REP Health Colorado Bar Overview

Discovering a barbell that performs nicely for powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, and normal energy coaching with out burning a deep gap in your pocket will be difficult. Fortunately, REP Health leveled up its barbell lineup in the summertime of 2023 with a high-quality mannequin that checks these containers (and lots of extra): the Colorado Bar. Our Breaking Muscle staff of licensed private trainers, CrossFit fanatics, and energy and conditioning coaches completely examined this multi-purpose bar’s capacity to deal with conventional powerlifting actions like squats and deadlifts, in addition to dynamic lifts like cleans and snatches.  

Sturdy, reliable, and numerous, the brand new flagship barbell from one of the vital respected health tools producers delivers critical bang to your buck. On this REP Health Colorado Bar evaluation, we’ll dive deeper into what makes this mannequin the most effective values in the marketplace by breaking down its specs, highlighting its strengths, and seeing the way it stacks up in opposition to the competitors.

Key Takeaways

• The Colorado Bar checks in at an affordable value level of $319.99 to $329.99 for the 20-kilogram (44-pound) mannequin. There’s additionally a 15-kilogram (33-pound) model that prices between $269.99 and $279.99.
• You’ve got two end choices with this barbell: a tough chrome shaft with chrome sleeves, or a Cerakote shaft with Duracoat sleeves. Plus, the Cerakote model offers you the liberty to flex your inventive muscle tissues with 5 shade decisions for the shaft.
• Whereas IPF knurl markings and a 1,500-pound weight capability give it an influence bar really feel, the inclusion of IWF knurl markings and the absence of a middle knurl additionally make the Colorado Bar well-suited for Olympic lifts. As well as, composite bushings make for an general quieter lifting expertise.

REP Health Colorado Bar Professionals

• The flexibility to buy a Cerakote model of the Colorado Bar ought to enchantment to house health club homeowners who prepare in a non-climate-controlled surroundings. As a result of such a shaft coating supplies superior safety from the weather than laborious chrome, those that prepare outdoor or in humid garages will recognize higher corrosion resistance courtesy of Cerakote.
• The Colorado Bar’s composite bushings not solely permit for a clean and regular spin but in addition give it a tighter tolerance. One other advantage of choosing composite over bronze bushings is much less noise when your weight plates hit the ground.
• Between its versatility and construct high quality, the Colorado bar can function the one barbell in your house health club. If you happen to don’t have an enormous price range for health club tools, you may cowl a number of bases by investing in a multi-use bar that’s able to dealing with a variety of lifts.

REP Health Colorado Bar Cons

• An absence of aggressive knurling and a solid-but-not-elite tensile energy of 190,000 PSI make this barbell simply an okay selection for powerlifters. In case your exercises primarily revolve across the squat, deadlift, and bench press, a specialty bar tailor-made to your coaching type could also be a wiser selection.
• Paying north of $300 for a barbell produced exterior of the USA might forestall some folks from going the Colorado route. There are American corporations that supply comparable options at a extra tolerable value level.
• Though Cerakote shaft coating presents higher corrosion resistance than laborious chrome, it nonetheless falls wanting a stainless-steel end. Those that choose the high-end look and distinct knurling of a stainless-steel bar ought to move on the Colorado barbell. Nonetheless, be ready to pay a premium for these benefits.

REP Health Colorado Bar Specs

REP Health Colorado Bar Score

From specialty bars designed for energy racks to Olympic barbells made for extra dynamic actions, the Breaking Muscle staff has put numerous barbells by means of the wringer to find out what separates the very best from the remaining. Testing greater than 75 fashions utilizing a gauntlet of squats, cleans, presses, and different lifts, we developed a proprietary scoring system to rank them primarily based on a number of elements, comparable to value, knurling, versatility, and sturdiness.

Right here’s how the REP Colorado Bar scored throughout every class.

REP Health Colorado Bar In-Depth Overview

The Colorado Bar might not be a real celebrity at one job, however its versatility is what makes it shine. With a number of end choices, high-quality construct supplies, and enough tensile energy for many lifters, we imagine it’s an awesome possibility for anybody who likes to modify up their sort of coaching. Most significantly, REP’s flagship barbell supplies glorious worth since it could actually fulfill a number of duties.

Worth and Worth

The value for the Colorado Bar varies relying on what dimension and end you like. The 15-kilogram (33-pound) mannequin, which is greatest suited to novices, feminine lifters, and smaller athletes, begins at $269.99 for the laborious chrome end. For $10 extra, you may select a black or pink Cerakote shaft coating with Duracoat sleeves.

However, the bottom value for the 20-kilogram Colorado Bar is $319.99. For a mixed-use barbell in a tough chrome end, the price falls about in keeping with the trade common. For instance, the Rogue Health Ohio Bar ranges between $275 to $415, relying on the end. Nonetheless, it might be value upping your price range a bit to get higher corrosion resistance and longevity. At $329.99, the Cerakote-finished Colorado Bar nonetheless brings loads of worth, particularly since you may select between 5 shaft coating colours so as to add some inventive aptitude to your own home health club setup.

Furthermore, you don’t have to stress about freight prices. As of this writing, REP Health presents free transport, which may prevent not less than $25. General, the Colorado bar packs a ton of customizable choices right into a well-priced piece of health club tools, making it our decide for the best budget barbell. We rated it 4 out of 5 stars for the worth.

Supply

Let’s simply say ordering a barbell on Amazon could be a bit like enjoying with fireplace. After I ordered a budget-friendly one for my house health club, the supply course of ended up being a serious dud, with a low-quality bar from a completely completely different model than I had chosen arriving in broken packaging that left the endcaps uncovered. For sure, that disappointing expertise left a bitter style in my mouth about having a barbell shipped to my entrance door.

Fortunately for our product testers, REP Health made positive the Colorado Bar arrived at our warehouse in Springfield, MO, with zero points. I used to be happy to listen to it suffered no harm throughout its journey. Effectively-packaged and well-protected, we gave REP 5 out of 5 stars for a clean, painless supply course of.

Development, Supplies, and Coating

With a 28.5-millimeter shaft, the 20-kilogram Colorado Bar comes near the 29-millimeter mark you’ll discover in most energy bars. A part of its enchantment is that it has a shaft diameter that falls proper in between Olympic and powerlifting requirements.

REP offers you ample end choices with the Colorado Bar, together with Cerakote (which is available in black, blue, inexperienced, crimson, or white) or laborious chrome with laborious chrome sleeves. Nonetheless, take into account that chrome plating can scale back the longevity of a bar by 50 %, which isn’t very best when you drop the bar quite a bit. Based mostly on our collective data about barbells and the precise metal every model makes use of, we’d estimate that the Colorado bar can final not less than 30 years in a house health club setting.

In the meantime, the Cerakote bars have a lifespan of greater than 50 years due to their F2-R score. In contrast to the F1-R-rated chrome model, they characteristic Duracoat sleeves that present greater ranges of scratch and corrosion resistance by means of a chemical course of that hardens the surface of the metal to create a clean black end.

Talking of seamless, the Colorado Bar’s clean sleeves make loading and unloading your weight plates a breeze. Whereas I benefit from the effectivity of clean sleeves, different Breaking Muscle workers members like our Opinions Editor Amanda Dvorak choose ribbed sleeves for the reason that plates keep in place higher even with out collars.

Mix that with an aesthetic endcap design that has the corporate emblem, identify, and weight of the bar laser-etched on the within of the sleeve, and you’ve got all of the makings of a premium bar at a non-premium value. General, the Colorado scored 4.5 out of 5 stars for development.

Knurling

As a mixed-use bar, the Colorado comes with twin knurl markings for Worldwide Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and Worldwide Powerlifting Federation (IPF) specs. This makes it straightforward to establish the place to put your fingers when bench urgent or performing different lifts, like snatches. On the identical time, the absence of a middle knurl permits you to comfortably carry out Olympic-style actions (like cleans) or high-volume overhead presses with out having to fret about scraping up your throat.

The knurling sample on the Colorado Bar isn’t fairly as aggressive as what you may discover in an influence bar like REP’s Double Black Diamond Bar, which options deep mountain-style knurling that makes it very best for deadlifting however not very best for extra dynamic actions. As a substitute, REP went with a medium-depth, volcano-style knurling that also supplies ample grip with out tearing up your fingers throughout high-repetition coaching periods. For many athletes, volcano knurling works greatest, because it supplies 4 factors of contact on every marking, resulting in a superior grip and fewer slippage.

Creating enough friction with out being too abrasive, the Colorado Bar’s medium knurling sample scored 4.5 out of 5 stars on our grading scale.

Rotation System

REP actually paid consideration to the small print of the Colorado Bar’s rotation system. Fairly than following the trade commonplace of placing bronze bushings in a multi-purpose bar (like Rogue did with each the Ohio Bar and the extra economically priced Echo Bar), they went the additional mile by utilizing composite bushings.

In addition to lasting longer than their bronze counterparts, composite bushings scale back the quantity of noise when dropping the bar whereas nonetheless offering good spin — one thing our product testers took word of throughout their coaching periods with the Colorado. Plus, composite bushings additionally make for tighter tolerances, that means there’s much less wobble between the sleeve and the shaft. 

REP’s choice to make the Colorado Bar with bushings as an alternative of bearings caters on to followers of the massive three lifts. Energy bars often characteristic bushings as a result of the sleeves spin extra slowly, which makes the barbell really feel extra balanced whereas performing deadlifts and bench presses. 

However, weightlifting bars usually use faster-spinning bearings that play a vital function when the barbell is shortly altering instructions throughout snatches and cleans. As well as, the superior spin price from bearings additionally helps scale back stress on the joints while you execute the “catch” portion of a clear or snatch. Nonetheless, most multi-purpose bars go away bearings behind for bushings for the reason that latter are extra versatile, quieter, and cheaper. 

Between a clean spin price, enhanced sturdiness, and a quieter lifting expertise, the Colorado Bar earned 4.5 out of 5 stars for its rotation system.

Versatility

Particularly designed to accommodate a wide range of exercise kinds, the Colorado Bar is the final word Swiss military knife. With a tensile energy score of 190,000 kilos per sq. inch (PSI), you may confidently crush PRs with none issues. In truth, the Colorado bar has the identical PSI score as opponents just like the TITAN Collection Cerakote Olympic Barbell from Titan Health and the Rogue Ohio Bar.

Additionally able to getting used for non-powerlifting workouts like curls, overhead presses, and cleans, the Colorado Bar can deal with absolutely anything you throw its method. It might not outperform a specialty bar, however when you’re in search of one barbell to rule all of them in your house health club, this all-around beast can definitely stand as much as the duty.

All in all, we gave the Colorado Bar 5 out of 5 stars for versatility.

Sturdiness

As one in all its newer fashions, the Colorado Bar has but to point out the way it can maintain up over time. However primarily based on the supplies and design, we’re assured it’ll proceed to carry out nicely and look good for the lengthy haul.

That stated, the most secure route — not less than from a sturdiness standpoint — is to go along with the Cerakote model. Different barbells we’ve examined that characteristic this end have lasted greater than six months with out rusting. Contemplating lots of them are saved in non-temperature-controlled rooms, that speaks volumes concerning the degree of safety Cerakote supplies.

And when you’re nonetheless involved about longevity, REP stands behind its barbells with a lifetime guarantee (extra on that beneath). In the end, we rated the Colorado Bar 5 out of 5 stars for sturdiness.

Guarantee

All REP barbells include a lifetime guarantee. Nonetheless, the coverage solely covers manufacturing defects. So, in case your Colorado Bar will get broken attributable to negligent use (i.e., dropping it with iron weight plates loaded on it), you’re a bit out of luck. You’ll additionally run right into a roadblock when you retailer your barbell exterior, as it will mechanically void your guarantee. 

In comparison with different producers, REP Health doesn’t supply fairly the identical degree of protection. For instance, Rogue’s lifetime guarantee additionally consists of bending that’s not attributable to defective use or abusive dropping of the bar.

So, although the Colorado Bar features a lifetime guarantee, the defect-only disclaimer led to a rating of 4 out of 5 stars on this class.

REP Health Colorado Bar vs. Rogue Ohio Bar

It’s clear REP had one in all its opponents in thoughts when arising with the Colorado Bar. Not solely is it named after the situation of the corporate’s headquarters similar to Rogue’s Ohio Bar, however it packs comparable options right into a similarly-priced product.

Regardless of minor variations in dimensions (the Colorado bar is 0.15 inches shorter with 0.3 fewer inches of loadable sleeve size), each bars have the identical shaft diameters (28.5 millimeters) and tensile energy score (190 KSI). Nonetheless, the Colorado Bar’s composite bushings give it a tighter tolerance and quieter sound than its competitor’s bronze bushings. Plus, our testers discovered it to have a bit extra aggressive knurling than the Ohio Bar.

However, Rogue presents a wider vary of end choices. The Ohio Bar is available in 5 completely different shaft coatings (black oxide, chrome steel, black zinc, E-coat, or Cerakote) and 4 completely different sleeve coatings (chrome, proprietary black matte, vivid zinc, or chrome steel). Consequently, the worth for this American-made barbell ranges from $295 to $465.

General, both bar will work nicely together with your squat rack and may face up to loads of pounding. REP might manufacture their merchandise in China, however they’ve established a rock-solid popularity for high quality within the health tools trade. In the end, although, if you’d like a barbell produced within the USA that has a barely extra inclusive lifetime guarantee, Rogue’s Ohio Bar would be the solution to go.

Rogue Fitness Ohio Bar

4.5

• Comes with a lifetime assure in opposition to bending
• Weighs 20 kilograms (about 44 kilos) and has a 28.5-millimeter diameter
• 16.4-inch loadable sleeve size
• Twin knurl rings and no middle knurl

Check Price

REP Health Colorado Bar Buyer Opinions

There’s little question REP hit a house run by releasing the Colorado Bar in the course of the summer season of 2023. Inside just some months, prospects have discovered it to be a worthwhile funding for his or her house gyms primarily based on the overwhelmingly optimistic suggestions. With 4.9 stars primarily based on 75 critiques, lifters across the nation have fallen in love with the most recent addition to REP’s line of house health club tools.

In addition to being impressed with the look and general end of the Colorado Bar, prospects additionally recognize the medium-aggressive knurling and clean spin price courtesy of the composite bushings. One person famous that the oil out of your fingers reveals by means of on the black end, which can make going with one other shade a much less hectic various. 

Remaining Verdict: Is the REP Health Colorado Bar Price It?

The REP Health Colorado Bar brings a premium really feel at a reasonably reasonably priced value. Whereas there are definitely cheaper choices accessible, house health club fanatics who worth versatility and a spotlight to element shouldn’t hesitate to drag the set off on REP’s new flagship barbell.

For lower than $330, you may get a high-quality, Cerakote-finished bar that’s designed to deal with nearly any sort of exercise, comes with a lifetime guarantee, and may anchor your storage health club setup all by itself. Though the Rogue Ohio Bar is definitely a worthy contender attributable to its sturdiness, value, and efficiency, you may confidently name upon the Colorado Bar that will help you obtain your strength- and muscle-building objectives.

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