Overview and review of the REP fitness Trap bar
This is an overview of the REP fitness Trap bar including the pros, cons, and alternatives. This article was originally posted in which barbell to buy from REP Fitness. Follow the links for more information.
Rep Trap Bar $125
The
REP fitness trap bar goes along with the designs of
trap bars that you would find in most gyms.
Trap bar deadlifts are a good alternative to regular deadlifts. They are less taxing on the lower back and easier to learn as the barpath is more restricted and standing inside the frame provides more stability. A
trap bar is also a good alternative to
farmer's carry handles, as it gives you more uses while also being good for carrying exercises. The full specifications of this
trap bar are:
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Raised handles with knurled grip
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Solid steel construction
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500lb Weight Capacity
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16” loadable sleeve space
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Length: 71”, Width: 25.5”, Height: 6”
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Product Weight: 55 lbs (unloaded)
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Handle Diameter - 25mm
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Medium depth knurling
A solid addition to an existing gym that wants to switch things up or for someone that has enough space on their first purchase to throw some specialty bars in. A duffalo bar or Safety squat bar would still be my preferred option as I use heavy kettlebells for deadlift variations and farmer's walks.
Pros of the Rep Trap Bar
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Price compared to the competition
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Lower injury risk compared to straight bar deadlifts
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Can also be used as a carrying frame
Compared to the Rogue fitness trap bars REP fitness offers almost the same thing at a lower price. They achieve this by importing the barbell from China rather than producing it themselves in the US.
If you just want to do deadlifts and not compete in powerlifting, then a
trap bar is a good option to protect your back as long as you have the space to store it. A straight bar deadlift can put a big strain on your back, especially if you are doing the movement incorrectly.
Trap bars bear a lower risk to do so.
Another nice bonus is that a
trap bar can also be used as a carrying frame. If you are looking to incorporate carry exercises into your regime and go really heavy, then a
trap bar is in my opinion the more versatile option than
farmer's handles.
Cons of the Rep Trap Bar
A
trap bar is usually better suited for a commercial gym than a home gym as they are pretty hard to store. While they are more versatile than
farmer walk handles they are still less useful than an actual barbell. Keep these things in mind when making your decision as I personally think that a duffalo bar, safety squat bar, or heavy kettlebells are a better investment in your home gym than a
trap bar.
Alternatives to the Rep Trap Bar
The Rogue trap bar is produced in the US and comes in two variations. Especially version 2 is great as Rogue really thought about the shortcomings of the traditional Trap bar design which are the weight of the bar itself and the handles and optimized on those.
The TITAN trap bar is another low-cost option that imports from China. Overall your bill will be lower with TITAN fitness when outfitting a home gym at the cost of laxer quality controls compared to REP fitness based on what I am reading and seeing. This is more of a choice between the two for the overall cost of your gym when you throw in a
trap bar to the line of items rather than a question of which one has the better or cheaper
trap bar per se.
I personally use heavy kettlebells combined with the Rogue Dinnie rings for heavy carries and all kinds of variations of deadlifts. This takes up less space in my gym and is very versatile. The only downside of this approach is that you can not scale in increments as you can with a
trap bar with the weight plates you already have in-house.
Conclusion for the Rep Trap Bar
This is a solid
trap bar if you want one and have the space to store it. I personally prefer kettlebells with different handles for carrying work, but I also do not do 200kg carries which would only be possible with a proper frame,
trap bar or
farmer's walk handles as the kettlebells would get too big and expensive.