People often think of barbells as a tool for strength training, but they can also be used for fat loss. Many people use barbells when they want to train for fitness, but ditch them in favour of kettlebells, circuits, or running when they want to get leaner and cut body fat. But today, we want to show you how barbells are phenomenally effective for fat loss.

Why barbells are an effective tool for fat loss?

• Exercising using a barbell your can lift relatively heavier compared to a dumbbell or any other functional fitness equipment for that matter. Your body works harder to move to heavier weights when you do barbell complexes. Plus, your heart rate pumps up as you increase the reps.
• All the barbell exercises require huge efforts from you and act on a larger muscle group. Barbell complexes, for instance, are considered full-body workouts performed in a fraction of the time.
• Since barbells prepare your body to lift heavier it develops muscle endurance, which is very crucial in strength training.

Are Women’s Barbells Really For Women?

We at Muscle Mad always strive to help you achieve your fitness goals. Keeping this in mind and after coming across a lot of scepticism around barbells as fitness equipment for women, in this blog, we are trying to help you understand what’s the difference between men’s and women’s Olympic barbells and why women should use barbells as a strength training equipment

Thanks to the 2000 Sydney Olympics that gave women an opportunity to participate in the weightlifting sports category. It is from then that women’s barbells were introduced, with specifications laid by International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).

While we have made a lot of progress in women showing an inclination to weight training, the differences between women’s and men’s barbells have been a source of confusion for many people, especially female lifters looking to start weight training using barbells. Let’s take a look at what these differences are and how they affect lifters who use them.

How is Women’s Olympic Barbell different from Men’s Olympic Barbell?

Women’s and men’s barbells are used in the sport of weightlifting. The original purpose of their creation was to include them in Olympic competitions; however, women were officially admitted to the sport in 2000. The only difference is in the physicality of both barbells, let’s look at them in detail.

• Weight – One of the main differences is the weight, Where men’s barbells weigh 2000lb/ 20 kgs, women’s Olympic barbells weigh 1000lb/ 15kg

• Shaft Diameter – The other major difference is that women’s Olympic barbell has 10% less shaft diameter than men’s Olympic barbell. Men’s barbell is 28mm whereas women’s barbell is 25mm.

• Knurling – Men’s Olympic barbell has knurling marks at the centre while women’s Olympic barbell doesn’t. The only practical use of these knurls is when we perform heavy-lifting squats and lunges.

• Length – Women’s barbell is shorter in bar length than men’s. Women’s barbell is 6.6ft /201 cm, and men’s barbell is 7.2ft/ 220 cm long.

• Sleeve length – This is the length on which you place weight plates. Women’s Olympic barbell is 12.6 inches whereas, men’s barbell is 16.4 inches in length.

Are women restricted to using women’s barbells only?

Not at all. The term women’s Olympic barbell could be misleading and what kind of barbell you want to use completely depend on your strength and comfort level and training goals. 

Using Women’s Bars have advantages if you want to start weightlifting at the beginner’s level. Since the length and sleeve length of the bar is less and the shaft diameter is smaller, it gives you better hold, especially during exercises like clean and press. But if you are planning for Olympic-level lifts – squats, deadlifts, etc. then you should start using a 20kg traditional bar.

Closing thoughts

To all the ladies and fitness enthusiasts out there, you are not restricted to using any one kind of barbell. So, just go with what you prefer and we recommend you start including a barbell in your fitness and training regime as it is a very effective tool for fat loss. If you are confused about which barbell to buy, look through our barbell buying guide this will surely help you find the best barbells that will fit your training needs.