Types of Barbells: Weightlifting vs Powerlifting vs Hybrid
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Weightlifting bars, powerlifting bars, and dual purpose bars (i.e., hybrid bars) - what is the difference between these types of barbells, and specifically, what’s the deal with the rings (i.e., score marks or knurl marks) on each bar?
That Poor Soul
Some bars have one set of rings, and some bars have two sets of rings. Every time we go to (or host) a powerlifting meet, weightlifting meet, or strengthlifting meet, there is always some poor soul who shows up having trained on one type of bar - for example, a bar that has two sets of rings - and then he steps onto the competition platform and discovers he’s about to use a bar that only has one set of rings.
Now, he’s not sure which set of rings he was using in training, and as a result, he doesn’t know where to take his grip on the competition bar. This situation can also happen in training - either you’re forced to use a different bar than you usually do, or perhaps you’re traveling and are training at an unfamiliar gym.
Figure 1: dual rings (hybrid bar)
Let’s prevent this problem.
The Solution
The solution is straightforward - familiarize yourself with the two types of rings, and you’ll be good to go. We use a hybrid bar as you see in Figure 1 for this purpose.
figure 2: power rings (power bar)
The inner set of rings are 81 cm apart (approximately 32 in) and are commonly referred to as the “powerlifting rings” or simply the “power rings”. On a dedicated powerlifting barbell or “power bar,” this is the only set of rings you see (Figure 2), so if you go to a powerlifting meet, this is most likely what you’ll be using.
The outer set of rings are 91 cm apart (approximately 36 in) and are commonly referred to as the “weightlifting rings” or the “Olympic lifting rings.” If you go to a weightlifting meet, you’ll probably be lifting on a dedicated weightlifting bar (Figure 3), and that bar will only have the outer set of rings.
figure 3: Weightlifting rings (weightlifting bar)
But Why?
The rings are simply there as reference points for your grip so that your lifts can be more consistent and hopefully more successful as well. In the case of a power bar, the rings also serve as the markers for the maximum legal grip width for the bench press (i.e., in competition).
What To Do?
Know what bar you’re using. If you’re using a bar that has only one set of rings, get out a tape measure and measure the distance between the rings or - at the very least - measure it relative to some part of your body (arm length, etc.). This way, you know what bar you’re using, and if you have to use a different bar - whether training somewhere else or competing - your grip (and therefore your lifts) will still be consistent, which means you are more likely to hit your lifts successfully.
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
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