Power Clean Bars

[jcoover]

Hey,

I don't know how many people there are in the pvp world that are into Olympic lifting, but i have an Olympic lifting question for all of you out there. I have always been a huge fan of the Eleiko bars... they are silver and the weights spin really nice on them... most of the good lifters use them, and they are used in competitions. we have a girl on our team who loves using the crappy brown bars that don'tallow the weight to spin at all. i have tried explaining to her how the Eleiko bars help, but she wont listen. is there anyone out there that could back me up on this? my contention is that you can roll underneath the bar easier and catch it higher, and hers is that she likes to do all of the work herself and not let "technology" get in the way... thanks!

J Coov.

[Sebes]

I haven't used those bars in lifting. Is it really that big of a difference?

[jcoover]

if you're cleaning weights around 80kg or snatching 60kg and above, they can really help a lot, you should try them out if your weight room has one and see if you notice a difference.

[LHSpolevault]

Yeah use those silver ones for cleans and jerks. In high school I used the brown ones for everything, I find it a little easier to do cleans with the silver ones.

[rainbowgirl28]

At my high school, it seems like the brown ones have a better grip (I don't wear gloves). Most of ours rotate OK.

[bjvando]

i'm with sebes


does it really make that big of a difference?

maybe if we were professional weight lifters, but i say just lift the darn weight!!

[EIUvltr]

I don't know how many people there are in the pvp world that are into Olympic lifting

Hopefully everyone! And those silver bars are better for olympic lifting just due to it being easier on the wrists. My theory would be that since you aren't losing energy by rotating the bar, you are able to do more weight, recruit more muscle fibers, and get stronger and faster and all that jazz.

[vaultmd]

I personally like the good Ivanko bars; but every manufacturer makes a good one and a not so good one. The two things that separate the good ones from the bad ones are the bearings, which facilitate the bar rotating without having to rotate the plate, and the bar's ability to get back to straight after bearing a large load.

For weaklings like me, the latter is not so much an issue, unless some idiot musclehead or power lifter leaves the loaded bar on a bench (something it wasn't even designed for) and it gets warped. That will hinder the bar rotating independently of the plates. I think for most of us, the bar won't warp with proper care.

Sometimes if the bar doesn't spin right, all you have to do is get some tools and make adjustments, or properly lubricate the area with the bearings.

[Lax PV]

Yeah I don't use anything other than an olympic bar to do olympic type of lifts. A tradition squat bar that doesn't spin will put a lot of unneeded stress on your wrists when you are trying to 'get the bar around.' I would say using a good spinning bar, vs. on that doesn't spin at all, can be as much as 20k (or more) depending on how refined your technique is. However, if you are just starting out, there is a lot of other components to the lift that can cause your weight to change dramatically.

Doing a power clean with a squat bar is like a nightmare to me these days... it just looks painful...

[SlickVT]

Coov,

You are right. With alot of weight on the bar and proper technique, they make a big difference.

[saraf]

I am going to have to agree with jeff on this one. I came home for spring break last year after some heavy lifting sessions. When I was home I noticed that we had some weights. So i threw on 95 pounds just to mess around and when I cleaned it quickly the weights paused for a second then they went flying. Point of the story is if you are lifting wights quickly the plates need too be able to spin

[vaultman18]

It is better to use a bar that spins freely but not just because it makes it easier. A bar that doesn't spin can cause elbow injury. The school where I coach has some of both and the kids that have bad form prefer the bars that don't spin.