It’s a lot of freaking weight. The stress test on this cheap Olympic bar reveals that the straight metal bar can lift an immeasurable amount of weight before it buckles and permanently bends itself out of shape. When it’s just lifting normal plates and the like, Beyond the Press counted nearly 1,500 pounds of weight without the bar breaking.
Source: Gizmodo – How Much Weight Can a Bench Press Bar Lift Before It Gets Bent Out of Shape?