Precisely what features make the bar the best remains an enigma. Olympic bars have the same weight, diameter and length, but other aspects may differ from brand to brand, such as the materials used. Most are made of some type of steel, the most common being stainless steel and chrome, and the respective mechanical properties can make a little difference in the whip of a given bar, according to Langlois. Specifically, the stiffness of the bar (Young’s modulus) can vary quite a bit. “We don’t have a good idea of this because no bar manufacturer will tell you exactly how they make the bar,” he said. “Everything is property.”
There may also be variations in the coupling mechanism between the shaft (where the bar is clamped) and the sleeve (where the plates are loaded), which can affect how much the bar bends. Sleeves can be bearings (with moving bearings inside for faster rotation), bushings (a solid piece with no moving parts), a hybrid of the two, or simply bare steel. Bar manufacturers I usually recommend bushing sleeves for slower, heavier lifts and bearing sleeves for faster Olympic lifts. “The coupling mechanism varies between bushingsbearings or bare steel,” Langlois said. “Bearings seem to have the best coupling, and that’s what the more expensive bars use.”
So what’s next? “We know the bar is important,” Langlois said. “We know it changes shape, it changes frequency and with load. So now we’re going to take data from real Olympic weightlifters (men and women) so we can see exactly how they use the whip and how important the barbell is to them.”
