Our new line of barbells is our first, in-house, engineered lineup. Every part of these bars was designed by our Colorado-based engineering team to meet our specifications and to perform better than any bar we’ve ever carried.

This bar is for lifters who appreciate the fine details on a squat bar they intend to use for many years. The Helios is a top-tier squat bar with extra, distinguishing features, like a fully knurled shaft to keep it locked to your back; ultra durable Duracoat® sleeves; and premium metal endcaps with unique designs. This isn’t just a regular squat bar; we designed this to be the best possible – one that you will use and love for years to come. Read more here.

The longer length of the Helios™ squat bar, compared with a standard 20kg barbell, prevents the weight plates from hitting the uprights of the power rack while racking or unracking the bar. The thicker, 32mm shaft diameter adds rigidity and minimizes whip/flex during heavy loads for a more stable squat. The fully knurled bar ensures maximum points of contact while squatting. Learn more here.

The Helios™ squat bar is offered in a black Cerakote-coated shaft with Duracoat® sleeves.

Cerakote is a thin, protective, ceramic-polymer coating that increases the durability and corrosion resistance of the steel, while adding the ability to customize color.

Unlike many other finishes that are applied to the outer surface of the steel, Duracoat® is a transformative process. Instead of applying a thin coating on top of the steel, the steel is treated through a multi-stage, chemical process that improves both the steel’s wear resistance and corrosion resistance. The process actually hardens the outside of the steel, making it extra tough. It leaves a nice, smooth, matte black finish after it’s polished. Duracoat® is more corrosion resistant than other finishes, and it won’t wear as easily, since it’s not an actual coating that can chip off.

If it looks like your Duracoat® sleeves are scratching up, wipe them down and they’ll look new again. The Duracoat® is so tough it can actually pull material off the inside of the plates – but those sleeves aren’t going to be scratching or chipping. That’s why REP uses Duracoat® on the sleeves for all Cerakote-shaft bars.

Bronze bushings allow for consistent rotation, while ensuring maximum strength and stiffness, and are designed to withstand heavy loading.

The knurling on a barbell is the crosshatch pattern on the shaft that increases the grip of your hands on the bar. There are three types of knurl styles that we utilize throughout our barbells: hill, volcano, and mountain. Hill-style knurling is the most passive and won’t dig into your hands for lifts. It is a good option for training bars, but if you’re looking to max out, we recommend a bar with another style. Mountain is the most aggressive knurl style. You’ll see this style with most of our powerlifting barbells to provide the best grip for your one-rep maxes. The most common knurl style you’ll see on a lot of our weightlifting and mixed-use bars is volcano. Volcano knurling has a good amount of grip without tearing up your hands. Learn more about knurling here.

The Helios™ squat bar has a fully knurled shaft with powerlifting knurl marks and a center knurl mark.

The knurl markings help athletes set up properly for the lift and provide a visual for even hand placement on the barbell.

REP’s barbells are designed to work with any Olympic plates featuring 2” diameter center holes.

The Helios™ squat bar is rated for 1,500lbs.

This depends on the type of training you do and your goals. If you are not sure how to decide on a barbell, reach out to our team of passionate lifters here and we will help match you and your training style with a barbell. You can also check out this blog that compares REP’s various straight barbells.

When your barbell arrives, there will be a light coating of oil on the shaft and sleeves. This is to protect the barbell from the elements during shipping. After a few uses, this light coating of oil will begin to dissipate. However, if desired, the best way to clean the barbell when it first arrives is to use a durable rag and a disinfecting wipe/cleaner that is free of harsh chemicals (such as bleach, ammonia, alcohol, or peroxide). For even more grip, we recommend using chalk.

This bar is designed to last many years without anything more than 3-in-1 oil added for lubrication. Remove dirt or chalk from the knurling with a brush and oil on a microfiber cloth. If you have any issues beyond that, please reach out to our Colorado-based customer support team here.

Yes, it comes with a lifetime warranty*.