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Barbell Outdoor Barbell Care

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Kyrinov

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I have moved into a new home in a new city. For the first time since I left home, I have a backyard! This has been one of the best things to ever happen to me, as I now have my own space for training. I've taken the plunge and purchased a barbell set to make use of my new space. It's one of those Chinese ones (Amstaff etc.) but seems relatively well made. As I figured, you can't really screw up a barbell. I am renting the main floor of a duplex and do not have access to the basement as it is occupied by another tenant. I fear damaging the floors/making noise/hurting myself trying to protect the floor so I have decided to park my barbell in the backyard. I am taking steps to try to keep the barbell relatively safe from the elements, I purchased some high-impact flooring tiles to raise it up off the patio bricks and have placed a tarp over it when not in use. I'm wondering if anyone else has tips for keeping it the best possible condition under the circumstances. I'm wondering if I might put some kind of oil or sealant on it from time to time to combat rust. I don't expect it to remain shiny and new for years and years...quite frankly I don't care - it was $300 for the whole set of olympic bar and 300 lbs of weight and if I can get a few good years of it....rusted or otherwise and squeeze what strength I reasonably can from it, I'll feel I got my money's worth. Just want to see if anyone has any tips that might extend that mileage as much as possible until I reach a point where I'm ready to buy a home and have my own basement. FYI the plates are rubber coated. Any ideas much appreciated.
 
I keep a barbell outside about six months of the year. I put a tarp over it and bungee the ends so it can't blow away. I keep mine on a set of squat stands that seem to withstand the weather pretty well. It gets a little rusty but not much.

-S-
 
Hi Kyrinov,
My situation is the same as yours. My barbell is "resting" just before the entrance of my appartment. Initially I wrapped it in a plastic covering sheet, when not in use. That led to two issues: I used it not that often, and when I uncovered it, the iron got rusty anyway, because of condensed water. Then my simple solution was to leave it uncovered, so the iron gets rusty anyway, but I don't care, because they are no high end products, and they get a real nasty rusty rough "used look". And I use the bar more often. To oil the bar can have some grip enhancing properties, by the way. The best place, to store these things is a constantly well tempered room. But this is the privilege of my kettlebells.20151111_155157.jpg
 
spray it down with a clear lacquer. That should protect it from rusting and not affect the performance of it.
 
Guitarmaking has been my other hobby for the past fifteen years, and spraying lacquer is by far my least favorite part of the process. I wouldn't do it. You'll wear through the lacquer where you grip, and it will change the feel of the bar.

Rogue Fitness has some barbell maintenance videos on YouTube. You could try chatting with their customer support, too.
 
Hi Kyrinov,
My situation is the same as yours. My barbell is "resting" just before the entrance of my appartment. Initially I wrapped it in a plastic covering sheet, when not in use. That led to two issues: I used it not that often, and when I uncovered it, the iron got rusty anyway, because of condensed water. Then my simple solution was to leave it uncovered, so the iron gets rusty anyway, but I don't care, because they are no high end products, and they get a real nasty rusty rough "used look". And I use the bar more often. To oil the bar can have some grip enhancing properties, by the way. The best place, to store these things is a constantly well tempered room. But this is the privilege of my kettlebells.View attachment 102

+10 Real Man Points for Harald. That's BadAss.
 
Personally, I live in Houston and keep my barbell indoors. I actually recently moved my weights to a shed and when I lifted yesterday they were all wet just from the condensed humidity, so, in the interest of helping my bar last as long as possible, it sits next to the door.
 
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I lifted for 5 years with a barbell set stored out doors in Florida. It never saw the inside of a building. I never did any maintenance and I never had any problems. It was rusty but the bushings never had any problem rotating. I didn't live in the best neighborhoods at the time and was more surprised that the weights were never stolen or tampered with.
 
I lifted for 5 years with a barbell set stored out doors in Florida. It never saw the inside of a building. I never did any maintenance and I never had any problems. It was rusty but the bushings never had any problem rotating. I didn't live in the best neighborhoods at the time and was more surprised that the weights were never stolen or tampered with.

I used to leave my heavier kettlebells outside with the understanding that, if someone managed to carry them off, they had earned them. (I do live on a larger property, so someone who has been following a Dan John loaded carry program for a while might have a chance, but the average person would quickly give up).
 
You could WD40 the ends if the bar. That would protect those portions of it well for awhile. Just respray it lightly every couple weeks as needed.

For the main portion of the bar itself, wipe it with coconut oil or something similar (non-toxic) after use. Prior to lifting, wipe the grip off with a clean dry rag. Then just re-oil when finished. Wouldn't take much, just a light coat to disperse moisture.

Another option would be wax (again, something safe).
Whatever you use, make sure the portions you are going to handling is coated with something safe.

Regarding the tarp, it is honestly probably best to leave it uncovered, as moisture will become trapped under the tarp.
 
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