The IFAST Olympic weightlifting bar has been good to me so far.

Love how it spins when I’m using it for snatches and power cleans.

And it has the right amount of knurling so it doesn’t slip.

Let’s check it out!

Unboxing

Table of Contents

The barbell came wrapped in a hard cardboard tube with the ends covered in heavy duty tape.

After sliding the olympic weightlifting bar out, it’s covered in plastic.

Specs

Bar Use: Olympic weightlifting bar

Barbell Weight: 21 KG / 46 LBS

Dimensions: 86.5″ long, 55.5″ shaft, 15.5″ sleeves

Diameter: 28 mm

Loadable Sleeve Length:

Bar Type: Men’s bars

Knurl Marks: Double marks

Center Knurl: No

Bushing/Bearing: Bearing (5 needle bearings per sleeve)

Tensile Strength: 190K PSI

Weight Capacity: 700 lbs

IFAST Olympic Weightlifting Bar

Dimensions

The IFAST barbell is 86.5″ long, with a 55.5″ long shaft, and 15.5″ sleeves.

Loadable Sleeve Length

The sleeves on the IFAST olympic barbell are about 16″ long.

You can get an idea how much room you have with one of my competition bumper plates on it.

The weight plates fit very snug on the sleeve with no wiggle.

Tensile Strength

The tensile strength of a bar is the amount of pressure that can be applied to a bar before it bends to a point where it can’t come back to its original shape.

Barbell manufacturers measure tensile strength in PSI (pounds per square inch).

Any bar over 180K PSI is good for most home gyms.

The IFAST Olympic weightlifting bar has a PSI of 190K.

Olympic Weightlifting Bar Knurling

Center Knurling

This barbell does not have center knurling.

And that’s because Olympic weightlifting moves like the snatch and clean and jerk don’t require it.

If you’re doing a clean and jerk, center knurling may tear up your collar bone skin when you catch the barbell.

So the lack of a center knurling is there because the bar is specific to Olympic lifts.

Double Ring Marks

You’ll notice the IFAST barbell has two rings where there are no knurl marks.

The rings are there to help you place your hands equally on each side of the bar.

And you might be asking yourself…

But why are there two sets of rings?

The rings closer to the center of the bar are there to guide you for exercises like bench press, deadlifts, and squats.

You would use the outer rings for exercises like the snatch where your grip is wider.

IFAST Barbell Needle Bearings

The IFAST barbell has needle bearings that give it a smooth and consistent spin.

This is important during Olympic lifts because the rotation prevents injuries to the wrists and elbows.

As you move the bar, the rotating sleeves reduce the amount of force on your joints produced by the inertia of the weight plates.

Storing the IFAST Barbell

I like to store my barbells vertically so they don’t eat up too much wall space.

Even the Titan Safety Squat Bar (on the left) that has curves and and handles can be stored this way.

I got some cheap heavy duty hooks from Lowe’s that have a weight capacity of about 40 lbs and they get the job done.

You can also find them on Amazon if you don’t have Lowe’s around you.

double-circle-home-gym-wall-organizer-18

Another storage option is a multi-function vertical barbell holder.

You can store your barbell(s) and other accessories so you can keep stuff off the floor.