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10-03-2007, 02:17 PM
| #1 (permalink) |
| Rank: Member Experience: 1-2 Years  Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: N.O.Y.B
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Gender:  |  Question About Different Size Bars ok at school we have 7 foot 45 lb bar ,and at my house my bar is only 6 foot ,and it weighs 15 lb. does this make a difference ,when your bench pressing?? ,because at school i can bench press 250 lbs ,but at my house i can only do 240 lbs ,and t feels real heavy. i dont really understand why i can bench press more ,when im using the bar at school ,but whenever i use my bar at my house i cant do has much. |
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10-03-2007, 08:25 PM
| #2 (permalink) |
| Rank: Lightweight Experience: > 1 Year  Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: NC
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Gender:  |  The diameter of the bar might have something to do with it. Is it thicker or thinner than your bar at school? I have the same problem of being able to do more at school than at home. The reason is that my bench at home is higher off the ground than the benches at school. Because it's higher, I can't get the same leverage. It could have something to do with the width of your bench at home, also. Are you sure the bar weighs 15lbs? Most weigh at least 25. Just some ideas... |
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10-04-2007, 02:53 AM
| #3 (permalink) | |
| Rank: Member Experience: 1-2 Years Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: N.O.Y.B
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Gender: | Quote:
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10-04-2007, 05:46 AM
| #4 (permalink) | |
| Rank: Bantamweight  Join Date: May 2005 Location: New Jersey
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Gender: | Quote:
Do you have a scale at your house? Use that to weigh it. | |
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10-04-2007, 11:35 AM
| #6 (permalink) |
| Moderator Rank: Heavyweight Experience: 7-10 Years Join Date: Jul 2005
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Gender: | If his bar at home is a standard bar it could well be that much lighter and thinner. They are usually around 6 feet long and start at about 15 pounds. If your bar at home takes the plates with the little holes then it's a standard bar. I agree with Ross that the diameter of the bar could make a difference and the height of the bench. If your feet can't touch down then put something beside the bottom end of the bench (extra plates) to put your feet on. I've never really had this happen but I have heard people say that the actual weight of plates can be really off versus what they are supposed to be. You could not only weight your bar but weigh your plates also. Last edited by Eric3237; 10-04-2007 at 01:16 PM. |
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10-04-2007, 03:05 PM
| #7 (permalink) |
| Rank: Member Experience: > 1 Year  Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: california
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Gender: | 45lb bars are Olympic aren't they? and the 15lb bars are from Walmart, big 5, or some generic weights? Don't get me wrong I started out with those the bench set that only goes up to say 110lb. Your pretty strong if you really bench 250, max or reps? |
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10-04-2007, 03:20 PM
| #8 (permalink) |
| Moderator Rank: Heavyweight Experience: 7-10 Years Join Date: Jul 2005
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Gender: | It's just two different types of bars. Olympic bars are the standard choice these days, and yes, the 7 foot ones usually weigh 45 pounds. Standard bars tend to come from department stores like you mentioned. But being from discount department stores is not what defines them. |
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10-06-2007, 12:55 PM
| #9 (permalink) |
| Administrator Rank: Lightweight Experience: 3-5 Years  Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Midwest
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Gender: | Really I would suggest making the switch to an Olympic sized bar at home. Eventually as you progress and go from gym to gym your going to be using Olympic weights anyhow so there is no reason to be training on two different bars. Keeping everything as similar as possible will help you see where your really at in your training. (Not to mention those standard bars can only hold so much weight safely.) |
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