Nosta
The short answer
A standard Olympic barbell weighs 45 lb in the US, or 20 kg (44 lb) for the metric version, and is about 7 ft long. The women’s bar weighs 35 lb (15 kg). EZ curl bars and short bars usually weigh 10 to 25 lb, but they vary by model: check the markings on the bar, or weigh it.
What each type of bar weighs
| Type of bar | Weight | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Olympic bar (US) | 45 lb | 20.4 kg: the standard in American gyms |
| Olympic bar (metric) | 20 kg | 44 lb, 2.2 m long, 50 mm sleeves: the standard worldwide |
| Women’s Olympic bar | 35 lb | 15 kg, 2.01 m, thinner grip (25 mm instead of 28) |
| Technique bar | 10 to 33 lb | often aluminum, for learning the lifts |
| EZ curl bar | 15 to 25 lb | varies with the model and the sleeves |
| Short / standard bar | 10 to 25 lb | common in home gyms, often with 1-inch plates |
| Trap bar (hex bar) | 45 to 65 lb | varies a lot: check the markings |
| Smith machine bar | 10 to 45 lb felt | sometimes counterbalanced: look for the label |
Fixed-weight barbells, the preloaded kind on a rack, have their weight printed on the ends.
What about collars? Spring clips weigh a few ounces, so you can ignore them. Competition collars weigh 2.5 kg (about 5.5 lb) each, which brings a 20 kg bar to 25 kg.
How to work out the plates on each side
The formula fits on one line. Then fill each side with the biggest plates first.
(target weight − bar weight) ÷ 2=weight per side
Standard plates in the US are 45, 35, 25, 10, 5 and 2.5 lb, so the smallest jump on a bar is 5 lb: a 2.5 lb plate on each side. In a metric gym, plates run 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5 and 1.25 kg, for a smallest jump of 2.5 kg. That’s why programs go up in those steps, as our guide on when to increase weight explains.
Plate colors
In competition, plate colors are standardized. In most gyms plenty of plates are black, so go by the number stamped on it, not the color.
- 25 kg
- 20 kg
- 15 kg
- 10 kg
- 5 kg
Should you count the bar in your weight?
Key takeaway
Yes, always: 135 lb on the bench means bar included.
Logging only the plates throws off your progress and makes it impossible to compare with another gym.
On Smith machines and leg presses, the real weight is rarely known. Log the number shown and compare yourself with yourself on the same machine. Same idea with dumbbells: programs usually give the weight of one dumbbell.
Load it right to progress cleanly
Knowing exactly what your bar weighs is the foundation of progressive overload: without the right number, “a little more than last time” doesn’t mean anything.
Keep reading
Progressive overload, made simple
The one principle every program depends on, and the easiest way to put it into practice.
3 min readRead →When should you increase the weight?
The signs it’s time to go up, and how big a jump to take on each lift.
3 min readRead →Strength plateau: why you’ve stopped progressing
Get the diagnosis right before changing everything, then a four-step plan to get moving again.
2 min readRead →