The short version: yes - use collars, and use them every set. Collars, also called clips, are the small fasteners that lock the plates against the sleeves of your barbell so they cannot slide. They are cheap, they take two seconds to fit, and skipping them is a genuine safety risk when you train alone at home. The instant a loaded bar tips even a little, unclipped plates start sliding toward the low side, which unbalances the bar and can dump weight onto the floor or your feet. There is a narrow exception some lifters make on deadlifts, but as a general rule the answer for a beginner is not complicated: always clip up. Here is what collars do, the types you will see, and what to buy.
What collars do, and why they matter
A barbell holds plates on two smooth sleeves at each end. Nothing about the sleeve stops a plate from sliding outward or inward - the plates just rest there, held only by the bar being level. A collar clamps onto the sleeve just outside the plates and physically blocks them from moving. That is the entire job, and it matters more than beginners expect, because a barbell almost never stays perfectly level through a set.
Picture a squat where you drift a couple of inches to one side, or a bench press where one arm presses a fraction ahead of the other. The bar tilts, gravity pulls the plates toward the low end, and now the light side is even lighter and the heavy side even heavier. Without collars, that slide can happen fast and feed on itself - the more the bar tips, the more the plates move, the more it tips. With collars, the plates stay put and the bar stays predictable. On lifts like the squat and the bench press, where you are under the bar and often training without a spotter, that predictability is exactly the margin of safety you want.
The risk is not theoretical. A plate that slides off the end of a bar can land on your foot, crack a floor tile, or jerk the bar sideways mid-rep and pull you off balance. None of that is worth saving the two seconds it takes to clip up, especially when collars cost about as much as a cheap accessory. This is the same low-cost, high-value logic that runs through building a safe first gym in the $1,000 build.
The types of collars you will see
Collars come in a few common styles, and the differences are simple once you have seen them.
Spring collars are the classic pinch clip: a coil of spring steel with two handles you squeeze together to open, then release so it grips the sleeve. They are cheap, light, and often included with a bar. The downsides are that they take a decent pinch grip to open and close, they can lose tension over years of use, and on a fast-moving bar they hold less firmly than a clamp.
Lock-jaw or clamp collars are the quick-release type. You slide them on, flip a plastic lever, and a band tightens hard around the sleeve; flip the lever back and they pop off. They lock more securely than springs, they are far easier on your hands, and they are the type most home lifters end up preferring. They cost a little more than springs but are still inexpensive.
Screw or bolt collars are an older, heavier style that threads or bolts down onto the sleeve. They hold extremely tight and you see them in some competition and specialty settings, but they are slower to change and overkill for most home training. For a beginner, the practical choice is between springs and clamps - and clamps win on ease of use for nearly everyone.
When you can (rarely) skip them
Honesty matters here, because you will see experienced lifters train without collars and it can look like collars are optional. There is one real exception: some people deliberately deadlift without collars. Their reasoning is that a deadlift bar stays roughly horizontal, and if a plate ever does slide, they would rather it slide off freely than be locked against a bar they are trying to control. That is a considered choice on a single, low-tip lift by someone who knows exactly why they are doing it.
That exception does not carry over to the lifts where the bar can tip side to side - squats, all pressing, and bench. On those, uncollared plates are a liability, and the deadlift habit does not transfer. As a beginner, the cleanest rule is to collar everything. If you later decide to leave collars off your deadlifts specifically, do it on purpose and understand the trade, rather than drifting into never clipping up. When in doubt, clip up - the downside of an extra two seconds is nothing next to the downside of a sliding plate.
What to buy, and whether your bar includes them
First, check whether collars came with your barbell. Many bars ship with a pair of basic spring collars, some include none, and a few include better clamps - it varies by model, so read the listing rather than assume. A beginner-friendly bar like the papababe Olympic barbell is the kind of setup where it pays to confirm what is in the box before you buy extras.
If you need to buy collars, or want to upgrade fiddly springs, a cheap pair of quick-release clamp collars is the easy recommendation for most home lifters. Make sure they match your bar's sleeve diameter - a standard Olympic bar uses two-inch sleeves, while a smaller standard bar uses a one-inch sleeve, and a collar for one will not fit the other. Our how to choose a barbell guide explains sleeve sizing so you buy collars that actually fit. Whatever you pick, the goal is the same: something you can clip on and off in seconds, so clipping up every set becomes automatic rather than a chore.
Fitting collars and making it automatic
Using collars well is less about technique and more about habit. Load your plates, slide the collar onto the sleeve until it sits snug against the outermost plate, and lock it - a squeeze for spring collars, a lever flip for clamps. Give the plates a quick shove to confirm they do not move, then do exactly the same on the other side. The whole routine takes a couple of seconds per end, and once it is automatic you will stop noticing you do it.
The goal is to make clipping up part of loading the bar, not a separate step you might skip when you are tired or in a hurry. A useful rule is that the bar is not "ready" until the collars are on, the same way you would not consider a rack set up until the safety bars are in place. Store your collars on the bar's sleeves or on a hook right by the rack so they are always within reach - the harder they are to grab, the more likely you are to talk yourself out of using them. Small friction like that is exactly how good safety habits quietly erode, so keep them handy and keep clipping up.
Collars need almost no maintenance, but an occasional check keeps them reliable. Spring collars can weaken with age, so if one no longer grips firmly, replace it - they cost very little. Clamp collars can loosen at the adjustment screw over time, and a periodic tighten keeps the lever biting hard. Neither is a chore, and both are far cheaper to replace than a chipped floor or a bruised foot from a plate that slid off an unclipped bar.
The verdict
Collars are not optional gear for a home lifter - they are basic safety, and among the cheapest, highest-value items you will own. They stop your plates from sliding, keep the bar balanced through every rep, and remove a whole category of accidents that come from a bar tipping under load. Buy a pair of quick-release clamp collars if your bar does not already include good ones, match them to your sleeve size, and build the two-second habit of clipping up before every set. It is the simplest safety insurance in the gym. As you assemble the rest of a safe solo setup, the racks and stands in our best power racks and squat stands guide are the other half of training heavy on your own with confidence.