The adjustable bar is a piece of fitness equipment with removable weights at each end. It was first created in 1902 and has since evolved with advances in technology, including the use of hexagonal weight plates and rubber coatings. Free weights like the adjustable bar remain popular despite the introduction of weight training machines.
An adjustable bar is a piece of fitness equipment with a central metal post with removable weights at each end. Dumbbells are most often used for strength training and are raised or curled with the arms for upper body training and raised from the squat for lower body training. Initially, an adjustable bar used round metal plates in various sizes to achieve weight adjustment, but with advances in resistance training technology it continues to create a new type of adjustable barbell.
Weights are a type of training equipment known as free weights, which also include dumb bells or hand weights and Indian clubs, among others. The first bars featured a metal post with weights permanently attached to each end. Lifting progressively heavier or lighter amounts of weight required a different set of weights for each weight level.
A major breakthrough in weight training occurred in 1902 when the Milo Barbell Co. created the first adjustable bar. Instead of a weight permanently attached to the ends of the bar post, the first adjustable bar featured a round metal plate with a hole in the center. The bar post slid through the hole in the round metal plate. The weights were held in place by metal sleeves fitted to either side of round plates through which a hole had been drilled so that a screw could be tightened against the bar post, locking it in position.
Round metal adjustable barbell weights continued to be the primary method of strength training until the 1950s. At that time, the Universal Weight Machine introduced a new type of resistance-based strength training. The Universal Weight Machine featured several stations built around a central core of stacked metal plates. Each station focused on training for one type of lift, such as the squat, curl, or bench press.
Free weights like the adjustable bar have continued to be the workout equipment of choice for many, even as weight training machines continue to advance in sophistication. Free weight technology has also advanced, even with the adjustable bar. An early innovation in adjustable weight bar technology was swapping out round weight plates with hexagonal weight plates, which are not as prone to rolling when placed on the floor. The type of adjustable weight bar used in the Olympic games still features round metal plates.
One goal of the improved adjustable weight bar technology is to make it increasingly easier to change the amount of weight you lift. Some barbell weights are now rubber coated as well, protecting both the metal weight plates and the exercise surface. The Adjustable Weight Bar Post has also been enhanced with various types of grips employed to reduce the chance of dropping the weight and causing injury.
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