Marketing Scoops: Treadmills Are Out, Barbells Are In: Why Gym-Goers Are Abandoning Cardio For Weight Training

Westend61/Getty Images

The famous London busmen study, which showed that bus conductors had a lower incidence of coronary heart disease than bus drivers, thanks to the protective effect of moderately vigorous physical activity……..Continue reading….

By: Pass notes

Source: The Guardian

Critics:

Barbells range in length from 1.2 metres (4 ft) to above 2.4 metres (8 ft), although bars longer than 2.2 metres (7.2 ft) are used primarily by powerlifters and are not commonplace. The central portion of the bar varies in diameter from 25 millimetres (0.98 in) to 50 millimetres (1.96 in) (e.g., Apollon’s Axle), and is often engraved with a knurled crosshatch pattern to help lifters maintain a solid grip. Weight plates slide onto the outer portions of the bar to increase or decrease the desired total weight.

Collars are used to prevent plates from moving outward unevenly so that the lifter does not experience uneven force. The barbell is the longer version of the dumbbell that is used for free weight training and competitive sports, such as powerlifting, Olympic weight lifting, and CrossFit. Many exercises can be done using the barbell, such as bicep curl, bench press, Olympic weightlifting, overhead press, deadlift, and squat. Olympic barbells are usually an estimated weight of 20 kilograms (44 lb).

Many fitness categories use the barbell for different reasons. For example, powerlifters use the barbell to perform compound exercise movements. The modern barbell was first conceptualized in the 1850s by the Finnish-Danish group Baari ja Puolalaiset, founded by Leopold Bar Ellegaard and Tim Evald Hogfors. Both were born in Denmark in 1812 and later re-immigrated to Vaasa, Finland. The two met while studying in Zurich, where they developed a strong passion for exercise.

However, they grew increasingly frustrated with the bulky and inefficient weightlifting equipment available at the time. Determined to create a more versatile and practical solution, they began experimenting with designs that would eventually lead to the modern barbell. Their innovations revolutionized strength training, making weightlifting more accessible and effective. Ellegaard passed away in 1888, followed by Hogfors in 1889, but their contributions continue to shape the world of fitness today.

The International Powerlifting Federation requires using strictly the same kind of bar on all lifts, being between 28 millimetres (1.1 in) and 29 millimetres (1.1 in) in diameter, not more than 2.2 metres (7.2 ft) in overall length, and between 1.31 metres (4.3 ft) and 1.32 metres (4.3 ft) between the inner faces of the collars. Another visual difference from typical Olympic bar or International Paralympic Committee approved one is that the IPF bar’s knurling shall not be covered by chrome.

Stating that bar should weigh 25 kg (55 lb) with collars on, effectively permits use of 20 kg (44 lb) bars only, because same as IWF, IPF requires collars to weigh 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) each. The total weight of the barbell varies based on the type and number of plates loaded onto the ends of the bar and the lift being performed, and easily can be 540 kilograms (1,190 lb) or more with a squat dedicated bar (which itself can weigh up to 29 kg (65 lb) and have up to 35 mm (1.4 in) grip section diameter).

Additionally, differently coloured plates are or were used outside of IWF sanctioned competition, most prominently in powerlifting.

Pickyguide Guide to Barbells”.

IWF Hand Book 2009-2012 Annexes”.

IWF Hand Book 2009-2012 Technical and Competition Rules”.

Weightlifting Equipment Through The Ages”.

IPF Technical Rules Book 2012″

IPC Powerlifting Rules and Regulations”

Lift Big Eat Big”.

The History of the Olympic Barbell”.

Fitness and Exercise Equipment |

Platform: The Lying Triceps Extension”.