Overview and Review of the Rogue Ohio Power bar
This overview of the Ohio power bar was originally published in my comprehensive guide on which Rogue barbell to buy. If you are currently considering to buy a Rogue barbell it is worth a read to get input on the latest models. I update the guide on a yearly basis depending on Rogue's new releases.
Price: 325$/425$
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Most popular Rogue bars in 2020
This is an overview of the most popular Rogue barbells per views and click through rates for Marathon-Crossfit.com in 2020. If you want more details on how the data was collected you can dig deeper in what were the most popular Rogue products in 2020.
This is an overview of the most popular barbells on
Marathon-CrossFit.com during 2020. The ranking is as followed:
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The
West side bar is a variation of the Ohio bar specifically for powerlifting. It is very similar to the Rogue Ohio power bar which recently has gotten a little more attention from influencers. This is a solid bar if you do not intend to do the Olympic lifts and stick to the bench press, deadlift, and barbell back squat in your training.
You can read the full review of the west side bar via this link.
The
Rogue Russian bar is another surprise on the Marathon-CrossFit popularity list. While it is one of the most expensive bars you can get from Rogue I personally find that it is more of a collector's item with nostalgia attached to it. It is a great piece of craftsmanship to recreate a bar from the Soviet era. Unfortunately, the collar system is not used in competition anymore and also tenders the bar useless once you lose one of the collars. Rogue also does not provide an option to buy the custom collars separately in case you do lose them. Based on this I would take the
Pyrros bar over the
Russian bar any given day for this budget.
You can read the full review of the Rogue Russian bar by following this link.
Overview of the Rogue Ohio Power bar
The
rogue Ohio power bar is one of the IPF approved barbells from
rogue. To be used in competitions barbells have been tested and approved by the association you want to compete in. The IPF is one of the most respected and well-known federations in the world. This means that you can simulate powerlifting competition standards in your own gym. If you are a powerlifting gym intending to hold a competition at a national or international you should have at least one IPF approved barbell. Three might be even better depending on how many athletes are invited.
The Rogue Ohio Power bar comes in two versions. One in Zinc and the other in stainless steel. The zinc version withstands 200K PSI tensile strength while the other withstands 205K tensile strength. The
bar weighs 20kg and has a diameter of 29mm. The loadable sleeve length is 16.875. The sleeves are attached to the shaft with bushing. The
Ohio power bar has no whip and aggressive knurling.
The
Ohio power bar is described as one of the best options for powerlifting on a budget. The 325$ option brings it very close to the bread and butter
Ohio bar. If you don't want any intricate designs and you are focused on powerlifting, this is the
bar to get. You might want to toss up between the westside barbell and the
Ohio bar. If you compare like for like (in this case zinc for zinc) you get a stiffer
bar with less aggressive knurling from the
westside barbell and a less stiff barbell with more aggressive knurling with the
Ohio power bar.
Pros of the Ohio power bar
The
Rogue Ohio power bar is a good value for money
bar for someone who wants to start a home gym with powerlifting focus. If you can spare a couple of extra dollars compared to the
Ohio bar it will be worth your while. The other options to consider are the
deadlift bar,
thor bar and
westside bar if you do not care that much for overhead lifts.
Cons of the Ohio power bar
The
Rogue Ohio power bar has not been designed to be dropped continuously from overhead. While you can do it the lack of whip will show more wear and tear on the bushing and the
bar itself. It will also behave suboptimally during clean and jerks and snatches if the main focus of your training or gym is weightlifting. If you want to invest while on a budget into a solid weightlifting barbell goes for the
training bar instead.
Conclusion
If you are focused on powerlifting and do not want to pay for a Rogue westside or Thor barbell, the rogue Ohio power bar is the way to go.