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Barbell

Exercise and physical activity are important and beneficial for long-term health and well-being. Strength training is an important component of exercise and can be done with calisthenic exercises such as push-ups, free weights such as barbells and dumbbells, or resistance machines. Weight training is a well known form of anaerobic exercise used primarily to increase muscle tone and strength. Weight training involves performing various exercises against resistance provided by an exercise mass. Various pieces of equipment have been developed and are well known for use in weight training. The two common forms of free weights are barbells and dumbbells. Barbells are typically designed with one or more weights disposed at each end of a bar and are intended to be lifted with two arms. Dumbbells are similar but have a shorter bar and are intended to be lifted with one arm. These devices are used during the course of various exercises to increase strength by providing resistance to muscles. Barbell pressing exercises generally involve a weight lifter lying or sitting on a bench. A weighted barbell is supported above the weight lifter at arms length by vertical support posts connected to the bench. The weight lifter performs the exercise by removing the barbell from the support posts, then lowers it to the torso and presses it back to arms length. Barbell weight-lifting apparatus normally consists of a bar and a plurality of discs of various weights with a central hole to permit the disc to slide onto the end of a bar where it is secured into place by collars.

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