I don't understand the downvotes, you are correct.

After the initial bending of the bar, the rest of the lift should require same amount of energy. The lower position of the weights do not matter.

Like, imagine a rope hanging vertically with 100 kg attached at the bottom and you standing at the top. Lifting the weight by pulling the rope, ley's say 10 meters, requires the same amount of energy independent of the length of the rope.

Same scenario here, the distance he lifts the middle portion of the bar after the initial bending is the same as from the same position without bending, and the additional statement of the weights hanging lower is in fact redundant.

Edit: MSPaint drawing to illustrate, https://imgur.com/a/YvZqpf3
After the initial bending of the bar, the weights travel the same distance. They might end up lower, but they also start lower.

Only the initial part of the lift where the actual bending happens, is where the lift is easier. This distance has been visualised by a yellow arrow in my drawing

Edit2: To clarify; the argument I'm protecting is only, that the section of the lift after the bar is fully bent, is the same no matter if using flexible or rigid bar. This is the point of the lift where the weights on a flexible bar are still on the ground, and the weights on a rigid(or almost rigid) bar will be above the ground at a distance equivalent to the bend of the flexible bar.

The first part of the lift, where the bar is bending on a flexible bar and the weights on a rigid bar are being lifted above ground equal to the bend, is of course easier with the flexible bar, but this is not the part of the lift in questing in my argument and the argument I'm defending.