The long metal bar with weight plates used in strength training is called a barbell. Plates slide onto the bar’s sleeves, and collars are commonly used to keep them secured while exercises are performed.
Barbells are central to weight training, bodybuilding, powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, and strongman competition. They allow both hands to control one load, making them especially useful for compound movements such as the squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press, and Olympic lifts.
A common mix-up is calling every free-weight tool a barbell. A dumbbell is shorter and designed primarily for one hand, while a kettlebell has a single handle attached to a rounded weight. An EZ bar is a specialized, usually shorter bar with angled grips intended to make some curls and extensions more comfortable; it is a type of bar, but the standard long, plate-loaded answer is barbell.
A standard men’s Olympic bar is about 2.2 metres long and weighs 20 kilograms, while a women’s Olympic bar is typically about 2.01 metres and weighs 15 kilograms.