Articles
Background rather than buying advice. Where the 28mm and 29mm standards came from, what the plate colours mean, how to keep a bar alive in a British garage, and how to check a second-hand bar before you pay for it.
Why barbells are 28mm and 29mm, and nothing in between
The two shaft diameters that define every Olympic bar come from two federations solving two different problems. Understanding why explains most of what a bar listing is telling you.
24 October 2026 →
Looking after a barbell in a British garage
An unheated garage goes through condensation cycles all winter, and bare steel loses. What finish to buy, what maintenance actually works, and what to do about rust that has already started.
22 October 2026 →
Buying a second-hand barbell: the four checks
A used bar can be excellent value, and two specific faults make one worthless. Here is what to check, in what order, before any money changes hands.
20 October 2026 →
What the plate colours mean, and why black bumpers ignore them
Red, blue, yellow, green and white are not decoration. They are a code that lets a referee read a loaded bar from twenty metres away, and knowing it makes a gym floor legible.
18 October 2026 →