Some Thoughts on Bars

[Jeremy Galo]

Originally Posted by Louis Andre Pardo

Great thread...

I am looking for a bar and some bumpers. I am a serious CFer but I must say I am not as serious as anyone on this thread about bars or olylifts. Power bar, Oly bar, for me I really couldnt care. I am 185 lbs, still can't deadlift 2xBW and I am working with a used, "Play-It-Again Sports", Made in China special that always need its sleeves' allen screws retightened. Admittedly I should clean and snatch more but at this point anything that I get will be a significant upgrade. Cost is critical- what do you recommend? I am leaning toward the Rogue Beater Bar. Is it worth an extra $100 (or 66%) for the Rogue Bar? What about the inexpensive York bar that was recommended?

Appreciate the great thread and all the insight!

For deadlifts and squats, I don't think the rotational properties of the sleeves will matter much. But you will definitely feel the difference in your wrists and forearms when you do cleans and snatches (especially as your lifts start to go heavier).

I don't have experience with the Rogue Bar vs. their Beater Bar, but if the beater bar is anything like my second bar that I use for squats, I'd say go for the Rogue Bar and spend the extra cash... your wrists and joints will thank you.

Also, the Beater bar is 31mm vs. the 28.5mm for the Rogue Bar. Just from the better grip alone, you will benefit. I don't know how big the diameter is on your china special, but likely it's closer to the beater bar since, as people have already said, you can make a bar stronger by making the diameter larger. For cheaper bars using cheaper quality steel, this is more likely the case. Get the Rogue Bar... as a serious CFer, you know the benefit of improved grip (especially since you're not yet at 2x Deadlift).

[Robert Britt Freund]

Originally Posted by Jeremy Galo

For deadlifts and squats, I don't think the rotational properties of the sleeves will matter much. But you will definitely feel the difference in your wrists and forearms when you do cleans and snatches (especially as your lifts start to go heavier).

I don't have experience with the Rogue Bar vs. their Beater Bar, but if the beater bar is anything like my second bar that I use for squats, I'd say go for the Rogue Bar and spend the extra cash... your wrists and joints will thank you.

Also, the Beater bar is 31mm vs. the 28.5mm for the Rogue Bar. Just from the better grip alone, you will benefit. I don't know how big the diameter is on your china special, but likely it's closer to the beater bar since, as people have already said, you can make a bar stronger by making the diameter larger. For cheaper bars using cheaper quality steel, this is more likely the case. Get the Rogue Bar... as a serious CFer, you know the benefit of improved grip (especially since you're not yet at 2x Deadlift).

I would agree with Jeremy. The Rogue Beater bar is similar to a Chinese-made low-end bar. Bill at Rogue even notes this on his website. Get a better bar that will help you transition to more Olympic-style lifts. The Rogue bar is a good, all-around mid-priced bar. If you want to save a little money AND CAN TAKE CARE OF THE BAR, you might want to consider the Rogue Burner bar. I really like this bar a lot and the feel of the raw bar is simply great. However, it is a raw bar and you will need to go back to some of the prior posts (I have posted quite a few) to look at how to take care of the bar properly. The Rogue Burner bar will work for both slow and fast lifts and the grip is excellent for CrossFit-style metcon workout where you sweat a lot and don't have time to use chalk before every lift.

Regards,
brittf

[Louis Andre Pardo]

Pulled the trigger!

Just ordered the Rogue Burner and 230 lbs of Rogue bumper plates! Now its time to learn how to properly bail out of a missed back squat!

Thanks for the advice.

[Robert Britt Freund]

Originally Posted by Louis Andre Pardo

Pulled the trigger!

Just ordered the Rogue Burner and 230 lbs of Rogue bumper plates! Now its time to learn how to properly bail out of a missed back squat!

Thanks for the advice.

Congrats on your purchase, Louis.

Just remember, the Rogue Burner bar is a very nice bar (and will work for both your fast and slow lifts) BUT you must take care of it since it has no protective coating (it is a raw bar).

I have posted several detailed articles on how to take care of it (and other raw bars). Search for my name and "raw bar" and you should find them.

All the best.

Regards,
brittf

[David Claiborne]

Originally Posted by Robert Britt Freund

Congrats on your purchase, Louis.

Just remember, the Rogue Burner bar is a very nice bar (and will work for both your fast and slow lifts) BUT you must take care of it since it has no protective coating (it is a raw bar).

I have posted several detailed articles on how to take care of it (and other raw bars). Search for my name and "raw bar" and you should find them.

All the best.

Regards,
brittf

Robert thanks for all the information on bars. Since you live in Texas I figured I would ask you. Do you know of anyone who would want to purchase a 6month barely used Rogue Bar? It gets used maybe once a week and has a few minor scratches in the middle from chains going up against it but that is it.

I'm also selling a custom made 3 month old Safety Squat Bar as well if you know of anyone that is interested.

[Robert Britt Freund]

Originally Posted by David Claiborne

Robert thanks for all the information on bars. Since you live in Texas I figured I would ask you. Do you know of anyone who would want to purchase a 6month barely used Rogue Bar? It gets used maybe once a week and has a few minor scratches in the middle from chains going up against it but that is it.

I'm also selling a custom made 3 month old Safety Squat Bar as well if you know of anyone that is interested.

Hi David,

I will ask around - maybe an MBA student will want some strength-training equipment...

Regards,
brittf

[Andrew Schechterly]

I was just looking at bars today because I wanted to start outfitting a bit of a garage gym. I searched and here I am.

Thanks a lot for the info. =]

[Todd Herrmann]

Robert,

Just wanted to second your comments regarding the B&R bar on the first page. For anyone looking at this bar, its a great bar if you're focusing on the slow lifts. I'm a novice when it comes to the Olympic lifts, but cleans feel good on this bar too. I've had it for about 9 months now and primarily use it for deadlifts, squats, press and power cleans.

Thanks for putting this thread together. This is a wealth of information about bars all in one spot. I wish this resource was around when I was doing research and trying to decide what bar to buy earlier this year.

[Tim Robinson]

FYI, Rogue is now listing the Rogue (Pendlay) Nexgen bearing bar, which is marked for both powerlifting and olympic lifting. Just one more for the wish list ......

[Joel R Warneke]

Robert,

Thanks for all the information on bars. I know that I am not alone when I say, please post pictures of your gym. Since, I have moved from the Rocky Mountains to Houston. I am falling more in love with lifting as a past time where climbing and kayaking used to fill the void. The pictures of your gym will give me something to shoot for.

Thanks in advance of the pictures,

Joel