Today we´re going to explain what a deadlift bar is and how it can be used. Let’s first talk about the difference between a deadlift bar and a regular standard bar. Some examples of stardand bar are:

• The Texas Strength Systems bar. It has really good knurling. The only thing that it doesn’t have is the center knurling.
• The Starting Strength Bar that Buddy Capps Welding makes. It’s very similar to the previous one but it has a center knurling.

The standard bar is 28.5 mm thick and it is 86 in long, versus a deadlift bar, which is 92 1/2 in long and it has a 27 mm thick. These differences are very important when you’re deadlifting.

The standard bar is going to have a lot less whip. The deadlift bar is designed to have more whip. What is meant by “whip” means bending whenever it’s loaded. The deadlift bar is a longer bar and it has less circumference to the actual bar itself. It’s going to bend a lot more.

Starting Strength coaches recommend you deadlift with a standard bar. This is a bar that’s been used for deadlifting for decades. Deadlift bars have been used a lot more recently. You can load them a lot more because the collar is longer. It’s much more impressive when people load these up to 800 lb and then they deadlift, and it whips a lot more. You get these heavy enough the bar actually doesn’t leave the ground until it’s almost rack pull height, which is fine.

If the federation you’re lifting in uses a deadlift bar, this is how coach Rusty would program. He would train with a standard bar as much as possible. Once it gets closer to competition time, he would start practicing his heavy singles with the deadlift bar because he will pull more weight with this bar. That’s just the nature of this bar. This bar is designed to maximize deadlifting.

That’s just a brief synopsis of the differences between these bars. If you want to play around with the deadlift bar, do it. That’s fine. But train with a standard bar. Training with a standard bar is a little more proven. People have been using them again for decades to pull with. And you will get stronger with the standard bar versus the deadlift bar.

Bibliographic references:

• Starting Strength. (2026). Pulling with the Deadlift Bar [Video file]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/xVFxaWKW4Xs?si=Cn7neAgY-dpaa3L1