An average barbell adheres to the standard of 20kg. This is what you will most likely use in your local gym. This article describes other variations which come in 15kg, 10kg, and 5kg.

 

 

Before we go into the details of how many kgs a barbell has let me ask you a couple of questions: 

 

 

These questions make a difference for your long term success. Sitting down and reflecting on your inner drivers will commit you for the long run. Life will get in the way of your goals, dreams, and ambitions. To stay on track you need honest, meaningful and inspiring goals. The days which make you feel down and beaten matter the most. This is where most people give up and drop out of the race. If you keep pushing, you will be the only one left in the track. Most people go about their lives like this: 

 

 

This way it becomes very likely that you will feel like you are not getting ahead in life. What you want changes hundreds of times a day based on whom you see, what you do and where you are. If you make your lizard brain the compass of your life, you will life like a reptile. Something interesting happens when you flip these questions on their head:

 

 

Flipping the running order on its head will make fundamental changes on how you approach life. Your actions and thoughts will become more connected to what is most important to you. If you want to know how this works on a psychological level read Daniel Kahneman's thinking fast and slow. Simon Sinek has a great TED talk on how this works telling the story of the Wright brothers.

 

 

A 20kg barbell is what you will most likely find in your local gym. The 20kg barbell is the Olympic standard for men to compete in weightlifting. Same goes for most powerlifting federations. 

 

 

15kg barbells are found less often in commercial gyms, well-stocked weightlifting establishment will have them. 15kg barbells are the Olympic standard for women. They are a bit shorter and lighter. If you are not aiming to compete and only train for fitness the difference between a 15kg and 20kg will be marginal. The bigger question will be whether you are strong enough to handle either weight. 

 

 

10 kg barbells come in various forms. I personally have only seen them online and never in the gym. A 10kg barbell is either a technique bar or a bar made for children. A technique bar has the same dimensions as a proper barbell, but is made of lighter material. Their main purpose is to feel as real as possible while being lighter to focus on technique. They are most useful to weightlifting beginners or experts who have to get rid of a very specific technical weakness in the lift by 1000s of repetitions. 

 

 

A 5kg barbell is either very small and used in a group fitness class. This would be considered a non-standard barbell. You will find those in power pump and stepping classes. If the barbell has standard measurements it is very likely an even lighter technique bar. For children, it could also be a smaller standard barbell which is proportionate to the smaller lifter.

 

 

You will most likely find a 20kg barbell in the next commercial gym near you. For all the other versions you will have to look a little harder.