What type of barbell should I buy?

[Annie973]

I want to purchase a barbell to use with my Cathe videos and was just doing some research online. They have different sizes such as 5', 6' and 7' and some had lightweight bars...I am confused as to what I should be looking for....please help! I am 5'5 and 130lbs...I am somewhere between intermediate and advanced level.

 

[Miss Lee]

Hi Annie,

I have the Troy Lite bar. It's like one the Cathe uses in her videos. Here it is: http://www.fitness1st.com/Troy-Bars.html

I bought the Troy Lite Workout System plus some additional plates; 2 pairs of 10# plates, and an additional pair of 2.5# and 5# plates.

 

[intensityjunkie]

Yep, I bought the Troy Lite also after reading about it here. I think its great!! I bought the system plus one pair of 10# for now.

 

[princessbear]

I bought a 100# set at Sports Authority for about $70. Now that I think of it - I'll probably never need 100#.

 

[cheval]

I bought a 100# set from walmart. The bar is 4.5' long and weighs 4#. The weights are plastic-covered concrete, but they work. The set cost me $35. It's a very nice starter set and came with 2 dumbbell handles, too. I bought 4 2.5# plates to go with it and it's come in very handy.

April

 

[jonahnah]

I bought the Troy Lite online and love it! I bought wts for it separately at Play it Again Sports and Target. They work great with the barbell. I love that it's a shorter length (4'6") and so lightweight (5 lbs) but holds more than I can lift!

Jonahnah
From now on, I'm going to be more decisive. Possibly.

 

[LeanneM]

I've got the Troy Lite, too, and I love it! I bought it at Fitness First, where Michele bought hers.

 

[meowracer]

I have the Sports Authority one too. It may be the 100# set, or slightly more. Plus I went to Play It Again Sports and got used 25lb plates. The bar also comes with two little ones so you can make dumbbells. The bar itself weighs 12-15 lbs (they say 15 but I weighed mine at 12), and it is one solid piece. You will be able to add on as needed, weightwise. I got mine on sale and they also had a coupon.

 

[sunshinegirl]

I have the Troy Lite also and love it. I still need to order some additional weight for it. Shipping was not cheap but neither is driving around searching for one.

 

[celestialtimes]

I got the troy lite from fitness first too! I love it...

I had a curl bar first and had bought plates over the years...11 to be exact...but I wanted a straight bar...I didn't want a long bar...because of space issues...

Bought the troy lite and it's so nice...

Celeste

 

[instantblue]

I just bought one at walmart.com, and it was about $30, including shipping and tax. It's called the 55lb aerobic weight set. I like that it has quick release handles, and is waaaay less expensive than the troy lite one. It's the same one mentioned before, with plastic-coated concrete weights.

 

[intensityjunkie]

I've seen the one at walmart. It would work just fine and is decent quality. I wanted to splurge though and got the Troy lite. It feels so nice in quality. The weights are slimmer. The rubber feels so nice. You can for sure see the quality difference. If that matters to you go with Troy Lite. If not the walmart set does the same job for far less $$. And I agree that the bar is worth getting alone if you don't want to ship the weights. I'm sure I saw some Reebok ones at a Target that would fit just fine and they are nice also.

 

[Britt333]

Yes, I'm looking into purchasing a barbell as well. I looked at the Troy Lite one online and it says it holds up to 80 lbs. But in the STS blog, one picture caption said Cathe was bench pressing near her body weight, which would be more than 80 pounds. So I would like to get a barbell that can hold "near my body weight" and that I can also be sure will fit in the patent-pending pull-up tower. And of course, I would appreciate a low price as well. Anybody else with these concerns? I don't want to go buy a barbell set and then have to buy a new one later after progressing with my strength training with STS...