Standard Bars
Barbells are the most versatile piece of fitness equipment for building muscle tone and mass. When I think of how many exercises one can perform with a standard bar and complimentary weight plates, I wonder why anyone would ever purchase individual weight machines.
A barbell and complete set of plates works the same as a complete set of dumbbells, but rather then shifting to an entire new set of dumbbells when you want to change weights, you simply adjust the plates on either end of the same bar and lock them in place with weight collars or clamp
If you have little money to throw around, like I did when I put together my home gym, you can still put together a decent set-up with a standard bar and a variety of weight plates. From there you can add more plates, a bench or an additional barbell when you have the cash.
Really, the only reason you'd need more than one barbell bar is if adding or removing plates was getting in the way of your workout say, if you worked out according to a stop watch. More than one standard bar would also allow you to load plates for 2 exercises, giving your muscles a break from continuously change plates.
If you read fitness magazines or spend time in weightlifting chat rooms then you've probably heard some disagreements when it comes to standard versus Olympic bars. The main difference between these two types of bars lies in the diameter of their holes. For example, standard plates have 1-inch holes and use slightly smaller plates; while Olympic plates have 2-inch holes and use slightly larger plates. Also the weight increments for standard plates are slightly different from Olympic weights. They come in plates of 2 ½-pounds, 5-pounds, 10-pounds, 25-pounds and 50-pounds; while Olympic plates come in 2 ½-pounds, 5-pounds, 10-pounds, 25-pounds, 35-pounds and 45-pound plate sets.
Personally, as the owner of a standard bar and plates, I find that my workout isn't lacking, but if you're into serious weight lifting or power lifting competitions you may want to splurge for the Olympic set. A starter set complete with a standard bar and 110-pounds of cast iron plates will run you about $100 online.
