Buyer's Guide to Olympic Barbell Collars
Which Olympic Barbell Collar Is Best For Your Type of Training?
Wondering what the differences are between the various Olympic barbell collars available, and why you should invest in one versus another? Although barbell collars, or "clips", are typically a small fraction of the overall cost toward a complete weightlifting package, they are an essential component to keep your workouts flowing and prevent damage to your exercise equipment.
What is the purpose of a barbell collar?
Olympic barbell collars have one goal of preventing the weight plates from sliding off the barbell sleeve. They are manufactured in a variety of materials, shapes, and sizes depending on the type of workout they will be used for.
The Basic Olympic Spring Collar
Olympic spring collars for standard weight training exercise are a staple found in home gyms and health clubs. They are a popular choice for general weightlifting workouts due to their low cost, ease of use, and effectiveness to keep Olympic weight plates from moving during lifts on a rack.
Due to a spring collar’s steel coil design, economy spring collars cannot rest completely flush against a weight plate, allowing for movement in the weight plates on the Olympic bar. When a loaded barbell is firmly placed on the ground or dropped on a platform after a lift, weight plates (especially rubber bumper plates) shift and can become damaged due to the lateral force applied on the plate hub. Smaller hands may also find Olympic spring collars too wide to squeeze one handed.
Bumper Plate Workout Ready with the Lock-Jaw Pro Collar
Tired of re-adjusting your bumper plates and collars after each set? The Lock-Jaw Pro Collars are a tried and proven Olympic collar in the rigors of performance focused strength and conditioning facilities. These collars are a great upgrade that provides 10 times the gripping force than a standard Olympic spring collar.
Manufactured from a nylon resin and weighing only 0.8 lbs. per collar pair, the Lock-Jaw Pro Collars clamp securely onto the sleeve of most Olympic bars. With injected molded pressure pads for grip and to prevent damage to the bar itself, the Lock-Jaw Pro stay secure, even against bars with plenty of whip. Lock-Jaw Pro Olympic collars are an excellent choice for CrossFit WODs and Olympic lifting with bumper plates.
Competition Approved – Ivanko Compression-Ring Olympic Collars
For the most demanding workouts and IPF competition use, the Ivanko Olympic Pressure Ring Collars are a top choice, available in a chrome plated finish, COC-2.5KG, and gray hammer tone finish, CO-2.5KG.
The Ivanko Compression-Ring Olympic Collars utilize two features for a snug fit, compression against the Olympic bar sleeve, and the spin-lock feature. Not to be mistaken for a T-bolt Olympic collar that utilizes a bolt that lightly dents the surface of an Olympic bar sleeve to maintain position, Ivanko Barbell Pressure Ring technology utilizes an inset band that securely squeezes around the Olympic weightlifting barbell sleeve at the turn of the T-bolt. Once the T-Bolt is secure, the spin-lock portion of the collar is rotated to lengthen the collar, filling in any open space between the collar and weight plate. This prevents any wobbling of the competition or bumper plates which could lead to equipment failure.
For non-competition lifts and general workouts, Ivanko Barbells COT-2.5 and COT-1.25 Compression Olympic Training Collars provide a secure grip with the same compression technology at a fraction of the cost of the bigger competition collars.
Whether you are strength training for functional fitness, a CrossFit athlete seeking to PR, or an elite Olympian training for the Olympics, investing in a quality set of collars will save you time and your equipment.
Ready to purchase Ivanko barbell equipment, Lock-Jaw collars, or replacement spring collars?
Olympic Barbell Collars are available on IRON COMPANY GSA Multiple Award Schedules # GS-07F-0104M and CMAS # 4-12-78-0066A
About the Author
Jayson Operio’s certifications include: NASM CPT - National Academy of Sports Medicine - Certified Personal Trainer, ACIM CPT - American College of Integrative Medicine - Certified Personal Fitness Trainer and PEX CPT - APEX Fitness Group - 24/5 Complete Personal Trainer. Jayson previously was a personal trainer with 24 Hour Fitness, guiding clients to achieve their fitness and sport performance goals. He has almost twenty years of combined fitness industry sales experience with previous companies Busy Body Home Fitness, Precor Home Fitness, Polar Electro, and currently IRON COMPANY. His passion for fitness was set as a foundation at an early age. With his father in the military, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and running a couple of miles were the norm. It was cross training for physical fitness. Fast forward, and now with over fifteen years in the fitness industry, he has gained experience and knowledge about various products and training techniques, and how they can be utilized to better one's fitness level and/or sport performance. His personal performance goals to run faster, jump higher, cycle longer, and press heavier have influenced his commitment to find fitness solutions. Knowing how the right equipment with proper technique can lead to results first hand, he’s here to share my knowledge with others to find the right products at a great price. Contact Jayson here.