Mirafit M3 7ft 20kg Olympic Barbell review TL;DR: an affordable premium barbell for serious home lifters. Rest assured, this barbell won't let you down.
I remember the moment I got the the Mirafit M3 Olympic Barbell out of its shipping tube. It was a joyous moment indeed, after months of not being able to workout in the gym or lift heavy at home: finally, my time has come! I remember admiring the beautiful knurled black handles, the thick 2-inch sleeve and the sexy orange inserts of the bar. I knew that my home workouts won't ever be the same again, now that I own the best.
My first instinct was to add the barbell to T3's best barbell guide and to have a proper look at the best weight plate guide: after all, you'll need to load the barbell for it to be useful for muscle building. You might need a weight bench too so you can bench press and a squat rack so you can build monster glutes.
Mirafit M3 7ft 20kg Olympic Barbell review: price and availability
The Mirafit M3 7ft 20kg Olympic Barbell is available now for a recommended retail price of £179.95 at Mirafit.
It's available in a variety of colourways, including the tested Black, but also the more traditional Chrome, the unique Black & Chrome and the MIrafit-special Orange & Black, the last one costing a little bit more (RRP £199.95).
There is also a women's version of the M3 barbell that weighs 15kg and is 6.6 ft long.
Mirafit M3 7ft 20kg Olympic Barbell review: design and build quality
Although the Mirafit M3 Olympic Barbell is not competition certified, it's still extremely sturdy. Other barbells might offer higher tensile strength but realistically, you won't ever go near that 680 kg maximum load capacity of the Mirafit M3.
I know everybody likes to get their money's worth and if there is a similar looking barbell for a little bit extra that can hold 750 kg, you might get tempted to get that one instead of the Mirafit M3. But the deadlift world record is 'only' 501 kilos, so unless you can lift more than The Mountain from Game of Thrones, 680 kg will be plenty heavy enough.
As for materials and construction, the Mirafit M3 Olympic Barbell is made of a sprung steel bar with a black zinc coat finish and bronze bushings: sexy. It also features an eight-piece needle bearings and indeed, the barbell rotates smoothly, even when it's fully loaded.
The bar is knurled for better grip and features a 'hybrid' grip pattern with dual knurl marks. These can come in handy if you're unsure where to place your hands when performing deadlifts or barbell snatches. The centre is not knurled, making the Mirafit M3 Olympic Barbell ideal for squats too.
Mirafit M3 7ft 20kg Olympic Barbell review: workout performance
Home barbell workouts are bit tricky. Unless you have any other home gym equipment at hand, you will only be able to perform a limited number of exercises with it. Deadlifts are an obvious option and given that they are the King of Lifts, just being able to do deadlifts should be enough for most people.
But even deadlifts can be tricky in a small space. Most flats are not famous for having a dedicated workout area and navigating a 7ft barbell in a living room is anything but convenient. If you haven't got an awful lot of space at home, I'd recommend getting a shorter, 5ft barbell instead.
To unlock even more exercises, you might want to get at least a weight bench but ideally, a power rack+weight bench combo. With those, you'll be able to perform all the key compound exercises such as the bench press and the aforementioned squats.
I only have a 100 kilo-worth of weight plates at home so I can't say I went anywhere near the maximum load-limit of the Mirafit M3 7ft 20kg Olympic Barbell. Under 100 kg, the bar wouldn't bend even slightly, unlike my lower back which was screaming for help after four sets of deadlifts. Thank god I live in a basement flat, otherwise my downstairs neighbours wouldn't be too happy.
The knurling of the bar makes it easy to grip and it also feels perfectly balanced too.
Mirafit M3 7ft 20kg Olympic Barbell review: verdict
Can I recommend the Mirafit M3 7ft 20kg Olympic Barbell? On one hand, it's an awesome piece of home gym equipment and having one will enable you to put on muscle mass in way no other home gym equipment can, even the best dumbbells or best kettlebells.
On the other hand, not only will you need a lot of space to house the barbell but you will also need additional home gym equipment to maximise the potential of your new barbell. Unless you have some disposable income and a strong drive to better your physique, it's unlikely you'll be able to make the most of the Mirafit M3 7ft 20kg Olympic Barbell.
For people with a garage gym, workout shed or a dedicated workout room in the house, the Mirafit M3 7ft 20kg Olympic Barbell is probably the best investment they can make in their gains. Without it, you will never be able to push through those plateaus or progression ruts we all end up at some point, sooner or later.
Don't forget, f the plan is to build muscle with the barbell, make sure you supplement your muscle building efforts with the best protein powders and best protein bars. Maybe even mass gainers, if you find it difficult to gain mass.
Mirafit M3 7ft 20kg Olympic Barbell review: also consider
Can't be bothered to buy weight plates? The Bowflex SelectTech 2080 Barbell with Curl Bar is perhaps the ultimate home weight as it enables you to perform a range of exercises without having to clog up your living room with barbells and weight plates. The additional curl bar is really just the icing on the cake.
It won't be able to go quite as heavy as the Mirafit M3 Barbell but the MuscleSquad 32.5kg Adjustable Dumbbell is still worth considering. It delivers a workout experience similar to the Bowflex SelectTech 1090i Adjustable Dumbbell but for a fraction of its price. MuscleSquad's monster dumbbell takes up surprisingly little space yet leaves a lot of room for progression and to ‘go heavy’.
