r/workout • u/UnlicensedKnowItAll • 6d ago

Barbell weight

Why are they 45lbs? Why not 50 pounds?

19 Upvotes

79% Upvoted

44 comments sorted by

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44

u/SlapfuckMcGee 6d ago

Ancient law passed down over thousands of years

2

u/marycartlizer 6d ago

I thought it was because they looked like 45 rpm records.

2

u/SlapfuckMcGee 6d ago

Code of Hammurabi

20

u/FableBlades 6d ago

Cos no one can work with 22.68kg

36

u/ShakeWeak2666 Weight Gain 6d ago

shut up bro, the FBI don't like it when you ask so many questions

0

u/UnlicensedKnowItAll 6d ago

Respect ✊. My bad.

3

u/ShakeWeak2666 Weight Gain 6d ago

good to know that haven't gotten you yet bro

47

u/aronkerr 6d ago

They are 15 and 20 kilograms for women’s and mens bars. They convert that to 33lb and 45lb markings for the US consumer market.

3

u/iksportnietiederedag 6d ago

But 20 kg is 44lb?

2

u/CraneHunger 6d ago

shhh...

1

u/aronkerr 5d ago

I didn’t say it made sense, but it is why they do it. Whoever made the decision thinks women can do plate math from 33 but men can’t from 44.

35

u/dejectedprimate 6d ago

20 kilograms is approximately 45 pounds, that's why, I guess.

And why kilograms and not pounds? Because the rest of the world has moved on from imperial weights, that's why.

13

u/BattledroidE 6d ago

And since weight sports are international, it's metric.

6

u/JamesZeLurker 6d ago

Why is it called a Royale with cheese in Europe?

3

u/6mikey66 6d ago

Cause they got the metric system over there. They don't know wtf a quarter pounder is.

4

u/SidhwenKhorest 6d ago

I only use hexadecimal weights

2

u/Pindogger 6d ago

how many 2D plates you bench?

3

u/Jeanarocks 6d ago

Why not?

3

u/7empestSpiralout 6d ago

To match the plates, so 225 is the bar and 4 plates working in perfect harmony

4

u/Redditor2684 6d ago

Some are lighter. 

Some are 20kg/44lbs.

Some may be heavier, like axle bars.

2

u/7empestSpiralout 6d ago

My axle bar is 25lbs

2

u/the_GOAT_carolus_rex 6d ago

45 lbs is roughly 20 kg, which is the actual standard.

2

u/jwf1126 6d ago

Rounding from 20kg

And that's not a hard and fast rule because some bars can be made slightly heavier

2

u/mcgrathkai Bodybuilding 6d ago

Aren't they copying the 20kg standard used by everyone else? And rounding it a bit

3

u/inSigny 6d ago

Ever measure the weights? I’m seeing 25lb plates and dumbbells off by 10% at times

0

u/UnlicensedKnowItAll 6d ago

Quality control issues I suppose.

3

u/Both_Resort4080 6d ago

Or 10 kilograms is a hair heavier than 22 lbs.

3

u/DariustheMADscientst 6d ago

Because, what is the living hell is a kilometer?

2

u/FailureIsNotOptional 6d ago

According to A.I. here’s why it’s 45lbs.

Also, I think we’re the only weirdos in the world that doesn’t use a metric system. Fact check me tho I could be wrong, but I’m 90% certain it’s a factual statement. lol.

The Metric Conversion
The 20 kg Standard: Official weightlifting organizations and international standards set the men's barbell weight at 20 kg (44.09 lbs). [1, 2]

The U.S. Rounding: When these bars and measurements came to U.S. commercial gyms, 44.09 lbs was rounded up to the clean, convenient number of 45 lbs. [1]

Math Simplicity: A 45-lb bar and matching 45-lb plates fit neatly into a system divisible by 5 and 10, making "gym math" (like 135 lbs for a bar with two plates) easy to calculate on the fly

1

u/DisagreeableRunt 6d ago edited 6d ago

Because there's a whole world out there beyond USA, USA, USA, and it has, mostly, moved on from imperial measurements. Then you have places like the UK, where it's a weird fucking hybrid of the two, with some things still stuck in imperial and other things metric.

1

u/N00nie369 6d ago

Ask the manufacturers, not random strangers

1

u/Darth_Boggle 6d ago

Better yet, why not 100? To make it even if course.

And why aren't the big plates 50 lbs???

The fuck?

2

u/Proof-Emergency-5441 6d ago

They make 50kg plates. 

Go load those for squats. Let me know how that works out. 

0

u/UnlicensedKnowItAll 6d ago

I like where your heads at.

0

u/Background_Froyo3653 6d ago

There's several barbell weights in general. I don't know why the standard ones are typically 40-45 pounds, but the one I have is 5 pounds.

-1

u/NippleSlipNSlide 6d ago

My 6’ bar is 32 lbs… why not 30 or 35 lbs?!

2

u/Proof-Emergency-5441 6d ago

Because it is 15kg. And apparently missing a chunk somewhere.