My wife got a new barbell this summer: the Olympic Women’s Pink Camo Cerakote Bearing Bar with black sleeves from Crandall Fitness. It also comes in purple and chrome sleeves.
This bar is a women’s bar, so it is thinner in diameter. It is 25 mm in diameter and weighs 15 kg, or about 33 lbs. It has a 1000 lb capacity.
We did an unboxing review and a first workout review, so let’s get into it!
Women’s Olympic Barbell: Unboxing First Impressions
The Olympic Women’s Pink Camo Cerakote Bearing Bar from Crandall Fitness is definitely a solid bar.
The sleeves have four needle bearings on each side (eight total), so they spin freely. That is important when doing Olympic-style lifts or CrossFit-style training protocols like hers.
The knurling has great grip and doesn’t cut into her hands. Furthermore, the sleeves are ribbed, so the plates will stay in place on the bar and you don’t necessarily need to use collars with it, saving time and energy.
One concern was finding the center of the bar and the ring marks were hard. The pattern and knurling blend together, making it hard to see. Instead, you have to go by feel to find the center. That may be a problem when keeping the bar balanced during exercises like squats.
Women’s Olympic Barbell: Workout First Impressions
My wife tested the bar with front squats, back squats, and inclined bench press during her regular workout.
Her first impressions were that she felt very secure using this bar. The weight didn’t slide around; it felt balanced and was comfortable to use. It felt good in her hands for squats and benching. The thinner diameter was easier for her to get her hands around because her hands are a bit small.
Naomi is not a big fan of front squats, especially because getting into position with the thicker bar can be hard for her. The thinner diameter of the women’s bar made it much easier for her to get into position. It made the exercise more comfortable for her (although it is still not her favorite exercise).
She could use her hands to feel the ring marks to find center while squatting. She didn’t have any trouble finding center and staying balanced. However, she did struggle more to find the correct hand placement while benching.
How to Get the Math Right with a Women’s Bar
Since women’s bars are 15 kg/33 lbs instead of the standard 20 kg/45 lbs, it can make doing your plate math a little challenging.
An easy fix for this is to always add a 2.5 kg/5 lb plate to each side of the bar to make it almost equivalent to 20 kg/45 lbs. Then, you can go back to your regular plate math.
Key Takeaways: Is the Women’s Olympic Bar From Crandall Fitness Worth It?
After her first workout with this women’s bar, my wife was really happy and excited to do more workouts with it. It was more comfortable for her to use than standard bars and is the perfect cross-training tool for her to work into her cycling and weightlifting routine.
She gives this home gym buy a thumbs up!
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