Commercial Barbell Set – Definitive FAQ Guide

Are you preparing yourself to buy commercial barbell sets? Do you need detailed information about commercial barbell sets?

If the answers are positive for any of the two questions, you are in the right place.

Go through the article carefully, and you will find the answers to all the questions you have regarding commercial barbell sets. 

Please have a look!

Table of Contents

1. What are the main parts of a barbell set?

There are mainly two parts of a commercial barbell set. These two are as follows:

• Weight plate: A weight plate is a heavy object, usually made of iron. Weight plates can be of different shapes. Usually, weight plates are round in shape, but they can be found in square, polygonal, 12-sided and many other shapes. 
• Bar: A bar is an object that helps to lift the weight plates. A bar is usually made of steel. A bar is a long steel stick that has weight plates attached to both sides. 

Since commercial barbell sets are bought for long-term and heavy use, the weight plates and the bars of the barbell sets must be made of good quality materials. 

Figure-1: Parts of a barbell set

2. What are the types of commercial barbell sets?

There are more than 100 types of barbells available in the market. When you are planning to buy commercial barbell sets, not necessarily you have to know all of the 100 types of barbells and that’s not a feasible idea also.

All of the barbells available in the market can be categorized in two broad categories. Here we have described those to broad categories for you.

• Olympic Barbell sets: An Olympic barbell set is more suitable for people who are preparing themselves for national or international weight lifting competitions. This is the most used barbell set. An Olympic barbell set usually has a sleeve of 2-inch diameter, knurl of medium depth and weight capacity of above 700 lbs.

Figure-2: Olympic barbell set

• Standard Barbell set: A standard barbell set is suitable for general people who use barbell sets for regular exercises. A standard barbell set is usually 5 to 7 feet long and has a weight capacity of around 200 lbs. 

Figure-3: Standard barbell

3. What are the dimensions of different types of commercial barbell sets?

There are standard barbell sets and Olympic barbell sets. Every part of these two commercial barbel sets differs from each other regarding dimensions. Followings are the dimensions:

Bar diameter 

• Standard: one inch (25mm)
• Olympic: one and 31/32 inches (50mm)

Hole size

• Standard: one inch (25 mm)
• Olympic: 2″ (50.6mm)

Bar Length 

• Standard: 7 feet
• Olympic: 5-6 feet

4. What are the differences between standard and Olympic  barbell set weight plates?

You already know that there are two types of barbell sets. It’s time to understand the difference between the weight plates of these two types of barbell sets.

Standard barbell sets	Olympic barbell sets
The weight plates of a standard barbell set have a hole in the centre that is 1-inch diameter in size.	The weight plates of an Olympic barbell set have a hole in the centre that is 2-inch diameter in size.
Standard weight plates won’t fit into Olympic weight bars	An Olympic weight plate can be used with a  standard bar adding an adapter with that.

If you are a gym owner or a buyer of commercial barbell sets, you must have the ability to differentiate between these two. 

Figure-4: Standard vs Olympic weight plates

5. How to choose the best weight plates for a commercial barbell set?

To choose the best barbell sets for your organization, you have to choose the best parts of a barbell set. You should check the following factors to choose the best weight plates for your commercial barbell sets:

Based on Durability: Pates that are made of steel last longer than that of plates made of iron. So, if you prefer durability, purchase iron-made weight plates.

Based on cost: Weight plates that are made of steel are comparatively more expensive than that of iron plates. If you prefer less cost, go for weight plates made of irons for your commercial weight plates.

Based on surface: If the surface where the commercial barbell sets will be used has a wooden surface. You should buy rubber or rubber coated weight plates. For concrete surfaces, any uncoated plate is fine. 

Figure-5: Different types of weight plates

6. What are the differences between Milled finished and non-milled finished commercial barbell sets?

If you have even a little knowledge about barbell sets, you may already know that there are standard and Olympic barbell sets. 

Olympic barbell sets are manufactured in a better way than the standard barbell sets. If you are planning to buy commercial barbell sets, you should know that Olympic barbell sets are available in two types of finishes. These are Milled finish and Non-milled Finish. Followings are the differences:

Milled finish	Non-milled finish
More tolerance rate rate	Less tolerance rate
Have a tolerance rate of 5%	Have a tolerance rate of 2%
Can have 5% more or less weight than its capacity	Can have 2% more or less weight than its capacity
Less accurate fit	More accurate fit

So, if you are planning to buy commercial barbell sets, you should buy non-milled weight plates for those sets. 

7. Is a handhold weight plate a better choice for a commercial barbell set?

A handhold weight plate is one that has one or more handhold cuts on its body.

• Handhold weight plates are easy to carry
• These weight plates can be used in commercial barbell sets and for other weightlifting exercises also. 
• Handhold weight plates ensure flexibility and reduce the cost of buying extra weight lifting equipment. 

No matter if you are a gym owner buying commercial barbell sets or the end-user, buying handheld weight plates is a better choice.

Figure-6: Barbell set with handhold weight plates

8. Is there any difference between barbell sets for men and women?

Like many other things, there are differences between men’s barbell sets and women’s barbell sets also. Before purchasing commercial barbell sets, you should know the following differences to serve your clients better. 

Men’s barbell set	Women’s barbell set
Women’s barbell sets are comparatively plumper.	Women’s barbell sets are made thinner
The weight of a men’s barbell is 44lbs	the weight of a women’s barbell is 33lbs
The length of a men’s barbell is  220cm.	The length of a women’s barbell is 201cm.

Women’s palms are naturally smaller than that of men.  So, they are not comfortable with the barbell sets that men usually use. 

You will find commercial barbell sets for both men and women in our shop. 

Figure-7: Man and Woman exercising with barbells

9. What are the differences between standard bars and Olympic Bars?

You will find two types of bars for your commercial barbell sets to buy. One is a standard or power fitting bar, and the other one is an Olympic bar. Followings are the differences between these two:

Standard bar	Olympic bar
Standard bars are made for usual weightlifting exercises.	Olympic bars are made with Olympic competition in mind.
Knurling of a standard bar is rougher.	An Olympic bar has softer knurling
Transition or movement is not that easy.	Transition of movement is comparatively easier.
Standard bars are skinnier	Olympic bars are wider.
Can tear your hand during movement	Reduces the risk of tearing

10. How to choose the right weightlifting bar strength for a commercial barbell set?

The strength of a weightlifting bar is measured based on how much weight pressure the bar can take. 

A weightlifting bar that has PSI above 180,000 is considered good.

The bars with PSI above 210,000 will be best for your commercial barbell sets 

11. Is it important to test the spin of the sleeve of a commercial barbell set?

Every part of a commercial barbell set has distinctive roles, you should check almost all the capabilities of the parts of a barbell set. 

The spin of the sleeve is more important for the Olympic barbell sets than that of the standard barbell sets. 

A sleeve with a bearing spins more and more expensive to buy. On the other hand, a sleeve with bushings is slower but cheap to buy. 

The more the spin of the sleeve, the more the barbell is comfortable to lift. 

Figure-8: Bearings bar for a barbell set

12. Is the whip of a commercial barbell set important?

A bar’s versatility or whip is essential for Olympic lifting. During an Olympic lift, a bar’s whip is used in transition from clean to jerk. Athletes use the bent upward momentum to complete the jerk pose.

This means more whips are generally better, and you should buy commercial barbell sets that have more whips. 

13. What are the differences between bare finishes and coated finishes bars of a barbell set?

The finishes of bars are not as important as that of weight plates. 

Still, if you are going to buy commercial barbell sets, you should know the following differences between a bare and a coated finished bar:

Bare Finish	Coated Finish
Provides more grip	Provides less grip
There is a risk of rust	Rusts can’t grow on it.
Damages faster	Lasts long

Figure-9: Rubber coated barbell set

14. How to maintain different types of commercial barbell sets? 

Maintenance is mostly related to the weight plates of your commercial barbell sets. Bars of the barbell sets don’t require much maintenance. 

Commercial barbell sets with steel-made weight plates needed to be kept in a temperature-controlled place to keep those free from rust. 

Rubber coated and plastic weight plates are easy to maintain as there is no chance of growing rust. 

15. Final Words

Hopefully, you have got the answers to all your questions regarding commercial barbell sets. 

The questions we tried to answer in this article are the most common things you should know before buying commercial barbell sets.

If you still have any questions, feel free to contact us.