Everymate 5kg Technique Bar Review

Who this bar is for

The Everymate 5kg technique bar is a first bar. It's for a kid who wants to lift and isn't ready for a 45 pound bar, or for somebody new to working out who wants to start a little lighter.

It's also for the guy who wants to learn those Olympic style movements without a lot of weight in his hands. It's called a technique bar, after all. You get the feel of a bar without being overblown by the weight.

Why I wanted one

I've got three daughters, and as they get older they're going to want to start working out in my gym. I wanted a bar they could learn how to lift with.

My oldest plays hockey, so she's going to need to be a little bit stronger. This bar is 5 kg, which is 11 pounds. It's real light, but it's a full size bar you can put on a rack, so they can start to learn the movements.

Everymate sent me this bar for free to review. They didn't get a say in what I think about it.

Out of the tube

It ships in a tube, and it shipped pretty easy. I had it upside down, flipped it over, and the bar slid right out. There's nothing to put together.

Mine came with blue sleeves and a black shaft. I've never seen a blue bar like this before, and it looks sharp.

The knurling feels really good. I'm not a bar aficionado and I don't geek out over all the different things bars can do, but it felt good in my hands right away.

The thinner shaft

This bar is a little bit thinner than a standard bar. A standard bar is 28.5 mm. This one is 25 mm.

That, plus the 11 pounds, is what makes a real barbell something a kid can actually use.

Length and sleeves

I'm 6'5", and my guess was that the bar is right at 6 feet long. Everymate lists it at 1790 mm, which is about 70 inches, so that guess was close. It's shorter than a competition bar.

The sleeves are the standard 2 inch, so any standard bumper plates you have will fit. They're not very long though. I eyeballed them at maybe 10 inches, and the listing says 230 mm of loadable sleeve per side, which is about 9.

So you're not going to load it up. But you shouldn't be anyway. It's a technique bar. It's for learning how to move.

On the rack with plates

I took it over to my squat rack to see how it fits. It fits like a standard bar would, and there's plenty of space on the ends, so it's easy to load.

I put a 10 pound bumper plate on each side and they slid right on, nice and easy. Then I put a couple of collars on, and those slid on super easy too. I pulled it out of the rack and it felt pretty good.

It doesn't feel heavy duty

Here's the honest part. It feels like a small bar. It's aluminum, and it doesn't feel as heavy duty as a standard Olympic bar.

But it's good enough for getting started. I can see my daughters using this and feeling good and feeling strong, because they're getting to use an actual bar.

The 150 pound number

I've seen conflicting reports that this bar will hold up to 150 pounds, and Everymate lists it at that. I find that a little crazy for an 11 pound bar. Maybe it holds that. I don't know. I haven't tested it.

Why would you want to put 150 pounds on it? If you're loading a technique bar that heavy, you've outgrown it.

Everymate also doesn't publish a drop rating. I wouldn't drop an aluminum bar loaded.

What I don't know yet

This is my first time using it, so I can't tell you how it holds up. We'll see how it lasts over some use.

I said in the video I'd test it over the next month and come back with an update. When I do, I'll add it here.

Who should buy it

If you're a dad and you want your kids to get started on a real bar, and they're not quite ready for 45 pounds, this is a great way to do it. It's affordable, and it's a good way to get your kids excited about working out. Same goes if you're new and want a lighter bar to learn on.

Just know you're not going to be able to go super heavy with it, so you're going to have to upgrade at some point. If you want a bar to train heavy on, this isn't it.