10 Best Barbells to Level-up Your Weight Training at Home in 2023

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10 Best Barbells to Level-up Your Weight Training at Home in 2023

For any home workout convert, there comes a moment where you'll look past your dumbbells and resistance bands and begin to miss the barbells at your local gym. It's no secret that you can do a lot of work with no weight, but if you want to work on your deadlifts, barbell squats and olympic lifting in the comparative safety of your own home, it could be a smart idea to invest in your own barbell, from olympic options to smaller EZ bars. Similarly, you'll be able to hit different muscle groups by using a wider grip and build strength in areas that may have been previously neglected as part of your home workout routine.

Here, as part of our continued effort to provide you with easy-to-access fitness gear from reliable retailers, we've scoured the internet for the best barbells to use at home — both pre-set and loadable — that you can add to your growing gym arsenal. That you'll be the talk of your street is just a welcome bonus. Let's get to it.

Read more: The Best Home Gym Equipment for Building Your Very Own Health and Fitness Nirvana

Depending on what you want to get out of your barbell workouts, there's a myriad of choices when it comes to choosing the best barbell for you. Below, we run through the typical choices you'll face when weighing up your next purchase.

As the name suggests, these barbells are the ones you're likely to see in your local Globo gym — these all-purpose barbells are built for anyone wanting to build muscle and to lift safely. Typically, a standard barbell will have a decent amount of knurling — the jagged material on which you grip during your lift — on its body, as it's designed to counteract a loss of grip during heavy sweating.

At a passing glance, Olympic barbells and powerlifting barbells can look largely similar to the standard barbells we've mentioned above. However, Olympic barbells are around seven foot in length and powerlifting barbells feature a slightly short length at five to six feet, with a higher tensile rating for heavier lifts. Similarly, there will typically be more knurling to help you shift tin more safely during your barbell workout.

Ideal for the king of exercises, the deadlift, trap barbell and hexagonal bars help shift your centre of gravity forward to promote a safer lift and to bring the bias towards your quads, instead of your back and hamstrings. Consisting of a hexagonal frame that you step inside of and higher vertical lifting handles, they also work perfectly for shoulder shrugs.

If you're looking to get change from £200 and come away with a barbell that's ready to go the distance, Again Faster's Weight Training Barbell is the ideal fit. Whether you're a fan of short, sharp WODs at home or want to improve your competency on the bench press, barbell squat or deadlift, this one is hard to beat.

It comes in two weights – 15kg or 20kg – has a max load rating of 300kg, and has been tuned to have a balanced flex, which Again Faster says makes this bar a great all-rounder, suitable for WODs, heavy powerlifting and Olympic lifting.

The ideal barbell investment piece for home gyms, Bowflex's SelectTech barbell is a little pricey, sure, but you can switch up the weight you're lifting with just a simple turn of the dial. With an EZ bar alternative and ranging from 9kg to 36kg in weight, this barbell is the ideal space-saver if you opt for higher-intensity home workouts.

Fancy a barbell that's a little different? Bulldog's Cerakote barbell is exactly that, made with the same material that gunsmiths use to protect their products from abrasion. Made with a ceramic coatin, knurling and is precision straightened to within 0.1mm.

Let's start with the basics. At 20cm shorter than a traditional Olympic barbell, this home barbell from Bodyrip is made with a durable chrome finish that's resistant to corrosion. The barbell's knurling gives you an anti-slip feel and the threaded bar ends keep weights in place while you grind through reps. Pick a length and weight that works for you.

If you struggle with back pain or inflexibility during your barbell deadlifts, it could be time to make the switch to a trap bar. By shifting your centre of gravity forward and by providing a slightly higher grip, trap barbells are favoured by trainers around the world for safer workouts and bigger numbers lifted.

The old adage is true — you shouldn't be curling in the squat rack, but that doesn't mean you need to obey the rules when you're training at home. This 'EZ' barbell from Again Faster is ideal for blasting your arms at home, with a zig-zag design that encourages a more natural grip position.

If you're used to hitting barbell work in the gym, this York barbell is exactly like the kind you're used to using. Built for home workouts, this barbell is made from quality solid North American Steel, comes with a knurled grip and fits two-inch olympic weight plates.

With a total possible weight of 48.8kg on the bar, this Opti barbell set includes six 0.5kg weight plates, six 25kg weight plates, four 2.5kg weight plates, four 5kg weight plates, two dumbbells and a barbell to help you foster full-body strength at home.

Can't decide what weight you need? Opt for something mid-range that you can rep-out but will still feel like hard work. Jordan Fitness' classic rubber barbells take the guesswork out of your home sessions and this 40kg barbell is ideal for shoulder pressing, high-rep squats and chest work.

If you're looking to invest in some home gym equipment on a budget, this barbell and dumbbell weight training kit is a great place to start. It comes with a two dumbbell bars, one 175cm-long barbell, four 10kg cast iron weight disks, four 5kg disks, eight 2kg disks and four 1kg disks, plus three pairs of disk collars for securing the weights. While it's not suitable for particularly heavy lifting, it's enough to get you going with some basic home workouts.

Trap bars have been around since the 1980s, when powerlifter Al Gerard invented the device to reduce the stress on his back during deadlifts. Shaped like a hexagon, the trap bar allows you to stand inside it, rather than in front of it — as you would with a standard barbell. But, is it optimal for you?

According to a California State University study, Gerard was onto something, as the study found that the trap bar may help you deadlift with more power, as it activates your back muscles less and shifts the loads to your quads. "With the trap bar, you’re literally standing inside it so you’re able to grasp the barbell right where your lower limb is. It puts the bar closer to your center of gravity," said study author Jared Coburn, Ph.D., C.S.C.S. "You’re in a better position to pull where you don’t have the same torque around the lower back."

With that in mind, the answer is: it depends on what you want to achieve with your barbell lift. If you want to target your back and hamstrings (and can safely do so without any pain), then a standard barbell — like those listed below — will suit. If not, and you want to relieve stress on your back, a trap bar could be more optimal.

Before you buy your barbell, we've assembled five exercises that will help you get some serious bang-for-your-buck once your home gym is up and running. These are the barbell moves you need to build the physique of an elite athlete.

• Barbell Bent-over Row – Grab a barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. With your legs slightly bent, keep your back perfectly straight and bend your upper body forward until it’s almost perpendicular to the floor. From here row the weight upwards into the lower part of your chest. Pause. And return under control to the start position.

• Barbell Front Squat – With your feet at shoulder width, hold a barbell across your chest. Then, lift your elbows high to secure the bar on your shoulders. Maintain an upright torso and push your hips back, bending your knees until your thighs pass parallel to the floor. Stand back up to the start position.

• Barbell Deadlift – Squat down and grasp a barbell with your hands roughly shoulder-width apart. Keep your chest up, pull your shoulders back and look straight ahead as you lift the bar. Focus on taking the weight back onto your heels and keep the bar as close as possible to your body at all times. Lift to thigh level, pause, then return under control to the start position.

• Barbell Hip Extension – Sit with your knees bent and upper back resting on a bench behind you. Roll the bar on to the top of your hips and hold it in place. Now push your feet down, lifting your hips up until your upper body is fully supported by the bench. Squeeze at the top for a second and slowly lower back down to the floor.

• Barbell Bench Press – Lie back on a flat bench holding a barbell in the rack above you with a shoulder-width, overhand grip. Lift the bar off the rack and position it above your chest with arms fully extended. From the starting position, breathe in and lower the bar slowly until it skims the middle of your chest. Push the bar back to the starting position explosively as you breathe out. That’s one.

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