How To Care For Your Barbell

How To Care For Your Barbell
5 June 2018 5 min read
How To Care For Your Barbell

We have teamed up with Bionic Barbell & Rower Reconditioning to provide this handy guide on how to care for your Again Faster Team Bar. 

What is Bionic Barbell & Rower Reconditioning?

Bionic is a mobile service that can deliver both maintenance and reconditioning on many items seen at the typical gym. We work on Rowers, Bikes, Ski-Ergs; all the way to any brand of Barbell. We have multiple service options available, from replacing and fitting parts to reconditioning.

We have HALF and FULL-service options both going in-depth and giving a noticeable difference. Our aim is to save our customers both time and money by having to outsource companies that have no experience in these areas, as well as giving a professional service at the best cost. 

Why Is Barbell Maintenance Important? 

Barbell maintenance is something a lot of people tend to overlook. After spending money on a high-quality barbell, the last thing you want is for them to rust. Whether you are in a commercial gym, strength & conditioning area, a personal training studio, or a CrossFit box, bars are one of the most used and abused pieces of kit. We are here to help you maximise the performance of your bar and make sure it serves you for as long as possible.

To prolong the life of your barbell it is important that you regularly clean it. Regular maintenance allows the bar to continue to perform at its optimum for longer. How regularly this must occur depends on the climate it is kept in and how regularly the barbells are used. For example, a busy gym in a hot climate may have to carry out maintenance more frequently. This will also depend on the number of barbells. It may not be realistic cleaning all the bars in one go, due to classes etc. So, cycling them may be a clever idea. For example, half the bars one week, and the rest a couple of weeks later.

Rust is the main issue we want to combat. People sweat and steel rusts; combine the two and you end up with a rusty bar. Most manufacturers will attempt to overcome this by coating the bar with black oxide, chrome or zinc, however, you still need to maintain your bar.

Following the next steps will allow you to maintain your barbells in the condition you received them in. Or as close to this as possible! This includes an efficient spin, GOOD knurling and the shine!

We recommend in busy commercial environments where barbells will be subject to intense usage, sweat and chalk daily, you should be maintaining them every single week. Home gym barbell maintenance can be dictated more by the finish of the bar, however, for bare steel, black oxide or zinc bars, maintenance should be done bi-weekly.


What Do You Need to Maintain Your Barbell?

  1. Stiff nylon bristle brush
  2. Bionic Barbell Premium Cleaner or WD-40
  3. 3 in 1 oil
  4. Some sort of rag to use with the oil (Lint Free)

Step 1: Clean the Chalk/Skin Out of the Knurling

Before & After

Ideally cleaning the chalk and grime out of the knurling would be done daily or after every use. To do this run a stiff nylon bristle brush along the knurling of the bar until the chalk is gone. This is an important but very easy procedure to do. The reason it is important is that you use chalk for absorbing the moisture on your hands. Therefore, when left on the bar, the chalk is absorbing any humidity and holding it on the steel, which means: rust.

Step 2: Wipe Down Your Team Bar.

Deconstructed Bar Wiping down your barbell is a straightforward way to maintain bar. How often you need to do this will vary depending on use and the facility. For example, a commercial setting where a bar is being used more regularly and individuals aren't cleaning it after use, doing this once a week would be ideal. In smaller gyms or home facilities, twice a month should be fine. This part of the procedure should be performed after the brushing of the bar. Use a light coat of WD-40 or 3-in-1 oil. WD-40 works because it is a water displacer and dries quick. Spray it onto a rag, wipe down the whole bar and leave overnight, then wipe it down again.

Step 3: Check the Sleeve of the Barbell

Most bars have oil impregnated bearings or bushings; therefore, you do not need to oil them. Some bars now have small oil holes in the sleeves, allowing you to drop oil (not WD-40) into them, this allows the sleeves to spin freely. Doing this once or twice a month is ideal. Wipe away any excess that may have leaked from the sleeve.


Barbell Storage

How you store your barbells is also a crucial factor to consider in maintaining your barbell.

Firstly, strip your bar. Bars are designed to withstand weight during your lifts, but not permanently. Your bar will bend if you leave the plates on longer than necessary. Plus, it is just rude. Stripping your bars will protect the bar but it will also make the next user a lot happier than if they had to strip the bar before use.

Barbells can be stored horizontally on the rack (unloaded of course), on a wall frame in a horizontal position, or in a bar holder. Some people lean their bars up against a corner, but this isn't ideal.

If you go for the vertical option, make sure you rotate the end that is at the bottom, some people suggest that the oil can leak out of the sleeves. If you are oiling your bars properly though, this should not be an issue.

Something else to consider is that you make sure the material the bars are stored on is also non-abrasive, such as nylon, rubber or plastic so it doesn't damage the bar or its knurling.  

You can shop the full range of Again Faster Bar Storage here.


As you can see it isn't very hard or time-consuming to maintain your barbells. It is an effortless way to protect your investment, so they last for years and years. For any questions, queries or more tips along with free giveaways, head over to our page below! Happy Lifting!

- The Bionic Team

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