Rogue IWF olympic women bar vs Ohio deadlift bar

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

Overview and review of the Rogue Ohio deadlift bar

This overview of the Ohio deadlift 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: 355$

Overview of the deadlift barbell

The Ohio deadlift bar has been specially designed for deadlifting. With a diameter of 27mm and 190K PSI tensile strength, it bends more than the Ohio bar. This great whip helps powerlifters to deadlift from a more advantageous position. The bar weighs 20kg and the sleeves spin via bushing rather than bearing.

The knurling on this barbell has been made extra aggressive to minimise chalk need or maximize the grip strength when chalk is applied. The loadable sleeve length is 15.50. There is one version in zinc and another with raw steel available.

Overall, this bar gets very good reviews for the purpose of deadlifting. Be aware that when you purchase this bar, it is specially built for deadlifting. It is a great addition to your arsenal when the basic needs are covered. For your first purchase, you might want to look at the Ohio bar, Ohio power bar, freedom bar or chan bar before moving to this piece of equipment.

Pros of the Ohio deadlift bar

The Ohio deadlift bar is special as it is one of the few cheaper bars from Rogue with a great whip. The only other bar which has this is the training bar. This makes it a great tool for anyone who wants to squeeze out the last couple of pounds on the deadlift. The whip is mostly received in a positive way.

Cons of the Ohio deadlift bar

A widespread comment on the deadlift bar is that the knurling is too aggressive. I personally can't see how a professional powerlifter would make this comment, however, they are out there. It is also a barbell which has been build for one purpose only. If you are starting out your home gym or want to appeal to the masses this is not the bar to go for.

Conclusion

The Ohio deadlift bar is a great option as an addition to the existing barbells of a CrossFit gym or as some of the first equipment to buy for a powerlifting gym. You will get a good piece of steel that bends to make the range of motion just that little bit shorter on the deadlift to establish a new PR.

Learn more about the specs of the Rogue Ohio deadlift 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.