American Barbell Performance Training Bar

  • Manufacturer: American Barbell
  • Purpose: Olympic Weightlifting
  • Bar Weight: 20kg
  • Gender: Men
  • Tensile Strength: 190,000
  • Yield Strength: N/A
  • Knurl Type: Medium
  • Center Knurl: No
  • Knurl Marks: Olympic Weightlifting
  • Shaft Finish: Hard Chrome
  • Shaft Diameter: 28mm
  • Sleeve Finish: Hard Chrome
  • Sleeve Type: Smooth
  • Rotation System: Bushing
  • Made In: USA
  • Warranty: Lifetime

Read below to get a detailed look at the Performance Training Bar including product details, features, real user feedback, and more.

$395.00

American Barbell Performance Training Bar

The American Barbell Performance Training Bar is American Barbell’s most economical weightlifting bar in terms of price. It’s not going to blow the stat sheet away, but it has some nice qualities at this price… not to mention the American Barbell reputation that backs it.

The American Barbell Performance Training Bar is built similarly to the Stainless Precision Training Bar, with the only real difference being that this bar has a hard chrome finish on the shaft. Otherwise, they’re the same bar, with this one coming in less expensive. It’s also similar to the Performance Bearing Bar, with the only difference being that this bar uses bushings vs. bearings. This bar represents a discount to the Bearing bar as well. 

Here are some further details about the bar:

Knurling

The knurling on the American Barbell Performance Training Bar is on the moderate side, similar to most bars made by American Barbell. You’ll get a bar with good grip, but not one that’s going to bite. This makes it useful for everyday training and one that you can use in higher rep/volume sessions.

The bar does not include a center knurl, which is common among training bars. As you would expect, the bar also includes single Olympic Weightlifting knurl marks.

Shaft

The Performance Training Bar offers a 28mm shaft, which is standard for an Oly bar, and it offers a tensile strength of 190,000 PSI, putting it in-line with other American Barbell offerings as well as several other competitive bars.

The shaft is finished in a hard chrome coating that provides mid-level oxidation resistance and a good overall feel.

Sleeves

The sleeves on the Performance Training Bar offer their beautiful recessed welds, which differ from the friction welds other companies use. This won’t make a difference functionally, but aesthetically, it’s one of the nicest you’ll find.

Another quality of these sleeves is that they’re smooth and finished in hard chrome. The hard chrome is a very common finish for barbell sleeves. The smooth surface will largely come down to preference, as some people prefer grooved sleeves. The benefit of a smooth sleeve is that they’re quieter to use. The potential downside is that they may not keep the plates on the bar as well as a grooved sleeve. If you’re using collars, however, this is a non-issue. 

The sleeves utilize composite bushings to spin – Bushings are a common application in training bars, which help to keep costs/price down. They won’t provide as much spin as a bearing Olympic Weightlifting bar, but they will offer a smooth and consistent spin. Lastly, the end cap is affixed with a heavy-duty snap ring.

Aesthetics

While I don’t own this exact barbell, I do own hard chrome bars from American Barbell, which will provide a very similar aesthetic. Overall, it’s going to be a nice-looking bar with a well-applied finish. The recessed welds are really what take the cake – they’re just beautiful to look at.

I also love American Barbell’s end cap color for their Olympic Weightlifting bars. The blue has a beautiful pop to it and I like the silver snap ring as opposed to a black one.


Features & Highlights

  • Hard Chrome – Chrome is a cost-efficient plating that does a good-but-not-great job at fighting off oxidation. You won’t get the same feel as you would with a non-plated finish like bare steel, stainless steel, etc… but you get a nice blend of feel and rust resistance without the larger price tag.
  • Smooth Sleeves – The smooth sleeves will generally create less noise when loading/unloading plates compared to a grooved sleeve.
  • Recessed Welds – The bar includes stunning recessed welds that American Barbell is known for. 
  • American Made – This bar is 100% made in America.
  • Strong Warranty – The Performance Training Bar comes with a limited lifetime warranty from American Barbell.

From the Manufacturer

The bar shaft is made from precision ground alloy steel and has a hard chrome coating. The strength of the shaft is tested with every shipment of raw material to ensure we have a consistent 190,000 PSI tensile strength. This attention to detail also allows for excellent whip and long-term performance of our bars.

The bar sleeves are precision welded to eliminate failure. The weld is recessed to not interfere with plates resting flush against the sleeve collar. Each sleeve is coated with hard chrome for protection against dropping. Sleeves rotate around high strength composite bushings used in aircraft and automotive industries for smooth rotation.


What They’re Saying at Americanbarbell.com

The American Barbell Performance Training Bar receives outstanding feedback from users. With an average rating of 5/5 at Americanbarbell.com, here are some of the things people have said:

Positive

  • “Love this bar. Has great whip and does barely makes a noise when dropping on the floor with weights on. The knurling is perfect. Overall the bar is awesome.”
  • “Craftsmanship is excellent. Great work AB!”
  • “Loving the whip and the smoothness of the barbell. Excellent!!”
  • “I have purchased two barbells for Olympic weightlifting previously at the same price for training in my garage. This bar blows them away. If you are looking for an affordable training bar, I highly recommend this.”
  • “Awesome bar. Spin is very smooth and consistent. Knurling is perfect in my opinion. Not harsh or smooth. Has a tacky feel to it. Whip is really good. It is very comparable to bearing bars I have at the gym.”
  • “Really well made barbell. No wobble or shake to the sleeves. Really solid feel and sound. And the knurl is genius. Looks light but just grabs my hands perfectly.”
  • “Packaged to handle the abuse from UPS, excellent knurl, dead quiet, and aesthetically, really sharp.”

Critical

  • None noted

Garage Gym Lab Review

Best Barbell Logo 2022

The American Barbell Performance Training Bar was a winner in the Garage Gym Lab 2022 Best Barbell Awards.


Other Options

The below barbells were picked as alternatives to the American Barbell Performance Training Bar.