Does the distance two weights are from you alter the difficulty of lifting them? If I am weightlifting and I choose to do the deadlift, does it matter how far away from me the weights are on the bar, given that they are equally distance from me on both sides. E.g. I am deadlifting 50kg .5m away from me on my left and right side, is this exactly as hard as deadlifting 50kg  each of which is 1m away from me left and right side.
Two approaches: It will be just as hard, but the bar will bend more. My thought is that it won't alter the downward force from gravity, hence the upward force required will remain the same.
Second approach: From archimedes relationship $M=F*D$, we will have a greater distance on both sides, hence it will be heavier the further away it is.
Ignore: Body positioning. Bar bending.
Can someone clarify?
 A: The theoretical setup, with a massless, rigid bar and the person holding the bar placing his two hands perfectly symmetrically about the center of mass, will show that the distance between the weights is irrelevant. The net torque $T = M_1g(R-x) - M_2g(R+x) = 2Mgx $ , where I've labelled the two weights differently but their masses are equal; $R$ is half the bar -length, and $x$ is the distance the user's hands are offset from symmetry.  Notice that the torque is independent of $R$ . 
Aside from semi-real-world issues like a really long bar which sags so much the weights remain grounded even when you've lifted the center above your head :-), or the risk of whacking a wall when you move a 5-meter bar around (vs. a 2-m bar, say), there's no difference in the effort required.
A: There is a difference but not where you look.
The difference is in the geometry of the hands and body (and the associated tensions the muscles must overcome), rather than the distance of the bar itself per se.
Try lifting a weight having both hands at the center of the bar, you wil see it is very difficult (almost imposible for large weights) unlike having the hands at a larger angle (and thus having the bar with the weight a bit closer to you)
This is because the angle the hands make has an effect on the movement and the tension the muscles must overcome (it is a combination of geometry and biology).
That is if i understand the question correctly.
A: Old school lifters used pig iron. It's a shorter bar than Olympic bars, made of more rigid iron and shorter in length. I'm not scientific at all, but I know from experience the pig iron feels heavier, in part because of the inflexibility of the bar and the closeness of the weight to the body.
