Rogue IWF olympic women bar vs Chan bar

This is a comparison of the IWF women bar and the Chan bar including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details

Overview and review of the Rogue chan bar

This overview of the Rogue Chan bar was originally published in my comprehensive guide on which Rogue barbell to buy. If you are currently considering to buy a Rogue barbell it is worth a read to get input on the latest models. I update the guide on a yearly basis depending on Rogue's new releases.

Price: 395$

What else to consider from Rogue

Overview of the Rogue Chan bar

The Matt Chan bar was the first Rogue barbell to be introduced with an athletes name. Matt Chan and Rogue have been working closely in the last few years. You can see this in the many equipment demos done by Matt. Matt Chan is a former firefighter and finished multiple times in the top ten of the Crossfit games. Since Rogue updated their Cerakote range they had another go at the Chan bar design.

The Chan bar is an Ohio bar on steroids. You get a better design, a centre knurl and a stainless steel shaft for 395$. If you want to spend the extra 100$ USD compared to the Ohio bar this is the all-purpose barbell to get. The design was created to fit Olympic and powerlifting needs alike.

The bar comes in at 20kg of weight, 200K tensile strength and a Good whip. The diameter is 28.5mm and the sleeves spin via bushing. Rogue offers two variations on the sleeves, one being cerakote the other chrome. It seems that cerakote does not respond well to metal to metal contact. If you want to use steel plates with the chan bar maybe opt for the chrome sleéves. The loadable sleeve length is 16.5 which is a bit longer than the other standard bars.

Pros of the Chan bar

This bar has a lot of pros and only a few cons. You get a stainless steel bar for 100$ USD less compared to the oly options. The bit of extra knurling helps with front squats. This is the best value for money bar you can get above 300USD from rogue. In addition, you also get a cool design. If you want to do everything in your home gym, this is the one to go for.

Cons of the chan bar

If you have to fit out an entire gym with 10 - 20 barbells 100$ a piece does make a difference. This bar is also too pretty to be used in military installations or with beginners. For these scenarios, you are probably better off buying the Ohio, Castro, C-70 or operator bar. The training bar might also be a better option if you only want to do Oly lifts, as it has a better whip at a lower price. The bushing might also not be ideal if you are a competitive weightlifter. The bars you will use in your competition have the bearing.

Conclusion

Matt Chan has been with Rogue barbell and CrossFit for years. If a bar is allowed to carry his name you can rest assured that it is the best you can get for CrossFit or all purpose barbell training. This bar is a good value for money option in the Rogue line up. If you have to buy in bulk there is always the Rogue Ohio bar.

Learn more about the specs of the Rogue Chan barbell and purchase on the Rogue website

Overview and review of the IWF Olympic women bar

Rogue updated their line up in 2019 with several IWF standard products so you can run weightlifting competitions. Here are the pros and cons.

The IWF Olympic women barbell is the IWF approved women bar from Rogue. The main differences to the men’s bar are the weight, the diameter and the price of $525. This bar meets the standards to be used by Olympians. I n addition rogue added a design with Cerakote which makes it one of the first barbells with IPF approval which is just not plain steel. The specifications of the bar are:

Made in Columbus, OH, USA with US and EU Steel
Women’s Bearing Bar (International Weightlifting Federation standards)
Bar Weight: 15KG
Shaft Diameter: 25MM
215,000 PSI Tensile Strength EU Steel
Olympic Knurl Marks (no center knurl)
Bar Length: 79.14"
Distance Between Sleeves: 51.50"
Loadable Sleeve Length: 12.50"
Black Cerakote Color Finish w/ Chrome Sleeves
Official IWF branding on center of shaft and endcaps

If you always wanted some an Olympic barbell with some extra design this one is for you.

Pros of the Cerakote IWF women bar

The pros of the Cerakote IWF bar are:

IWF approval
Price
Design

The Cerakote women bar is one of the few bars of Rogue which Cary the prestigious IWF approval. This means that it is build to the highest demands which live up to the bar being used by Olympians. The IWF has the strongest demands on sticking to their specifications with a minimum margin for error to keep competitions fair and comparable. Compared to Eleiko bars the Rogue bar is comparatively cheap to achieve the same goal.

Cons of the IWF Cerakote bar

The cons of the IWF Cerakote bar are:

Cerakote coating
Cost
Design

The Cerakote coating is not an ideal combination with steel plates. These bars also do not will with metal rack pins. Cerakote tends to scratch a lot faster than stainless steel on metal to metal contacts.

The cost of the Cerakote IWF women bar is considerable when you combine it to the lower Rogue ranges. If you are looking for an all-purpose bar for your home gym or CrossFit bis you can get more bars for the same money.

If you don’t look at this design it works against rather than for this bar. In commercial settings, you might also want to keel the colors and the design more neutral based on the clientele you would like to attract.

Alternatives to the IWF Cerakote bar

The alternatives to the IWF Cerakote bar are:

The Rogue Ohio bar is the workhorse option from Rogue. This is the all-purpose bar from where the entire Rogue production line started. A solid bet at a reasonable price.

The Rogue Pyrros bar has been finalized by Rogue and the finest Olympic weightlifter of all time to produce the finest Olympic weightlifting bar there is. If you want the household name of the Greek lifting god in your home or gym, this is the bar to go for.

The Rogue Thor bar is another option for someone who wants more than a plain design but leans more towards powerlifting. The Thor bar sleeves are longer and can there fit more plates.

Summary for the IWF Cerakote barbell

If you like the design over stainless steel for an IWF approved barbell this is the way to go. If you are looking for a CrossFit bar save yourself $200 and get the Rogue Ohio barbell.