A long metal bar with weights attached at both ends, designed to be gripped with both hands for performing heavy compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses.
Compound from 'bar' (Old French 'barre') and 'bell' (Old English 'belle'). The modern barbell was developed in the 1860s, evolving from earlier 'globe barbells' where spherical weights were attached to a connecting bar, used by strongmen and early bodybuilders.
The Olympic barbell is precisely engineered - it's exactly 7 feet long, weighs 44 pounds (20kg), and has rotating sleeves that spin on bronze bushings to reduce stress on your wrists during lifts like cleans and snatches!
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