Barbells are used when lifting weights and often use a separate bar onto which you load plates. These plates can be hard to keep on the bar without a barbell collar. With that said, are barbell collars necessary?
Barbell collars are necessary for barbells with threaded sleeves and are used to prevent the weight plates from moving along the sleeve. Barbell collars are therefore an essential safety accessory that prevents weight plates from sliding off the bar during a lift.
Read on to discover the purpose of a barbell collar and why it should be in place when lifting. Then, we will discuss what types of barbell collars are on the market and how they can keep you safe when weightlifting.
What Is The Purpose Of A Collar On A Barbell?
A barbell collar is used to keep weight plates locked into place on a barbell. They are used as a safety measure to stop weight plates from falling off during a lift but they are also used to weight plates in a single position throughout the lift.
If a weight plate slides down the barbell sleeve during a lift then the weight will be unevenly distributed. This will either make it more difficult to perform a rep and control the weight or more seriously, lead to injury through plates falling off mid-lift.
It basically always comes back to stopping weight plates from falling off the bar!
Are Barbell Collars Necessary
Barbell collars are necessary for barbells with threaded sleeves and are used to prevent the bar from spinning within the sleeve. You should put collars on barbells before inserting them into a power rack, safety cage, or other objects where they’ll remain stationary.
When lifting heavy weights (over 100 lbs), barbell collars keep plates on both ends of the bar and prevent them from falling off during an exercise. If you do not use barbell collars, the weights can slide off of the bar during lifts.
Just look at the video below for a clear example of what can happen when you don’t use barbell collars:
And another one…
When you use barbells with a solid sleeve (meaning the weight plate is fixed to the end of the bar), you won’t use barbell collars. They also serve to protect against weights coming loose and dropping onto somebody’s toes in case the weight is dropped accidentally by someone lifting it.
Barbell Collars Come In Two General Shapes
There are two different types of barbell collars on the market:
- Place a Standard Collar on one end of a barbell, then tighten around the bar by rotating it clockwise with your fingers which will cause a disc inside to lock against spikes along its surface.
- You can slide An Olympic Collar over either end of a bar before tightening down as well, so you don’t need to insert any part into the bar itself.
You can use these two collars for either threaded or non-threaded barbells. Be sure to identify which type you are using before choosing a barbell collar.
Reason You Should Use A Barbell Collar
Cheap and last forever if you take care of them! If not used properly, they can break or wear down over time but are still generally cheap enough that replacing them every few years isn’t too much hassle, even though they’ll never really go bad.
Barbell collars are a necessary accessory because they:
- Prevent barbells from slipping out of place during a lift.
- Protect against weights coming loose and dropping onto somebody’s toes if the weight is dropped accidentally by someone lifting it.
- It can help prevent damage to your wall or floor tiles when doing bar exercises such as squat cleans and snatches since these moves often cause significant collisions between the ground/flooring area and bar.
- It prevents bar weight from sliding off your hands during movements like squats, deadlifts, or bench presses.
In other words, barbell collars are essential if you’re using heavy weights. Potential slipping or dropping of weights can cause serious injury.
Do You Need Barbell Clips
While barbell clips/collars are an important safety accessory to use in order to prevent weights from falling off the bar mid-lift, this could also be the very reason why you should not use barbell clips.
When training solo and using lifts where you could get stuck under the bar like with a bench press
Situations When You May Not Need A Barbell Collar
If you’re only going to lift in your basement and don’t have anyone else around or any potential for dropping the bar, then barbell collars aren’t really necessary. However, for Olympic lifting, use an Olympic barbell and a pair of spring collars to avoid slippage when performing snatches or cleans.
Collars are not typically needed if you’re using just bumper plates without regular plates. Bumpers don’t slide because they have rubber ends that allow them to grip onto anything from carpet to linoleum floors without slipping.
Which Barbell Collar Should You Choose?
There are many different types of barbell collars that you can use to secure a bar, but the type chosen will depend on whether you’re using low-load or high-load equipment. For bar exercises like squats and deadlifts, for example, bar collars are essential as they prevent the weight from sliding off your hands during these types of movements which could cause significant injury!
For other exercises such as bench presses, where there is less risk of slipping due to weights being lower in total load, Olympic collars may work better. Barbell clips (springs) are a good general collar to use for any kind of general lift where you’ll want to keep the plates secure but it wouldn’t be considered essential.
Think exercises like bicep curls, overhead presses, or lunges.
How To Use A Barbell Collar:
For an Olympic barbell collar, insert on one end of the bar, then tighten around the bar with fingers while rotating clockwise so the disc locks into spikes at the surface. Slide collar to the opposite side before tightening again – no need for any part insertion!
This barbell collar has a release button to remove from the bar quickly and is finger-friendly, so no need for any type of pliers. The latch should easily pull up and then the weights will be free to be removed from the barbell.
For a Standard barbell collar, you should thread the collar onto the barbell. Once your plate is on the bar, simply attach the barbell collar and spin until it is locked tightly against the plate. Standard barbell collars will turn in the opposite direction to remove.
Conclusion
Barbell collars are a simple device designed to prevent weights from slipping on the floor or rolling off your feet. The barbell collars are necessary for threaded sleeves and prevent the weight from spinning within the sleeve. Barbells with fixed sleeves do not require these items because they will never slip out of place during a lift, but it’s still advisable to use them as protection against dropped weights.
If you’re looking for some extra security when using weighted bars, be sure to have at least one set of barbell collars around! Barbell collars are necessary for barbells with threaded sleeves and are used to prevent the bar from spinning within the sleeve. In addition, barbell collars protect against weights coming loose and dropping onto somebody’s toes if the weight becomes too heavy to hold.
They also keep plates securely attached, so they don’t slide off during lifts. So if you want your workout routine to be more effective, safety-conscious, and enjoyable, then get a set of high-quality barbell collars today!
