What is Barbell Knurl?

This blog topic is one that might be a completely new concept to even avid fitness enthusiasts.

Barbell knurl or knurling sounds almost like a made-up word. But the term very much exists, and it has a significant impact on how you execute your lifts.

When you’re lifting weights, there’s a crosshatch section of the barbell that prevents it from slipping out of your hands.

Are you still not quite sure what we’re talking about?

Probably the most layman’s explanation that can be applied to knurling is the rings you see around the barbell that establish grip placement.

On most conventional barbells, the knurl is the diamond pattern on the bar valve that’s placed there by a specialized machine called a Lake. These diamonds are created by two sets of diagonal lines, both traveling in the opposite direction.

Compared to the edge, the center of the diamonds is quite high. This detail is what’s responsible for holding your grip. The grooves’ widths and depths are the deciding factors in the overall aggressiveness of the knurl.

It’s worth noting that both the line’s patterns and angles have no impact on grip.

One Knurl Doesn’t Fit All

Knurling isn’t a concept that even people who’ve been lifting for years really contemplate or consider. Generally, they tend to focus on matters such as form or technique.

There is the mentality that exercise is exercise, and what impact does a knurl really have on achieving fitness goals?

Well, it depends on what your fitness goals are.

If you’re lifting a certain way, whether for reps, weight, powerlifting, Olympic lifting, or bodybuilding, you’ll notice how much knurling genuinely impacts your performance.

Most importantly, once you fully grasp the concept of knurling, you’ll notice that not all knurls are made the same.

Depending on what you’re doing in the weight room, you’ll benefit from a specific knurl depth.

The Specifics

Deeper, more aggressive knurling means you’re holding a grippier, rougher barbell. While this sounds like an ideal circumstance, with this kind of knurl, it’s going to be quite abrasive on your hands. As such, you might hurt your hands—primarily if you aren’t used to such a knurl.

Conversely, overly light knurling makes the weight far too slippery for most people.

What’s crucial is striking the delicate balance of depth and aggressiveness until you find what works for you.

With all these potential knurling options, it’s good to know that at Fringe Sport, you can find quality barbells with all different levels of knurl.