This is my review of the best olympic barbells you can find on Amazon.
I found the Synergee Games Barbell to be the best olympic barbell you can find on Amazon.
I spent a week researching the ins and outs of barbells as well as the products on Amazon. The selection there seems to be pretty small, and these are the pieces of equipment I have concluded are the best.
The Synergee Games Barbell is a great multipurpose barbell with great specs and a great finish that will be sure to last you a long time.
I chose the other options based on what would be great for a beginner or for a budget. I also included the best hex bar for those interested in training deadlifts, farmer’s walks, or shrugs.
Read on to find out what the best olympic barbell is for your home gym.
Top Picks
Here is a list of the best barbells you can find on Amazon.
- Best Olympic Barbell on Amazon: Synergee Games Barbell
- Best Olympic Barbell for Beginners: CAP “THE BEAST” Olympic Barbell
- Best Olympic Barbell on a Budget: Annzoe 7 Foot Olympic Barbell
- Best Hex Bar: CAP Olympic Trap Bar, Shrug Bar, Hex Bar
Synergee Games Barbell
This is by far the best barbell I’ve come across on Amazon. It is a high quality multipurpose barbell that will greatly enhance your workout routine due to the versatility it will offer you.
To start with, this barbell has a tensile strength rated at 190,000psi. You will be able to load up quite a lot of weight on this barbell when doing your workouts.
With a 190,000psi rating, the whip on this barbell will be quite good. You will see this bar has plenty of room to bend without permanent damage due to the high tensile strength.
There is a decent amount of spin with this barbell due to having needle bearings. The spin will allow you to do olympic lifts if that’s your thing. The spin won’t hamper your power lifts or other heavy lifts.
The knurling is more passive, so it may not serve you as much if you intend to do very heavy powerlifts.
This bar has a diameter of 28mm, so it has a pretty standard diameter size.
Many reviews report that the Cerakote finish had blemishes/flaking or that the bar was oily out of the package. Often the packaging seems to be the cause of many scratches on the sleeves of the barbell.
Overall, this is a great performing barbell that you can expect to get good workouts from. You can expect this barbell to last a long time if you care for it properly.
CAP “THE BEAST” Olympic Barbell
This is a great barbell if you’re a beginner.
The tensile strength for this bar is 110,000psi, which is the main area that costs this barbell some points. It’s on the lower end of the spectrum, hence why it is best suited for beginners.
The whip will also be lower due to the low yield strength. Keep this in mind when you do heavier lifts. As you start to get stronger, you may eventually need to replace this bar due to the low yield strength and whip.
This bar comes equipped with a bushing rotation system, which makes it great for weightlifting movements and powerlifting movements. Also, this rotation system will last you a long time. Make sure to oil the bushing system if you want the barbell to spin more smoothly.
The knurling on this bar is decent. It has a decent grip, which will work well when you’re doing your lifts. It does not have knurling in the center of the bar. The finish still provides good grip even on the smooth parts of the bar.
This bar comes with a standard diameter of 28 millimeters. This should have a comfortable fit in your hands, especially with the knurling.
The finish of this barbell is black phosphate, which has a higher resistance than black oxide. This puts it roughly in the middle of the scale for oxidation resistance. This means you will need to care for your bar more to prevent rusting from happening.
This is a great bar to get if you’re just getting started. It’s great for the price and has decent features that will give it great multipurpose use. You’ll also find that this bar will last quite a long time.
Annzoe 7 Foot Olympic Barbell
This is a nice barbell for a relatively low price.
The tensile strength for this bar is 190,000psi. This is very good as it will allow you to load up quite a bit of weight. Keep in mind that this bar is not 40 pounds as advertised–many reviews have found the bar to be around 33 pounds.
With a high tensile strength, you can expect the whip on this bar to be fantastic. You can load it up without worry of permanent bending to the bar.
The knurling on this bar is more passive, “hill” knurling. You will have grip, but it won’t be as solid as volcano or mountain knurling. It does have center knurling though, which is really good if you intend to do a lot of squatting.
The barbell has a diameter of 28mm. It claims in the specs to have a 1.2 inch diameter in one picture, which equates to 30.48mm, but that doesn’t seem quite right. With a standard diameter of 28mm, your hands should be able to comfortably grip the bar.
This barbell has a Chrome finish. This is right in the middle for resistance to oxidation. That means that you won’t have to worry about caring for your bar too much, but you will have to spend some time maintaining it every couple of weeks to a month.
This makes for a good budget bar due to the price and specs. It comes relatively cheap with some decent attributes that make it a good bar that’ll last you a long time.
CAP Olympic Trap Bar, Shrug Bar, Hex Bar
This type of equipment is great if you’re interested in training your leg strength and/or deadlifts.
Since the purpose of these is to train deadlifts, they better be able to hold a lot of weight. You can rest assured you will be able to load up a lot of weight on this bar. It has a 1000-pound weight limit.
The knurling on this bar is more aggressive, possibly volcano style. This means you will have a good grip when lifting heavy weight.
The handles have a 25-millimeter diameter, and also come with two sets of neutral grips. The space between them is also good, allowing you plenty of space to perform your deadlifts, farmer’s walks, and shrugs.
Keep in mind that you can only use 2 inch plates on this hex bar. Also, the sleeves are smooth, so it is highly recommended you get collars to hold the plates in place. This bar does not come with those unfortunately.
A couple of customer reviews have noted that the welds for the handles seem to be poorly done.
Overall, this is a well made bar that will be perfect for those looking to do more deadlifts, farmer’s walks, and shrugs.
Types of Barbells
There are several types of barbells. The most common are:
Multipurpose Barbells
These are great if you’re a beginner to intermediate lifter as they allow for a wide range of exercises for building both muscle and strength.
Powerlifting Barbells
If you’re interested in powerlifting, then this is the type of barbell for you. The features on these types of barbells are best suited to those looking to pick up as much weight as possible.
Olympic Weightlifting Barbells
This barbell is uniquely designed to be thinner and more flexible for olympic style lifts. The two most common olympic lifts are the Clean & Jerk and the Snatch, so this is the type of barbell for you if you want to do olympic style lifts.
Hex Bar
This is a unique bar that is specifically designed for those interested in deadlifts, farmer’s walks, and shrugs.
Buying Guide
Here are some things you should pay special attention to when buying a barbell.
Tensile Strength (Weight Limit)
This is basically how much weight the barbell can hold before it breaks. It is generally listed as PSI (pounds per square inch), so go by this number when choosing the strength of the barbell, not by the claim that it is a 1000 pound tested barbell.
When choosing a barbell, look for one with at least 150,000psi (the cheapest barbell), but ideally, a good barbell will be around 165,000psi. 180,000psi and above are the best, but most expensive barbells.
Whip
This is how much the barbell can bend and still go back to normal. If you load the barbell past the weight limit, then the barbell will be permanently bent and will need replacing.
Ideally, a bar with higher whip is desirable for those interested in olympic weightlifting. For anything else, a stiffer bar (less whip) is the most ideal.
Spin
The ends of the barbell spin. Depending on the types of lifts you’re doing–Clean & Jerk and the Snatch–you may want a bar with more or less spin.
Needle bearings will provide more spin, which is good for those doing olympic lifts.
A bushing rotation system will provide less spin, which is better for powerlifting and other heavy lifts. These types of rotation systems will generally last a long time.
Knurling
Knurling is the grip of the barbell. There are different types of knurling rated by their “aggressiveness,” which is basically how rough the knurling is. The rougher it is, the better the grip. Depending on what lifts you’re interested in doing depends on what kind of knurling you want.
There are three types of knurling: Hills, Mountains, and Volcanoes.
You’ll want less aggressive knurling (Hills) for more casual lifting, powerlifting, and olympic lifting.
You’ll want more aggressive knurling for serious powerlifting. Volcano in particular is most ideal due to having more contact points with your hand.
Diameter
A men’s bar typically has a larger diameter of 28-29 millimeters.
A women’s bar typically has a smaller diameter of 25 millimeters.
Finish
A barbell comes with several finishing coats, including: Zinc, Black Oxide, or Cerakote. These all provide decent resistance to oxidation (rust), with Stainless Steel being the most resistant to oxidation.
The order of finishes from least resistant to most resistant is as follows:
- Bare Steel (Least Resistant to Oxidation)
- Black Oxide
- Black Phosphate
- Chrome
- Zinc/Nickel
- Cerakote
- Stainless Steel (Most Resistant to Oxidation)
Barbell Maintenance
There are several factors to pay attention to with barbell maintenance.
The material determines the frequency of maintenance. Cheaper material, such as Budget Chrome or Zinc will require barbell maintenance every 2 to 4 weeks. Higher quality material such as Stainless Steel will only require maintenance every 1 to 3 months.
Depending on the climate, the barbell may require more care. Barbells will oxidize slower in dryer climates than in more humid climates.
If you use the barbell more often, you will need to do more maintenance to it.
If you use chalk, you will need to brush off the chalk you used (if any), ideally with a Nylon 360 Brush or a Deck Brush.
Make sure to oil all surfaces of the barbell as well as inside the collar with 3-in-1 oil or WD-40 every 3-4 weeks. Again, the finish of the barbell determines the frequency of oiling.
FAQ
How do I choose a barbell?
When choosing a barbell, you need to determine your fitness goals, the types of lifts you want to do, your price range, and how often you’re willing to maintain the barbell.
What is a good price for a barbell?
A good price range for a decent barbell is $150-$350.
Should I have more than one?
You don’t really need more than one barbell, but it certainly can be advantageous to have multiple different types of barbells if you’re doing a variety of lifts. It is a good idea to buy one that will be good for general fitness until you develop a preference for certain lifts that may require more specialized barbells.
Final Verdict
If you’re looking for the best olympic barbell for your home gym, the Synergee Games Olympic Bar is your best choice. You’ll find that it will suit the majority of your weightlifting needs. You’ll be able to load it with plenty of weight and due to its finish and design, it will last you a long time.
Get your olympic barbell, some plates, and get to training!
