Rogue Olympic barbell, 20 kg

What it is good at

• Holding a straight line under load because the shaft is stiff
• Sleeve rotation, so the bar turns instead of twisting your grip
• A knurl pattern that holds without needing chalk

Check before you buy

• Shaft diameter, since 28 mm and 29 mm feel different in the hand
• Knurl depth, and whether the bar carries a centre knurl for squatting
• Tensile strength and where the bar was made

Who it is not for

Small rooms with no rack, no plates and no floor that can take a dropped bar.

An Olympic barbell is a shaft, two sleeves and the bearings or bushings between them. The shaft should stay straight under load, the knurl should hold your hands without cutting them, and the sleeves should spin so the bar does not fight your grip on a quick lift.

On a standard Olympic bar the weight and length are fixed at 20 kg and 2.2 m, so the differences live in the details: shaft diameter, knurl pattern, and whether the ends carry a centre knurl for the squat. Budget for the plates and the rack in the same decision.