If you’re lifting Olympic sized weights, then you’re probably also in the market for Olympic barbell attachments to use with them. However, there are several to consider when it comes to attachments designed to keep your weights on the bar. For ease in this discussion, we’re going to break them down into two general types: clasps and collars.
Clasps are the attachments that you can pinch between your fingers to open them up, allowing you to attach and remove them from the weight bar with relative ease. Collars on the other hand generally require a little more effort to put them on and take them off as most have some sort of pin or rod that you have to physically tighten and loosen every time you want to change your weight plates.
Of course, if your goal is to power through your workout as fast as you can, snap jaw clasps can potentially save you a lot of time—especially if you’re doing exercises that require a lot of weight changes. They’re usually a lot cheaper too, coming in at a mere fraction of the cost as most clamps on the market today.
However, it’s also important to know that, while these particular attachments are typically faster to use and lower in cost, they’re also not always the safest. By continuously putting them on the bar and taking them off, they tend to lose their grip, which potentially means that the weights could slide off. So if you choose to use them, just make sure you replace them often so you don’t risk injuring yourself or anyone else.
Also, before deciding on either one, take note of the size of your bar to ensure that the one you select will fit. After all, it won’t do you any good, regardless of what type it is, if it doesn’t.
