Quiet lifting. How loud is your bar?

[ccoyle]

I have a mere American Barbell Training Bar. It has nearly no sleeve noise. I checked earlier, but didn't record a video. . . And it's a beautiful cerakote red.

Me too. I have an AB Cerakote Training Bar (grey) and their Power Bar (not the Grizzly, the one simply named "Power Bar" that's lower on their PB hierarchy than the Elite and Mammoth power bars), and they are both way quieter than any bars I've owned or used in gyms. Plus the build and finish quality are great.

EDIT: I wonder if ABs ceramic bushings, instead of bronze, contribute to the quiet.

AB builds great bars, but they are lousy marketers compared to Rogue.

[ccoyle]

When compared to gas powered leaf blowers, lawn mowers, stereos, chronically barking dogs, and so forth, I don't see why a few momentary thuds or clanks should upset anybody. But you deserve props for being a good and considerate neighbor.

[jrrenegar]

@FredM

The American Barbell black oxide bar is amazing in terms of the quietness of the sleeves. It is a completely different world than the the Rogue 1.0. Also, it turns out pulling with the 28mm is really nice.

The only disappointment has been the black oxide. I should have guessed, but it really starts to show specks of rust pretty quickly in the garage here in coastal Virginia. Thus far I’ve been able to knock most of it off with WD40 and a bristle brush with a few minutes of work. If I could do it over again, I’d get some other coating.

[thejosef]

I have a mere American Barbell Training Bar. It has nearly no sleeve noise. I checked earlier, but didn't record a video. . . And it's a beautiful cerakote red.

Me too. I have an AB Cerakote Training Bar (grey) and their Power Bar (not the Grizzly, the one simply named "Power Bar" that's lower on their PB hierarchy than the Elite and Mammoth power bars), and they are both way quieter than any bars I've owned or used in gyms. Plus the build and finish quality are great.

EDIT: I wonder if ABs ceramic bushings, instead of bronze, contribute to the quiet.

AB builds great bars, but they are lousy marketers compared to Rogue.

Yeah I have an AB bearing bar & an AB bushing bar and they're both dead quiet. They really make me dislike other bars now. Lol.

[damufunman]

I have a mere American Barbell Training Bar. It has nearly no sleeve noise. I checked earlier, but didn't record a video. . . And it's a beautiful cerakote red.

Me too. I have an AB Cerakote Training Bar (grey) and their Power Bar (not the Grizzly, the one simply named "Power Bar" that's lower on their PB hierarchy than the Elite and Mammoth power bars), and they are both way quieter than any bars I've owned or used in gyms. Plus the build and finish quality are great.

EDIT: I wonder if ABs ceramic bushings, instead of bronze, contribute to the quiet.

AB builds great bars, but they are lousy marketers compared to Rogue.

Yeah I have an AB bearing bar & an AB bushing bar and they're both dead quiet. They really make me dislike other bars now. Lol.

Remind me, is the AB bushing bar good for classic lifts? Spin good? I'm really tempted to sell my Rogue bearing bar and get a stainless AB Performance Bar...

On top of the quietness, I've reacently found out my sleeves are 49.9 mm diameter (the horror ) whereas I believe Coop said the AB sleeves are slightly oversized and fit good plates very well. Might help reduce plate noise a bit, and the Rogue sleeve ribs DO make a lot of noise.

[thejosef]

I have a mere American Barbell Training Bar. It has nearly no sleeve noise. I checked earlier, but didn't record a video. . . And it's a beautiful cerakote red.

Me too. I have an AB Cerakote Training Bar (grey) and their Power Bar (not the Grizzly, the one simply named "Power Bar" that's lower on their PB hierarchy than the Elite and Mammoth power bars), and they are both way quieter than any bars I've owned or used in gyms. Plus the build and finish quality are great.

EDIT: I wonder if ABs ceramic bushings, instead of bronze, contribute to the quiet.

AB builds great bars, but they are lousy marketers compared to Rogue.

Yeah I have an AB bearing bar & an AB bushing bar and they're both dead quiet. They really make me dislike other bars now. Lol.

Remind me, is the AB bushing bar good for classic lifts? Spin good? I'm really tempted to sell my Rogue bearing bar and get a stainless AB Performance Bar...

On top of the quietness, I've recently found out my sleeves are 49.9 mm diameter (the horror ) whereas I believe Coop said the AB sleeves are slightly oversized and fit good plates very well. Might help reduce plate noise a bit, and the Rogue sleeve ribs DO make a lot of noise.

Depends on what you mean by classic lifts.. I use my 28.5mm AB bushing (power) bar mainly for squat, press, and bench press. It has a bit more resistance than a Rogue bar (all Rogues bushing bars seem to spin very well.. almost too much so for powerlifting). If you buy an AB 28mm bushing bar for Olympic lifts, if will feel a good bit different coming from a Rogue bearing bar, but I don't think you would regret the change. I seriously doubt it would hold anyone back, performance wise. They are very fine bars. The spin will be very smooth, controlled, but definitely slower than Rogue.

The AB bearing bars also spin a little slower than a traditional super fast bearing bar, like the Rogue one you have, but they are fast enough and very smooth. You won't notice it during the lift.. only if you try to spin the sleeve with no weight on it. A few companies are shifting toward this slight resistance in their bearing bars now (ie. Eleiko NxG bars, Rogue Pyrros) to keep the plates from spinning too much overhead and to feel more "connected" to the lift.. as they say.

Also keep in mind the AB knurl is WAY different than Rogue's. Ab knurl is very mild, yet still grippy (especially in stainless). I prefer the AB for everyday training, but many prefer the Rogue knurl for max attempts. If you buy an American Barbell bar, I would splurge and get a stainless one.

As far as the sleeves, yeah AB's are a tad bit thicker than any other bars I've used. Weights fit excellent.. I only really notice the thickness with the collars as some are just a bit tighter when I go to clamp them down. I cannot understand some people's obsession with ribbed sleeves. I'm definitely a smooth sleeves fan. American Barbell, Rep Fitness, and Ivanko all have nice smooth sleeves of the bars I've used.

[PathThinker]

more expensive bar and more expensive plates will have smaller tolerances.

[damufunman]

I'm finally going to get my sound deadening garage platform going. Stay tuned.

I made the type with 4" deep wells for the plates to land on.
The typical strategy was/is to fill those in with various layers of carpet, carpet padding, etc and then top it off with the rubber matting.
....but I never got around to finishing it off. We finally got bumper plates at my gym when I built this thing years ago and kinda got disinterested in finishing it. I just filled the wells with scrap plywood and left over stall mat strips.

We are going to replace our carpet in the house with tile.
I won't have an excuse any longer...to not chop that shit up and experiment with different layering schemes...

Mine is a little different, but basically this idea:



can't wait. irony is summer is coming and there is no way I'm going to lift in my garage over Lifetime Fitness ....loolololololololololzozlozlzo

You get around to finishing this? Garage lifting time in Arizona is here. Or at work. I need someone to experiment for me.

[mbasic]

Yeah. I finished. I tried various layers of carpet, carpet pad, rubber (left over from the 8'x8' sheet I bought), and wood.....

It's still louder than I'd like. The bar to plate slap is fairly loud with my setup....York Oly bar and some shit used sporting goods store plates.

The 20 kilo plates I have are wide and super soft rubber, and even those are still loud.

I even just tried various combos of materials, and then dropped the wide 20kg plate only (no bar) from 6' up to so trying to tease out the bar noise.....it's was all very .....bleh.

The latest generation of those platforms at my globo gym are supposed to be the uber quiet Elieko ones....the top layer of rubber is fairly soft....that might be the key to help mitigate the initial plate "slap". (My rubber stall mat at home is fairly hard to the touch.) The layer underneath (elieko-gym) can best be described as carpet padding material, but 3" thick!

Do you have a limited ceiling clearance issue at home? After seeing how well those crash pads work....I was almost thinking about making a platform where the wells would accept those. I wonder what if a guy put one layer of horse mat on top of the crash pads material? I guess that whole set up would get pretty tall.....5"+?

[damufunman]

Yeah. I finished. I tried various layers of carpet, carpet pad, rubber (left over from the 8'x8' sheet I bought), and wood.....

It's still louder than I'd like. The bar to plate slap is fairly loud with my setup....York Oly bar and some shit used sporting goods store plates.

The 20 kilo plates I have are wide and super soft rubber, and even those are still loud.

I even just tried various combos of materials, and then dropped the wide 20kg plate only (no bar) from 6' up to so trying to tease out the bar noise.....it's was all very .....bleh.

The latest generation of those platforms at my globo gym are supposed to be the uber quiet Elieko ones....the top layer of rubber is fairly soft....that might be the key to help mitigate the initial plate "slap". (My rubber stall mat at home is fairly hard to the touch.) The layer underneath (elieko-gym) can best be described as carpet padding material, but 3" thick!

Do you have a limited ceiling clearance issue at home? After seeing how well those crash pads work....I was almost thinking about making a platform where the wells would accept those. I wonder what if a guy put one layer of horse mat on top of the crash pads material? I guess that whole set up would get pretty tall.....5"+?

Crash pads are 6" thick, and seem to squich unevenly. @iamsmu has noticed this as well.

[iamsmu]

Yeah. I finished. I tried various layers of carpet, carpet pad, rubber (left over from the 8'x8' sheet I bought), and wood.....

It's still louder than I'd like. The bar to plate slap is fairly loud with my setup....York Oly bar and some shit used sporting goods store plates.

The 20 kilo plates I have are wide and super soft rubber, and even those are still loud.

I even just tried various combos of materials, and then dropped the wide 20kg plate only (no bar) from 6' up to so trying to tease out the bar noise.....it's was all very .....bleh.

The latest generation of those platforms at my globo gym are supposed to be the uber quiet Elieko ones....the top layer of rubber is fairly soft....that might be the key to help mitigate the initial plate "slap". (My rubber stall mat at home is fairly hard to the touch.) The layer underneath (elieko-gym) can best be described as carpet padding material, but 3" thick!

Do you have a limited ceiling clearance issue at home? After seeing how well those crash pads work....I was almost thinking about making a platform where the wells would accept those. I wonder what if a guy put one layer of horse mat on top of the crash pads material? I guess that whole set up would get pretty tall.....5"+?

Crash pads are 6" thick, and seem to squich unevenly. @iamsmu has noticed this as well.

Ya, I wouldn't want to build a platform around those things. They don't wear evenly.

I have some of the Titan urethane plates. I hate them because the openings are do ridiculously tight. If they are the first plate on the bar on the floor, it's hell getting them off. I end up dragging the bar around the room. But they would be great for minimizing that clanging noise. Those and rubber coated change plates. I think you could cut the noise down significantly with just those. Also the American Barbell traning bar is super quiet. There just isn't much collar to bar movement. You could piece together a much quieter setup with different equipment.

[mbasic]

Crash pads are 6" thick, and seem to squich unevenly. @iamsmu has noticed this as well.

Ya, I wouldn't want to build a platform around those things. They don't wear evenly.

...well, even the high-tech/s Elieko platforms we have are starting to get a "return to center" effect going on....which is irritating, because I like the bar about a 1/3 of the way off set for clean n jerk....

Anyways, two things:
1-you guys prolly bought the cheapest thing on the market. There are other brands. Then again, prolly just gonna do the same thing, anything that has to deform to slow the plates down is going to give way over time. So a disposable (i.e. cheap) might be the way to go.

2- I'm thinking one would top the crash pad with a layer of 1/2-3/4 stall mat. That might help with longevity...but may add noise.

2a- maybe a 1/2" sheet of rubber for the tip layer + a floating 3/4" piece of plywood under that + the crash pad on the bottom.

I have some of the Titan urethane plates. I hate them because the openings are do ridiculously tight. If they are the first plate on the bar on the floor, it's hell getting them off. I end up dragging the bar around the room. But they would be great for minimizing that clanging noise. Those and rubber coated change plates. I think you could cut the noise down significantly with just those. Also the American Barbell traning bar is super quiet. There just isn't much collar to bar movement. You could piece together a much quieter setup with different equipment.

Can you mike those openings smu?

And on another note about noise. Just today I was playing around with might set up. Thinking it was the plates bushing slop (my plates are horridly loose)....I duct taped around the bar sleeve a wrap or two....plates for super snug.... Messed around with dropping various ways ...compared to no tape....dropped on only end.

Hard to explain, but @damufunman ...do you remember that rogue study thing on the weakness and Dynamics the bar goes thru when dropped repeatedly?

Like imagine this the bar bends quickly, back n forth like this but in the horizontal: )()()(
Basically, my new theory is having a shit ton of end-play is not good for noise either. The plates hit, and bar shaft bends downward...curving, pulling the ends inwards. Mine is a York split sleeve bearing bar, with a lot of end play....so maybe this "worse case scenario". Super tight in the conventional sense (up n down play).

Our globo gym bars (Elieko) are super tight in both directions.....and super quiet.

[iamsmu]

Can you mike those openings smu?

. . .

Our globo gym bars (Elieko) are super tight in both directions.....and super quiet.

I'll see if I can get some decent recordings tomorrow. I have a calibrated mike that I used for tuning the car stereo. I might be able to get a decibel reading. If not, I'll get some comparison.

Your solution is to buy an Elieko though . . .

About the pads, if you go in thinking that they are disposable, you won't be too disappointed. Just think of it as $100 every 6 months or so.

You might be able to special order denser and more durable foam. I have no idea. Layers of carpet padding might work too. How many layers did you try? Build that crap up 6 inches. It would be pretty much the same thing as the silencer pads.

[damufunman]

@mbasic I don't think the bar oscillating would cause the sleeves to move along the direction of the shaft since the bar is in free fall after hitting, but loose sleeves is most definitely a big cause of noise. My Rogue bar was loose in both directions so can't say which was causing it.

@iamsmu The AB bearing bar is really tight and all you hear upon dropping it is a solid sounding thud. I think one of the bar reviews said the AB made the Eleiko sound like crap in comparison, but I'm sure Eleiko's are pretty quiet too. I think their NxG hars have a similar bearing design as the AB.

[mbasic]

Can you mike those openings smu?

. . .

Our globo gym bars (Elieko) are super tight in both directions.....and super quiet.

I'll see if I can get some decent recordings tomorrow. I have a calibrated mike that I used for tuning the car stereo. I might be able to get a decibel reading. If not, I'll get some comparison.

I meant micrometer (measurement)...the inside diameter on those urathene plates.

Your solution is to buy an Elieko though . . .

Nope. Too expensive probably. I tried to put in an inquiry to Elieko to just buy the pads/sound deadener material....they really wouldn't talk to me....wanted to know the SERIAL NUMBER of my existing Elieko platform...lol... serialized platforms.

About the pads, if you go in thinking that they are disposable, you won't be too disappointed. Just think of it as $100 every 6 months or so.

I wonder if you got the foam out, cut it in half, and put it back in with the "fresh" ends in the center...and the wore out parts towards the outside?

You might be able to special order denser and more durable foam. I have no idea. Layers of carpet padding might work too. How many layers did you try? Build that crap up 6 inches. It would be pretty much the same thing as the silencer pads.

I forget now, I think I got 2 layers of carpet, 2 layers of carpet-pad-foam, one sheet of loose rubber, and one sheet of loose plywood....all under a sheet of rubber horse stall mat.

[mbasic]

@mbasic I don't think the bar oscillating would cause the sleeves to move along the direction of the shaft since the bar is in free fall after hitting, but loose sleeves is most definitely a big cause of noise. My Rogue bar was loose in both directions so can't say which was causing it.

@iamsmu The AB bearing bar is really tight and all you hear upon dropping it is a solid sounding thud. I think one of the bar reviews said the AB made the Eleiko sound like crap in comparison, but I'm sure Eleiko's are pretty quiet too. I think their NxG hars have a similar bearing design as the AB.

Our Elieko bars don't really free spin that well, and I never thought that (super spinny) was a desirable quality anyways ...

Like with NO plate on, bare sleeve, if you lightly spin in by hand it will free wheel like only 2 to 3 times.....if you reeeeaaally spin hard maybe 10....if that. With a plate on, sure that's whole different story.

I have seen other people spin sleeves (no plates) on other bars that are like skateboard wheels ....that just go and go for several seconds.....always thought that wasn't a good thing: too loose, once some wear kicks in gonna be sloppy.

Interested in that AB bar now....

[damufunman]

@mbasic I don't think the bar oscillating would cause the sleeves to move along the direction of the shaft since the bar is in free fall after hitting, but loose sleeves is most definitely a big cause of noise. My Rogue bar was loose in both directions so can't say which was causing it.

@iamsmu The AB bearing bar is really tight and all you hear upon dropping it is a solid sounding thud. I think one of the bar reviews said the AB made the Eleiko sound like crap in comparison, but I'm sure Eleiko's are pretty quiet too. I think their NxG hars have a similar bearing design as the AB.

Our Elieko bars don't really free spin that well, and I never thought that (super spinny) was a desirable quality anyways ...

Like with NO plate on, bare sleeve, if you lightly spin in by hand it will free wheel like only 2 to 3 times.....if you reeeeaaally spin hard maybe 10....if that. With a plate on, sure that's whole different story.

I have seen other people spin sleeves (no plates) on other bars that are like skateboard wheels ....that just go and go for several seconds.....always thought that wasn't a good thing: too loose, once some wear kicks in gonna be sloppy.

Interested in that AB bar now....

Having used an Eleiko only a handful of times (couldn't tell the difference between it and other bars, performance-wise), the AB appears to be just as good, with a better feel (SS shaft). Dont know how chrome is.

[iamsmu]

I meant micrometer (measurement)...the inside diameter on those urathene plates.

Oh. I think I might have bought a digital caliper. I can't recall. I'll see. . . .

[mbasic]

check this sh!t out :



These things are nearly 3" thick, have some waffleing pattern shit on the bottom.



(side note: In most of these comparison videos I've found, why cannot they drop 225# from over head?)
(you'd think a level-1-cert'd-CF instructor could quickly clean and push press 225 ... on demand).

Downside, they are pricey.
Thinking about buying 6 and doing another 6'x8' platform for work.
You could rotate the tiles around to extend wear.

One gym I lifted at, they had some 24" square tiles, that weren't these.
But they helped a bit, they were only 1.5" (not 2.75), and had a simpler grid-waffle pattern on the bottom.
Maybe the rogue ones ... idk.
------------------------------------------------------


I'm surprised this issue doesn't come up more often.
It seems one of the "advantages" of what is marketed as dead bounce, or harder rubber bumpers, is the ....dead bounce.
I guess, from what others have said, if you are an oly lifter that this is somewhat safer (low/no bounce).
And if you are a crossfitter, doing a long drawn out multi-rep WOD, you don't have to "go chasing your barbell all over each rep" with a dead bounce.

It seems to me the softer the rubber, and more bouncey it is, the quieter.
Maybe its not as durable long term (i.e. crumb rubber).
I guess what I'm saying if, you'd think the sound problem would come up more often.....gym setting with leases, neighbors, etc
...like we'd have super soft bumpers, advertised as such.
I mean, yeah, with fat bumpers you normally can get only 405#/185kg on there .... its rare to see someone CJ that at your average gym.
...but people normally have a lot of plates, and different types.

[damufunman]

@mbasic Holy shit the shipping on those is over $500!! Any other small batch suppliers?