A barbell is always a great investment for a home gym. The best Olympic barbells are versatile, durable, and will last years, if not a lifetime, with proper care. Paired with high-quality weight plates and a sturdy squat rack, a barbell can open up a world of possibility for improving your fitness and athleticism1. In our Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell review, you’ll find that this weightlifting bar is no different, albeit with some drawbacks in certain scenarios.
Our Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell Review, Summarized
After extensive testing, our experts determined that the Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell is a great value buy for general-purpose fitness and all-around strength training, but it may leave advanced athletes in specific sports (Olympic weightlifting, specifically) wanting more due to a slower spin and lower weight capacity than similar bars.
How We Test Barbells
Expressed in PSI, tensile strength indicates how much load a bar can withstand while returning to true. We view this as a stronger marker of durability than weight capacity alone. Bars around 165,000 PSI typically earn a 3-out-of-5 score, while those at 190,000 PSI or higher earn more points.
A bar’s finish impacts corrosion resistance and long-term appearance. Stainless steel, Cerakote, and hard chrome rate highly for durability, while more economical finishes like chrome or black oxide generally score around 3 out of 5 if they hold up well in testing.
Knurl pattern and chalk retention influence security during heavy or dynamic lifts. Consistent, medium-depth volcano knurling that balances grip and comfort earns a 4-out-of-5 rating or better. Anything overly aggressive or too passive loses points here.
Using our in-depth barbell testing methodology, we evaluate each bar from end to end and score it on a 1-5 scale across key performance categories. Our tests include using barbells for various workouts, from CrossFit to Olympic lifting, and performing drop tests from various heights.
Our team of certified trainers, nutrition coaches, competitive athletes, and seasoned fitness enthusiasts has field-tested dozens of barbells, ranging from entry-level options to premium models.
What our tester says:
“This is a great bar for cross-training. Based on our testing we felt like the knurling is passive enough and holds chalk well enough that it would provide a good fit for CrossFit-style training.”
What to Know Before You Buy
- There’s some confusion around the shaft diameter of this barbell. Our testers confirmed a 30-millimeter shaft, but the Major Fitness website specifies that the bar has a 28-millimeter shaft. We still found the bar to perform fine for general use, but competitive athletes may want to look elsewhere for the exact specs they need.
- Major Fitness does not offer this Home Gym Barbell in a 15-kilogram variation. If you’re looking for a “women’s bar” that weighs 15 kilograms and has a thinner shaft diameter, we recommend the Rogue Bella Bar.
- In 2025, Major Lutie underwent a rebranding to become Major Fitness. You may come across a “Major Lutie Home Gym Barbell” in your search, but fear not; this is the same product as the Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell we’re discussing in this review.
Is the Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell Worth It?
After taking this barbell through the paces of various CrossFit, powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, and general strength training sessions, we’ve determined that it’s a worthwhile purchase for home gym owners who stick to general strength training or dabble in a lot of training types.
RELATED: Major Fitness Power Rack Review
Still have your eye on this budget-minded barbell? Let’s get into the specs (and our workout experience) for the Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell.
Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell: Key Features & Specs
| Price | $259.99 |
| Bar Weight | 44 lbs (20 kg) |
| Shaft Diameter | Not disclosed online |
| Knurl Type | Mountain pattern; passive |
| Center Knurl | No |
| Knurl Marks | IWF |
| Shaft Coating | Silver or black alloy |
| Sleeve Finish | Silver or black alloy |
| Tensile Strength | 190K PSI |
| Loadable Sleeve Length | 16 inches |
| Bushing or Bearings? | Bearings |
| Warranty | 1 year |
Using the Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell
Two of our product testers tried the Major Fitness Homy Gym Barbell: 2020 Olympian Caine Wilkes, CPT, CNC, USAW-L1, and Lindsay Scheele, CPT, CNC.
Caine used the barbell for a two-hour Olympic weightlifting session where he performed snatches as well as clean and jerks, using weights up to 400 pounds. Lindsay used it for several sessions and performed a variety of general strength exercises, including bent-over rows, deadlifts, back and front squats, bench press, and strict overhead press.
Lindsay calls this Major Fitness barbell, “A great bar for cross-training,” and explains, “Based on our testing, we felt like the knurling is just grippy enough and holds chalk well enough that it would provide a good fit for CrossFit workouts and training.”
Caine was less impressed, though that has a lot to do with his extensive training and use of high-end barbells. “There’s less flex in the bar during dynamic movements like the clean and jerk,” he tells me. “I think it’d be great for people who favor powerlifting, but dabble in CrossFit or weightlifting workouts from time to time, as long as their lifts don’t exceed the 750-pound weight limit.”
These two experiences go to show that the right barbell for one isn’t the right barbell for another.
RELATED: Best Powerlifting Barbells
Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell Rating
Tensile Strength
The Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell has a 190,000 PSI tensile strength, which would normally secure a 5-out-of-5 score for this category according to our testing methodology. What’s interesting, however, is that the weight capacity is listed at a mere 750 pounds, which is far lower than what we typically see at this PSI.
The Bells of Steel Weightlifting Barbell 2.0, for example, has a max weight rating of 1,500 pounds and a tensile strength of 190K PSI. For this reason, we knocked off one point from the tensile strength rating for the Major Fitness barbell; we can’t say for certain whether the weight capacity or tensile strength is more accurate in this case, so we err on the side of caution.
Coating and Finish
Our testers used the black alloy version of the Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell. (There’s also a silver version.)
After some weeks in the wild (i.e., our GGR testing center), Lindsay shares, “I have not noticed any marks or dents on the bar. This coating is holding up very well.”
One thing to note, and why we conservatively rate the coating at 4 out of 5, is that the knurl markings can be hard to see from above the bar due to the black coating. “I had to take a couple of seconds to find the marks before each use,” Lindsay says.
Durability
Despite its low weight capacity, the Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell appears to be durable enough for most athletes and home gym owners. Lindsay and other testers in our GGR center performed a drop test on the barbell to see how it held up. They dropped it from shoulder height in a squat rack with 450 pounds loaded onto the sleeves.
“This bar showed some flex with the amount of weight, but even though it did not fall in unison with that amount of weight, the bar is still solid,” Lindsay says. “There is no evidence of damage from the shoulder-height drop.” Accordingly, we score the Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell at 4 out of 5 for durability.
Versatility
All in all, the Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell should be versatile enough for most home gym owners. In our testing, it performed adequately for general strength training, CrossFit-style workouts, powerlifting movements, and moderately loaded Olympic weightlifting. Caine rates the versatility at 4.5 out of 5, though, and cautions that serious Olympic weightlifters might want to look elsewhere (such as the Eleiko IWF Training Bar), as he felt a bit limited by the spin on this bar (more on that in a bit).
Knurling and Grip
This barbell features a mountain-type knurling that is fairly passive, per Lindsay. She notes that it provides a decent grip, with or without the use of lifting chalk, and rates the barbell at 4 out of 5 for the category.
“Based on our testing ,we felt like the knurling is passive but holds chalk well enough that it would be a good fit for CrossFit style training,” Lindsay adds. “For powerlifting movements, we felt that the knurling was a little too passive and did not provide a solid enough grip.”
Spin
The spin on this barbell left Caine wanting a bit more. “The spin was a little less than I was expecting, especially since it uses needle bearings,” he tells me in reference to his 3.5-out-of-5 spin rating. “That said, the barbell still moved well and had a good whip for dynamic movements like the clean and jerk.”
Lindsay concurs, saying, “The spin is just OK.” She tested the spin with and without weight on a rack, as well as with and without weight on the floor. “We felt that if you were to really load this bar up with a significant amount of weight for an explosive movement, this bar would not perform as the desired level for heavy Olympic-style training.”
RELATED: Breaking Down Barbell Anatomy
Value
Listed at a price of about $260, the Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell is a solid budget buy and earns a score of 4.5 out of 5 from our team. Anything under $300 for a barbell is pretty good these days. You’ll naturally need to make some concessions—like the less-than-ideal spin and lower weight capacity—but it’s still an excellent barbell for the price. Neither of our testers hesitate to recommend it as an all-purpose barbell for general strength training use.
RELATED: How to Choose a Barbell
Customer Experience
One of the first things we noticed when researching the Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell was the warranty. It’s a paltry one-year policy, which is unusual for barbells. We expect to see at least five years, and honestly, lifetime warranty coverage has become commonplace (even for budget barbells).
That said, we still give Major Fitness a 3 out of 5 here because they offer 35-day “no-reason” returns, and customers aren’t required to pay return shipping fees as long as the product is in good condition and is returned in the original packaging. So, don’t throw away that barbell tube before giving it a whirl!
Customer Reviews
As of this writing, the Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell has a 4.9-star rating out of 120 online customer reviews.
The vast majority of customers are happy with their purchase and say the barbell is serving them well in their home gym. Positive reviews tend to focus on the quality of construction and knurling; it appears that many people appreciate the passive knurl pattern. There are very minimal negative reviews, and of the ones I came across, they all have to do with damage during shipping rather than the barbell itself.
Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell Vs
When testing the Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell, Lindsay said she immediately thought to compare it to the Bells of Steel Olympic Weightlifting Bar 2.0. Lindsay found the two bars similar in a lot of ways, noting, “The Bells of Steel is the most comparable in price, but the performance is overall greater because of the spin factor.” In our testing, the B.o.S. bar proved to have a quicker spin and more whip, making it a better option for those who do more Olympic weightlifting.
Lindsay also found herself thinking of the Fringe Sport Wonder Bar V2 when testing the Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell. Another budget-friendly barbell, the Wonder Bar V2 is a multipurpose option with dual knurl marks (weightlifting and powerlifting), and it’s available in both 15-kilogram and 20-kilogram varieties.
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| Major Fitness Barbell | Bells of Steel Olympic Weightlifting Barbell 2.0 | Fringe Wonder Bar | |
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Rating
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| Durability | 750 lb weight capacity | 240,000 PSI (Chrome) / 190,000 PSI (Cerakote) | 205,000 PSI |
| Spin | Bushing | Bushing or Bearing | |
| Knurling | Medium Diamond Knurling with Dual Knurl Marks | with | Medium with Dual Knurl Marks |
| Finish | Chrome, Black Oxide | Hardened chrome or black Cerakote | Black Zinc |
| Diameter | 33 mm shaft, 50 mm sleeve | 28 mm | |
| Warranty | 1 year | Limited Lifetime | Lifetime |
Final Verdict of Our Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell Review
Our testing revealed that the Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell is a high-quality multipurpose barbell that should perform well for those focused on general fitness.
- Our tester found this barbell to work well for strength training movements like bent-over rows and strict press, as well as for the “big three” (bench, squat, and deadlift).
- Another tester, an Olympic weightlifter, cautions that this isn’t the best choice for Olympic lifts due to the slower spin potentially-too-passive knurling.
- This Major Fitness barbell proved durable in our drop tests, and the coating shows no unusual signs of wear after testing.
Major Fitness Home Gym Barbell Review: FAQs
Is Major Fitness equipment any good?
In our experience as product testers and athletes, Major Fitness is a reputable brand that makes affordable, long-lasting products. It’s not a premium brand, so don’t expect premium products. That said, you can often find a solid sense of value thanks to the elevated build quality that stands up to heavy home gym use!
Is Major Fitness the same as Major Lutie?
Yes, Major Fitness and Major Lutie are the same brand. Major Lutie rebranded to Major Fitness in 2025.
How heavy is a Major Fitness barbell?
Most Major Fitness barbells are roughly 44 pounds, or 20 kilograms.
Can I use Major Fitness for a full home gym?
Absolutely! Major Fitness makes a variety of home gym equipment. Some of the brand’s more popular garage gym items include all-in-one home gym setups like the heavy-duty PLM03 Power Rack, which includes a pulley system, cable crossover, and more. Major Fitness functional trainers with a Smith machine, weight stacks, pulldowns, and pull-up bars are also popular. The brand also manufactures simpler home workout essentials such as bumper plates, weight benches, and dumbbells. If a leg press is more your speed, they’ve got that covered, too.
Is there a Major Fitness discount code?
While we don’t have an exclusive Garage Gym Reviews discount code for Major Fitness, we are always on top of sales and promos. Check our coupon hub periodically to discover new discounts.
References
- Paoli A, Gentil P, Moro T, Marcolin G, Bianco A. Resistance Training with Single vs. Multi-joint Exercises at Equal Total Load Volume: Effects on Body Composition, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, and Muscle Strength. Front Physiol. 2017;8:1105.
