Welcome to Paul’s Guide to Safely Managing a Barbell in your CrossFit gym. The following Barbell Guide applies to CrossFit @ Sand & Steel and Open Gym. Members of other gyms will find this information applicable to your home CrossFit gym as well.
Table of contents
The Value of a Barbell
A low-end Rogue Fitness Barbell (called the Ohio bard) with minimal finishing costs $285 plus tax and shipping. Higher barbells like the one CrossFit Sand and Steel range from $300-$800 each. Consider that we have about 50 barbells in the gym, you are looking at an investment of about $25,000. Larger CrossFit Gyms may have 100 or 200 barbells making the gym’s investment $100,000 or more.
Safe Barbell Handling Policy
CrossFit Sand & Steel’s Barbell Handling Policy is simple to understand
Maintain control of your barbell such that it does not pose of risk of injury to yourself or others. Protect your barbell from fall damage. Never let an empty barbell strike the ground. Use safeties for back squats and bench press, but not standing press. Do not drop barbells loaded only with 10 or 15 pounds plates. Clean your barbell after use.
Open Gym Policy
The Number of Members We Serve
Over the course of a year, CrossFit Sand and Steel serves on average about 1,000 different members. That’s a 1000 different people who can (a) hurt themselves improperly using a barbell, (b) hurt others through improper use of a barbell, and (c) damage the barbells through improper use. That’s a lot of people to teach on a constant basis how to properly maintain and use a barbell. So we have created this 10 Element Video guide that explains all the main principles of handling a barbell safely (each video is only a minute long or so.)
CrossFit Barbells at Sand and Steel Fitness
At CrossFit Sand and Steel we have 4 standard barbells that come with your memberships plus 3 specialty barbells.
- Rogue Ohio Bars (Men’s 20kg Olympic Barbell)
- Rogue Bella Bars (Women’s 15 kg Olympic Barbell)
- Rogue’s Technique T-15 Barbells
- BC Strength Hip Thruster Barbells.
You’ll find all of these barbells in the back. Additionally, in our personal training we have 4 specialty barbells for squats, curls, and deadlifts:
Men’s 20KG Barbells vs Women’s 15KG Barbells
Open Gym Plus Barbells
For more advanced lifters we have our Open Gym Plus Service. Open Gym Plus offers premium plates, collars, grip tools, mobility gear, chains, and of course barbells. Some of the Premium Barbells we have are:
- Texas Power Bar and Deadlift Barbells in Blue Cerakote Finish
- Rogue Fitness Power Barbells in Stainless Steel
- Rogue Fitness Women’s Pyrros Barbells in Stainless Steel
- Rogue Fitness Men’s Olympic WL Barbell in Black Cerakote
- Men’s and Women’s Operator Barbells
These Four Videos summarize the right way and the wrong on how to handle a barbell in CrossFit Classes or in Open Gym
How to Safely Deload a Barbell
Cleaning Your Barbell
No Slamming of Barbells
No Ghosting Barbells
Using Safeties in CrossFit and Open Gym
Safeties Are Required for Back Squat and Benchpress. Said safties must be positioned at the correct height. This policy is for your own protection as well as for the gym.
Open Gym Policy
Setting Safties for Back Squat
Setting Safties for Bench Press
