$125 bar from Rogue

[Luke Hitt]

I have read a lot of the posts on here about bars, and I would love to be able to spend upwards of $300 on a rogue or pendlay bar.

Since that isn't an option, I was considering this for my garage:

7' black oxide bar - $125

WFS:

http://www.roguefitness.com/store/yo...ength_bars.php


Anybody have it, seen it, used it???

[Jeremy Galo]

Brian Degenaro on these forums will probably say that he's seen pretty bad issues with these particular bars bending and breaking.

Outside of that, depending on which one you get, you'll have either a 30mm or a 32mm bar. That 2-4mm difference (compared to a standard 28mm bar) will be significant in your hands. Neither of which will be good for Oly lifts as these bars are meant more for powerlifting (moreso for squats and bench as the increased diameter will probably hurt you on deadlifts).

This is the part you don't want to hear, as you say this "isn't an option"... Regardless, just understand that the barbell is the centerpiece of your workouts. You will use it almost daily. In my honest opinion... spend the money on a decent bar. If you spend the money now, you won't have to pony up more cash later to replace it.

(all links are WFS)

If you REALLY don't want to spend the money on a guaranteed bar like the Rogue/Pendlay bars...

For another $70, you can get the Rogue Burner Bar. It has the same specs as their multipurpose bar but without the lifetime guarantee and black zinc coating. It's a raw bar and you'll have to take care of it.
http://www.roguefitness.com/store/rogue_burner.php

For another $85, you can get the York Needle Bearing Training Bar (I personally have this and I love it)
http://www.roguefitness.com/store/product381.html

[Norman Tasfi]

Thanks Jeremy

[Matt Payne]

Yes..for sure if it is an option try and muster a few more$$ to get a a better bar. You will not regret it. I am not familiar with the bar you are speaking of but I do have the Rogue bar with the black oxide finish, and the guarantee for life. Great bar..

[Fern Webb]

Bill Henniger "stands behind" everything he sells. So phone Rogue and ask about what bar they provide best meets your needs and budget. They also sell a "Beater" bar for $135, with a 1 yr bending warranty.

I am a bit contrarian to the general opinion, in that I don't think that buying an inexpensive bar to start with is going to hinder you in any major way. The most important thing is that you get A bar, now, start putting weight on it and start moving. Don't forget that the usage of a given bar in an affiliate is going to be much more aggressive than a privately owned one. Some bars that I would never recommend for an affiliate will probably last just about forever in a garage.

Cheap bars aren't going to spin as nice, or flex as nice, they might bend. Whatever. They work well enough to start doing the WODs. They work fine for the slow lifts, you can deadlift or squat with a bent bar and it is not the end of the world. Eventually you might want to upgrade, or you might just want a 2nd bar so you can work with a buddy or do 3 Bars of Death or whatever and you might just want to plan ahead and start budgetting for that in advance so you can get something dreamy and super. If you want to get rid of your beater then, the resale value of a cheap "name" bar will probably be a much higher percentage of initial investment.

Buy what you can afford and take care of it.

[Ian Staab]

We picked up 6 "beater" bars from Rogue to get our affiliate started. We've had nothing but good things to say about them so far. They're solid bars, decent knurling, just a little big in the hands. However, if I were going to buy ONE bar for myself, i would have opted for a higher end bar.

The majority of our clientele are excited for us to open and have a place to train, they just want something they can use to move weight. As we grow and the demand for better bars starts to grow, we will definitely cater to the demand... most likely with some higher quality bars from Rogue.

[Scott Stevens]

Originally Posted by Fern Webb

The most important thing is that you get A bar, now, start putting weight on it and start moving.

I think a lot of people overlook this and begin suffering from analysis paralysis when they see the amount of options out there. I know I do the same thing when considering a purchase larger than a cup of coffee. Well said.

[Matt Payne]

If you just want to get a bar to get started fast then I doubt you even need to spend $125. Don't bother. Look for a cheap used bar in that case. In the meantime start socking some $ away for a better bar in the future.