Heavy Lift Bar – Distance Between Collars

[Joe Garcia]

Steve,
Most of our bars have a sleeve that fits over the bar, with the ring attached to the sleeve. This sleeve can be anywhere from 16″ long to 42″ long. So with the sleeve at 16″ long, then the ends become the stops for the plates and they (plates) will be 16″ apart. So if you don’t have sleeves, you would have to set the collars to keep the plates 16″ apart.

[Al Myers]

Steve, Joe G is right on with the bar specs for the heavy lift bar. A few years I wrote this blog http://www.usawa.com/tag/heavy-lift-bar/ that shows the bar, but since that time the rules where changed for the specs on the inside sleeve (to between 16 and 42) to represent the bars that everyone has. 16 is truly a minimum distance you want between the plates as to not interfere with feet placement. Some prefer wider than this. As Joe said – you can always place inside collars to get this distance for plate loading. Al

[Steve Freides]

I want my bar to be competition legal. (I’d like to become an official and also host a meet in my basement gym one of these days.)

My sleeve is only 5″ long – is that OK?

If it’s not, I will have that changed when I get my collars moved, or I will ask him to use a 16-inches-or-longer center sleeve. Al, it’s hard to tell, but the bar in your picture, the picture that’s only a bar at the bottom of the article, sure doesn’t look like a 16″ sleeve.

Thanks very much – I appreciate the dialogue so that, even if I didn’t get this right on the first try, the second try might be a keeper.

-S-

[Joe Garcia]

Steve, once you get your outer collars removed, just have your welder cut 2 5.5 ” or 6″ pieces like the one the ring is attached to and slide them on each side of the center sleeve.

[Al Myers]

That would be the simple solution to it!

Before I built my specific neck lift bar with 42″ inner sleeve I used 2 sections of 2.5″ OD pipe to slide over my heavy bar to expand the distance of the inner sleeve (I like a wide foot placement for the neck lift). Then just removed it for the other heavy lifts. Steve – I got to ask – how do you do the hand and thigh with that bar of yours???? There’s only room for one leg! Al

[Steve Freides]

Thank you both! I have contacted my welder and we will get these changes made ASAP. The plan is to have a 16 inch center section plus slide-on pipe to make it 42 inches for the hand and thigh lift. This seems to me the best solution – 16 inches for straddle lifts, 42 inches when facing the bar.

Any other comments or suggestions will be gratefully accepted, and I will post a new picture after the bar has been reworked.

-S-

[Author]

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