Powerlifting bar
Compared to the Olympic barbell, a powerlifting barbell has a slightly larger diameter and, as a result, greater rigidity. This is due to safety for performing exercises typical of powerlifting, for example, squats.
The rigidity of the bar reduces the oscillatory movements that occur during such exercises. Only a special barbell for squats is superior in rigidity to a powerlifting bar; the weight of such a bar with locks is usually 30 kilograms.
Types of devices
First of all, you should consider all existing types of barbells and figure out which bar is better in each individual case. For example, direct models are divided into several varieties:
- for powerlifting;
- Olympic;
- women's
Using them, you can perform bench presses, squats, and a number of other exercises belonging to the basic group. There are also several variations of curved equipment. Each of them has features.
Olympic
The classic version is the Olympic bar. Its bushings rotate, making it much easier to perform jerking exercises. There are notches on the rod. Its net weight without pancakes is 20 kilograms. The product is also equipped with a pair of locks weighing 2.5 kilograms each. The diameter of the neck is 2 centimeters, and the length reaches 220 centimeters. Together with the locks it weighs 25 kilograms.
For women
This type of equipment differs from the previous one exclusively in technical parameters. Female types of vultures are characterized by not so impressive weight and dimensions. Their weight is only 15 kilograms. The length of the product is 205 centimeters. Its diameter is 2.5 centimeters.
For powerlifting
Also a straight look, but different from the two previous options. It has slightly different parameters, thanks to which the barbell bars can withstand impressive loads. The length of the product is 220 centimeters and the diameter is 2.9 centimeters. The weight of powerlifting models is 20 kilograms.
Trap
Sports hexagonal equipment has the same parameters as the Olympic type. True, it was designed specifically for deadlifts. The load when using it is shifted to the femoral quadriceps. It is possible to avoid overstraining muscle tissue in the spine during training.
EZ-neck
It is a curved neck. With its help, exercises are performed on the muscle tissue of the arms, focusing on tension in the biceps. Thanks to the special shape of the products, there is little stress on the wrists. Accordingly, the training takes place in more comfortable conditions for the joints. The length of the product is 1.2 meters, and the weight is 6.5 kilograms.
With parallel grip
The second name for this barbell is oval. Used when performing a neutral grip. The load on the muscle tissue of the forearm and biceps is as comfortable as possible. A model with a curved bar can be used for bench press and full muscle development. Its parameters are identical to the EZ-shaped one.
W-shaped
Visually, this curved neck is as similar as possible to the EZ-shaped one. It has similar technical characteristics. True, it was developed specifically for training aimed at strengthening the triceps. By using it you can also pump up the muscles of the forearm and biceps. An excellent option for home and gym training.
Universal
Considered a non-professional variety. When using it, you can select a set of exercises in which the load is placed on all groups of muscle tissue. The length varies from 125 to 200 centimeters. Weight is 6–10 kilograms.
With rotating handles
Designed for additional pronation of the triceps and supination of the biceps. When using classical models, it is not possible to achieve such a result. Inside the handle there are rotating rings that are mounted on bearings. The length of this design is 120 centimeters and the weight is 12 kilograms.
Hatfield
The author of this equipment is the famous weightlifter Hatfield. After the injury, the athlete could not continue training with classic equipment and decided to invent his own. The center of gravity in it is shifted, the maximum load is placed on the quadriceps. Due to the presence of rollers, there is no pressure on the shoulder joints, they are not overloaded. The product weighs about 35–40 kilograms and is 225 centimeters long.
Women's Olympic bar
- Length - 2.05 m
- Diameter - 25 mm
- Weight - 15 kg
Outwardly, it differs little from the male one. The absence of a notch in the middle of the neck is also characteristic; this is due to the fact that currently in sports disciplines there are no exercises performed with one hand.
Listed above are barbells that have a straight bar, which is ideal for basic exercises in weightlifting and powerlifting, but is not ideal for working individual muscle groups.
Still used in bodybuilding
- EZ-shaped bars
- W-shaped bars
Which allow you to reduce the trauma of some exercises on the arm muscles.
Trap neck
A hexagonal (diamond-shaped, hexagonal) bar is used to perform deadlifts on bent legs. Its main advantage is that the load falls more on the muscles of the front of the thigh, so this version of the deadlift is a good replacement for squats with a barbell on the shoulders.
Trap neck
Exercises with trap bar
W-shaped neck
Its design allows you to perform a French press with a neutral grip. This grip provides maximum load on the triceps.
- Length 1.2 m
- Weight - 6-8 kg
Thus, the main types of bars were considered, with the help of which you can perform both basic exercises and special ones aimed at individual muscle groups.
However, you should not strictly tie different types of barbells to different exercises; the main thing is convenience for the athlete, and I advise you to follow this first and foremost.
How to choose a barbell: Pancakes
Barbell plates
Weight plates are purchased separately. Cost varies greatly due to different weights (from 0.5 to 25 kg+). The number and weight of weights are selected depending on the seat on the bar (the standard and good option is 25 - 30 mm - it allows you to hang disks of different sizes and diameters, making the bar universal for all exercises) and on the maximum weight with which the athlete is comfortable working out. For beginners, a lot of light weight plates will work so you can easily vary the weight for different stances and exercises. For experienced athletes, it is better to buy several heavy and medium discs. Medium weight plates will allow you to vary the weight without making the bar too light.
Vulture lifestyle
The bird of prey of the vulture family is a rather agile and mobile creature. These creatures walk easily, moving with short but quick steps. Vultures also fly well, only slowly, but this does not prevent them from rising to great heights. Scavengers are not deprived of excellent eyesight: vultures look out for their prey from fairly large heights.
Ornithologists mock vultures about their intelligence: they are really deprived of this. A certain dullness inherent in them by nature has endowed them with a number of certain negative qualities. Not only is the vulture bird timid, imprudent, rather hot-tempered and extremely irritable, it is also arrogant and even cowardly! In addition to this, it should be noted that vultures are famous for their inexplicable ferocity.
These birds spend the lion's share of the time wandering around the globe, and then suddenly appear in huge numbers in places where they had not previously appeared for several months. It is curious that while some species of vultures can calmly walk along city and village streets, others try in every possible way to avoid meeting people and do not appear near human settlements at all.
Characteristics: dimensions, weight, application
The most popular sport among athletes, both amateurs and professionals, is the Olympic sport. This can be found in absolutely any gym, even one that doesn’t have a lot of equipment. Due to its popularity, this rod received the honorary title of “classic”.
Such a projectile can be used for strength training and high-quality training in absolutely any sport. The maximum load is 320 kg.
An Olympic bar weighs 20 kg. The length of this rod is 2.2 m. The diameter of a classic straight barbell reaches 2.8 cm.
The main difference between the women's straight Olympic event and the one described above is the size and weight. The women's version is noticeably lighter and shorter. Otherwise it is exactly the same projectile. A barbell with this type of equipment is used when performing both basic and special exercises in women's Olympic sports. The proper weight of the women's Olympic rod is 15 kg. The length of such a projectile reaches 2.05 m. Its diameter is 2.5 cm.
The powerlifting look was created specifically for training with heavy weights. It can withstand up to 600 kg of load. To prevent the rod from springing under heavy weight, it is made of high strength steel. Compared to the classic straight type, this projectile is much stiffer and thicker.
As the name implies, such a rod is used in a heavy sport - powerlifting. A set of exercises from powerlifting is appropriate not only in this sport. This includes squats, deadlifts, and bench presses.
The weight of this rod is 30 kg. The length, like the female one, is shortened - 2.05 m. The diameter of the rod reaches 3 cm.
Powerlifting equipment is serious equipment. Not only in terms of its parameters. Its manufacturer must carry out a special check and thereby assess the quality. If the test is passed, the product is “awarded” with a special certificate indicating its high quality. After completing all these procedures, the product can be used for simple training and achieving records.
To train without leaving home, you should take a closer look at the universal look. This budget variety is created specifically for those who strive to be in good physical shape, but for some reason cannot or simply do not want to train in the gym.
The diameter of this neck is close to the classic look. The main advantage of such a projectile is its fairly low cost. But otherwise, it is more than noticeably inferior to other varieties. The main disadvantages include low quality and low strength. Such a bar will not withstand a heavy load.
It happens that a universal bar positioned as a home exercise machine is also found in gyms. Some fitness center owners include such a rod in their gym equipment as a replacement for the classic bar. It’s worth noting right away that replacing the Olympic event with a universal one will not work. There are many reasons, and one of the most striking is that the “home” one does not fit on the bench press rack. But it is worth recognizing that there is still one exercise for which this type is simply ideal - this is working out the biceps.
The universal look exists in four variations:
- the first one weighs 10 kg, length reaches 2 m;
- the second - weighs a little more than 8 kg, while the length is 1.8 m;
- the third - weighs almost 7 kg, length - 1.5 m;
- fourth - weight is 6 kg, length reaches 1.25 m.
Diet of vultures
These birds are typical scavengers, looking for prey while gliding for a long time and quickly diving at it . Barn owls, unlike New World vultures, are armed not with a sense of smell, but with acute vision, which allows them to see a dying animal.
The menu consists entirely of the corpses of ungulates (primarily) and the remains of other, smaller living creatures. In the barn owl's diet:
- mountain sheep and goats;
- elephants and crocodiles;
- wildebeest and llamas;
- carnivorous mammals;
- turtles (newborns) and fish;
- bird eggs;
- insects.
In the mountains and deserts, birds survey the surroundings from above or accompany predators who have declared a hunt for ungulates. In the second case, the vultures can simply wait for the satiated animal to move aside. Barn owls are in no hurry and, if the animal is wounded, they wait for its natural death and only then begin to eat.
Important! Contrary to popular belief, barn owls never finish off their prey, hastening its death. If the “dish” suddenly shows signs of life, the vulture temporarily retreats, moving to the side.
The bird pierces the abdominal cavity of the carcass with its beak and sticks its head inside, starting to dine. Having satisfied the first hunger, the vulture pulls out the intestines, tears them and swallows them. Vultures eat greedily and quickly, gnawing a large antelope in 10–20 minutes in a flock of a dozen birds. Barn owls of several species often gather for a feast near large prey, which is due to their different food specializations.
Some target soft parts of the carcass (meat pulp and giblets), others target hard parts (cartilage, bones, tendons and skin). In addition, small species are not able to cope with huge carrion (for example, an elephant with its thick skin), so they wait for their larger relatives. By the way, a specific antidote – gastric juice, which neutralizes all bacteria, viruses and toxins, helps to resist the cadaveric poison of vultures. It has been proven that vultures are capable of prolonged forced hunger strikes.
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