a good option for performing all kinds of exercises, not just Olympic lifts. They are a good option for deadlifts, squats, and presses too, and you can even use them for isolation movements, which makes them versatile.
Drawbacks Of Olympic Barbells
While Olympic barbells have some distinct features that make them very useful for many different purposes, the chances are you aren't going to use most of them.
You will rarely see people performing Olympic lifts such as snatches and cleans in commercial gyms. Instead, barbells are most often used for bench press, squat, deadlift, and overhead press, making the "whip" feature irrelevant.
The same goes for elasticity - if you want to beat your PR, it is much better to have a stiff bar, as it won't waste away energy.
Home gyms that don't have bumper plates or floor protection are no place for dropping weights on the floor during Olympic lifts. Therefore, in a home gym, an Olympic barbell will rarely serve its full purpose.
Lastly, professional Olympic barbells are more expensive than standard barbells. And if you can't use all of the features they offer in the right way, you are wasting away money.
7ft Barbell 1" - A Perfect Investment For Home Gyms
7ft barbell, standard, costs only a fraction of the price of an Olympic barbell. Yet, it has many benefits which make it an ideal solution for home gyms:
- Optimal length- 7ft is long enough to perform classic barbell movements such as the back squat, deadlift, bench press, and overhead press. The length will allow you to balance the weight optimally and is suitable even for bigger lifters with broader shoulders and longer arms.
- Easy to load- 7ft barbell 1 inch thickness with smooth sleeves is very easy to load, which will cut the time between sets.
- Use it with standard plates- 1'' diameter means you can load this barbell with standard plates, which are more affordable than Olympic plates.
- Cheaper - 7ft barbell 1'' is cheaper than an Olympic barbell, and it provides many of the same benefits.
Conclusion
A 7ft barbell 1 inch has a 150kg load capacity, which is lower than what an Olympic barbell can withstand. It also doesn't offer the same amount of whip and elasticity. But, in-home gym conditions, you will hardly ever need to lift more than 150kg, and you probably won't do any snatches and cleans, making a standard 7ft barbell 1'' an optimal choice.
Therefore, don't bite more than you can chew - there's absolutely no reason to waste money on equipment you won't use to its fullest. Leave Olympic barbells to the pro weightlifters - a quality 7ft barbell 1” is exactly what your home gym needs.