Personal bougie faves - Marrs bar for squat. Kadillac bar for bench. Prime Fitness trap bar for deadlift, or Texas deadlift bar if you're a hinge purist.
Also fan of the Bandbell rhinoflex bar for warming up bench and overhead press (you can load it similarly to an earthquake bar or traditionally depending on how much instability you want) - The Tsunami bar is another interesting bar which can be useful to train speed and explosiveness but I haven't quite worked out how to integrate it into my regular programming.
Sidenote for the SSB: try it with ohp. It'll help reinforcing the top position through the oscillating effect of the camber. It'll also help to stamp in proper trajectory, by the natural inclination to tilt your head back, whereas most people start by lifting the bar out and back to avoid hitting their head.
Been considering adding a multi-grip & curl bar to my home gym for a while now & might actually pull the trigger soon. Really great recommendations, all high quality brands. 💪
@@GarageGymLab Definitely, I really like what you’re doing with your content & think you add a lot of value for people with these videos. Keep it up man, looking forward to seeing your channel continue to grow!
Also been eyeing the rackable ez curl from Rep and SSB from titan. I really want to see the new multi-grip bar Rep teased a couple of months ago; I think it's called Atlas. Maybe you should get it and review it.
I originally bought one because I had some shoulder pain. In the past, I would just rebab it and get back to work. Now, this bar allows me to continue to bench and heal at the same time. Now that I’m better, I still love the feel, and it has high transfer over to the competition variation.
On the Curl Bar. Most cheaper ones come with a narrow shaft ~25mm. While this will get the job done, I personally find it a bit too narrow. I ended up with the Rogue Curl Bar at 28.5mm and while this is expensive for a Curl Bar, I don't regret it one bit. It fits in the hand perfectly. [Other brands are available...]
I would have liked to see an Axle in place of the curl bar. As you mentioned, you kinda get an EZ curl with a football bar (along with a reverse curl). The axle is the most versatile as in can be used for nearly any lift, and is often cheaper than a barbell so makes a great 2nd bar for people. Christian Thibadeau of T-nation back in the day said it reduced wrist pain on bench press. For deadlifts, it transforms the lift a fair bit by pitching the load more in front of you and removing the bar whip.
I absolutely agree with the benefit of specialty bars, the only Caveat being the Giant cambered squat bar, is my favorite bar to squat with and perform good mornings with.
Just found your channel and absolutely love it so far. All the information is to the point, concise, and above all without any dirty sexual innuendos (like some other gym equipment review channels).
Great picks! Im 49 now and have years of abuse on my shoulders and lower back. So the multigrip neutral grip is a must have for bench. I have Reps cambered one and its great. A cheap Cap trap bar does the trick for me for deads. And instead of the SSB, I use my Buffalo bar to ease shoulder pain for squats. I have Titans version that I got cheap locally. Of course, have a curl bar...Wright I think....non rackable. Only other specialty bar I have is an axle which I use for rows and presses sometimes. Great vid and info!
I've been very impressed with the detail you provide in your videos. In answer to your questions, I agree that the Elite FTS Yoke Bar (Safety Squat bar) is the number one specialty bar for a home gym squat rack. I bought one and didn't use it much at first. Shoulder discomfort and a constant bruise across my upper back from traditional squats had me make the change. But my favorite specialty bar is the Eleiko Oppen Deadlift bar. I had the Rogue TB-2 hex bar and hated it. The knurling ripped my hands to shreds. The Eleiko bar knurling is awesome and the bar acts as its own jack when changing weights. It's an amazing (and silly expensive) bar.
Thanks for watching and for the kind words, Gareth! The eleiko bar is certainly an awesome bar. One of the best things about open trap bars in general is the built-in deadlift jack. Makes life so much easier!
Been looking at the Eleiko and Kabuki open trap bars. Kabuki is $100 cheaper but the Eleiko didn't appear to have a shipping cost so they were about the same price. I liked that Kabuki had multiple handles and you could add fatter grips, but that Eleiko looks nice.
This video is very well done. Good editing, good information, easy to digest and just the right length (that's what she said). Super surprised that you've "only" got 16k subscribers. Don't forget little ol' me when you hit it big
Good list. I have the SS Yoke and it’s helped ease my shoulder pain. On multi-grip bars, it’s hard to beat American Barbell’s T-Grip bars. The design makes overhead pressing movements much more comfortable and provides variation of the movement.
First time watcher and have to say this is a killer video! So so much quality info and explanations about the bars. Starting to look into specialty bars and this is hugely helpful. Next step is figuring out the brand I guess. Really appreciated the comment about smaller wrist and wrist pain. I'm in the same boat and that's actually what got me looking at the specialty bars. Cheers!
My favorites are multi grip bar and axle bar. I like the axle for curls, presses since it doesn’t dig into the palms as much, and hip thrusts with a barbell pad on there is way more comfortable than a 28.5mm barbell. Also like the SSB but haven’t pulled the trigger on one yet.
Thanks for the vid! You convinced me to go with the multi grip finally! SSB is next on the wish list! I wish I had known about rackable curl bars before I bought mine. Oh well, it does the trick
Another home run video, Adam. I actually started looking into specialty bars not too long ago (Duffalo specifically) due to wrist pain similar to yours and your a website was a huge help. I now have an SSB, trap bar and Swiss bar. I already had a rackable curl bar prior to getting these. Never ended getting a Duffalo/buffalo bar but the Fringe Sport Longhorn is on my radar! Anyway, I’m glad you made this video since I’m sure it’ll end up helping a lot of people.
Thanks as always, my friend. Appreciate you watching and commenting! If you’re still having wrist pain, definitely recommend adding a Buffalo bar at some point.
Love the Yoke Bar, love Titan's rackable trap bar, I have the ForceUSA open end but don't like it, the handles spin (great for grip training) and they're too far apart for me personally; I have an EZ Dead bar with three handle sizes but I don't like having four points of contact, if I'm off a lil on descent it throws off my balance on the way up
Good survey. I agree with that list, except for me, the buffalo doesn't add enough value. As for curl bars, for me, rackable makes it needlessly unwieldy, since I don't use a curl bar heavy enough to benefit from racking it. One of the things I like about the old school short curl bar is its agility. Long bars are a pain to maneuver and set up in tight-fitting home gym spaces.
EliteFTS SS Yoke Bar. Also, I never really understood the need for a Duffalo Bar if you have a football bar, Like Kabuki's. I'd add a Tsunami/Earthquake Bar.
Love the earthquake bar! Good call. I think the duffalo bar makes sense in addition to the multi-grip if you intend to use it on squats more so than bench.
The transformer bar has got to be the best SSB bar out there for what it does. I rotate between the high bar and low bar setting for my squat days and use the hinge setting for my good mornings. I’ve used an Elite FTS Yoke bar before and the feeling of the transformer bar is superior in my opinion. Want the Kadallic bar but with owning a 47 inch wide rack, Rep, I can’t justify the price for it and needing a different set of j cups just so it fits better
@@GarageGymLab thank you for the great content! You, Brandon Campbell and Coop were all channels I binged watched when deciding how to build my home gym
Another great video, Adam. Solid picks! I haven't tried a Buffalo/Duffalo Bar, but I should someday. No doubt my shoulders will act up again. Might be a good excuse to get a new bar and those sweet Ghost Strong Jcups.
Great review dude, love the channel! so far I have Rogue MG-3, elite fts SS Yoke, and elite fts cambered MultiGrip Press bar. SS Yoke is my favorite, every day has become leg day because I love that bar. Got the Rogue Curl bar too, it’s dope
Great overview guide, thanks for making this ! Although you didn't mention the fact that some open trap bars are rack-able (Eleiko for example) while others are not -> it impacts the diversity of training exercises you can do with them probably more so than the dual handles
A Duffalo Bar is high on my want list. I like the points on chewing up your j cups. Something to think about when balancing funds for purchases. Great video overall!
I have the Rogue rackable EZ curl bar with e-coat. It is my only specialty bar. I am looking to add a Kabuki Transformer Bar, Trap bar and Kadillac bar at some point in time.
@@GarageGymLab I'm actually evaluating them in the order your presented them in the video: SSB, hex-bar, or kabuki cadillac bar. I'm lagging on squats, so I think an SSB is the right choice for me -- to get that quad development. I'll probably go with Titan or Blades of Steel.
I have terrible wrist pain and have been in the market for a bar to alleviate my wrist pain during bench press. Your video helped me a lot but I'm not sure what to get. In your opinion would a straight multi grip bar, cambered multi grip bar, or a buffalo bar be best for me? Thnkx for your work
I don't own a SSB or the Marrs bar...and i'm no longer able to use my barbell comfortably to squat. I 100% want the Marrs bar. My question is can I accomplish with the Marrs bar (front squats & low back squats), what I could if I added a SSB also (knowing this sits higher on the back, and works the anterior chain more). Just looking for your thoughts on Marrs bar alone vs. Marrs bar plus adding a traditional SSB. Thanks!
Awesome job man great editing and detailed video good stuff! I eagerly await your upcoming OPB AGGRO review! Always seem to align with your opinions on everything haha
I’ve yet to try either, but I’ll be sure to put out some content if/when I do. I believe Basement Brandon has a video of the arch nemesis vs the Kabuki.
I ended up regretting the football bar I bought, wish I'd either gone neutral grip or one of those bars where the handles are at a 25 degree angle so the wrist position is offset but still close to the natural position. I pretty much only use my football bar for wide reverse grip benching.
@@GarageGymLab is that Vulcan buffalo bar camber pretty similar angles to the Kabuki? The main complaint I heard about the Titan one (the Bison bar I think, whichever is the more expensive of the 2 with higher weight cap) is the camber is off-putting as it starts further away from the sleeves.
No complaints! I like them a lot. They look better than hex, they’re more compact, and I prefer round heads/urethane. Knurling feels nice. All around very happy with them
Great video. Question on the buffalo bar…other than the ghost cups with the duffalo block, are there any other solution to rack a buffalo bar? Does a rogue/titan/rep monolift work? Also, in the same vein, do you find your buffalo bar flip/tilt/slip when you put on weights? I have the longhorn bar and it slides/flips in my j cups when I first add a 45 lb plate. I’m hoping a monolift will help or if you would recommend the ghost cups with the duffalo blocks as the best solution. Thanks
Hey bud. Thanks for watching! Yeah, the bar will 100% flip when loading plates but once you get enough weight on, it tends to stay better. The monos are better than open cups, but the bar will still flip. The ghost cups are far and away the best solution.
They aren't currently in stock for them, but Titan is selling the actual Marrs Bar with free shipping for $799, which would save you $150 as an option once you get the stock alert.
In terms of squatting, if I already used an SSB to alleviate shoulder discomfort, is there a need for a duffalo bar? Does it offer something extra that the SSB doesn't?
An SSB is a very specific bar that targets the upper back and quads. A duffalo/Buffalo bar is more like a traditional back squat and can also be used for bench. I think they’re both worthy depending on your goals
@@GarageGymLab Ohhh polished steel. That sounds even cooler! Wish some company would start making chrome or polished steel plates. But apparently it's an expensive process Great vids by the way. Not sure why your vids never came up in my feed considering I watch a bunch of other gym equip channels also.
Nice video, thanks. I don't agree with you on the curl bar, though. I think a cable machine, with cable curls and triceps extensions, is way more versatile and useful. P.S. I really hope your channel blows up, I think it's underrated.
