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Rogue training bar vs Castro bar

Posted by Pascal Landshoeft

Jul 8, 2020 9:00:00 AM

Rogue training bar vs Castro bar

This is a comparison of the Rogue training bar and the Castro bar including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details

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Overview and review of the Rogue Castro bar [Article, Video]

This is an overview of the Rogue Castro bar which is made of bare steel and therefore very cost efficient. This article was originally oublished under "Which Rogue barbell to buy". Follow the links to learn more.

 

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Price 275$

 

Overview

 

The Castro bar is a bare steel bar which comes closest to what you find in most commercial gyms. This is the lowest price tag you can get from Rogue for a full barbell. This makes it a good fit for anyone on a budget who has to buy a lot of barbells or expects them to be stored outside/transported often. For those scenarios, it is a waste of money to get anything that it pretty or elaborate in function.

 

The Castro bar weighs 20kg and comes in at 28.5mm diameter. It can take up to 190K PSI tensile strength with a good whip. The knurling is standard and the sleeves are attached via bushing. The loadable sleeve length is 16.50. Based on this it is the lowest priced multi-purpose bar available from rogue. Other bars are either special use or designed for children.

 

The Castro bar is the option to go for if you want to go spend as little as possible while still maximising the training options. If your gym/facility can also live with the fact, that these bars might look quite beaten up pretty fast, even better. 

 

Pros of the Castro bar

 

The ultimate reason for the Castro bar are the costs. You still get a Rogue bar which is made in the United States at relatively low prices. The bar still goes through the same basic quality checks and holds a warranty. There are other vendors out there who might send you a bar with a lower price tag. Think twice whether you will get the same customer service, warranty and quality checks which only slightly retails over the cost of the raw materials, never mind the labour. 

 

Cons of the Castro bar

 

A big con of the Castro bar is the bare steel. This finish is likely to show corrosion and use. This means you will need to take more care of it and maintain it more often. If you already have the labour and the necessary equipment to clean bare steel, you might even turn this into a plus. If you want to drill discipline into a bunch of new recruits you might get in a barbell cleaning session once a month on top of the other equipment maintenance you do. 

 

Learn more about the specs of the Rogue Castro bar and purchase on the Rogue website

 

Overview and review of the Rogue Training bar

The Rogue Ohio training bar combines the Rogue Oly and Ohio bar to create a low price training bar for Olympic weightlifting with great whip at an affordable price. This article was originally published in "Which Rogue barbell to buy".

 

 

Price 295$

 

Overview

 

The rogue training bar takes the core of the higher priced Oly bars and combines it with the sleeves and bushings of the Ohio bar. The result is the lowest priced bar with a great whip in the Rogue selection. This is the bar to get for gyms tailored to the needs of beginner Olympic weightlifters. You still get the feel of the whip while optimizing for cost as they likely are going to wreck the bars quicker. 

 

The training bar weighs 20kg and comes with bushing at a 190K PSI tensile strength. The loadable sleeve length is 16.25 and the diameter of the bar is 28mm. The shaft is made of black zinc while the sleeves come in bright zinc. A standard knurl round this bar into a good package for aspiring Olympic lifters.

 

The training bar is a good cost safer coming in at 200$ less than the high-end Olympic barbells. This is almost two for one for your Olympic weightlifting needs. I would not equip a gym full of Olympians with this, but when you run a reputable gym that is aimed at making soccer moms and middle-aged dads strong, this is the bar to go for. 

 

Pros of the training bar

 

The biggest pro is the price. You can not beat 295$ in the rogue selection to get a great whip. Even if you are mainly getting all-purpose barbells you can throw in one or two of these to keep your Oly fans happy. 

 

Cons of the training bar

 

The training bar has no bearing and only comes in Zinc. Therefore your athletes will train with bars that do not fully represent what happens in competition. This can have an impact on movements like the snatch and clean and jerk which hugely depend on timing and explosiveness. The zinc is one of Rogues poorer coatings in terms of corrosion. Be prepared that you have to replace these bars more often if your gym goes for a very neat and tidy look.

 

Learn more about the specs of the Rogue Training bar and purchase on the Rogue website

Topics: Rogue, Barbell, Dumbbell