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Rogue anvil grip vs dog bone pull up bar

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Sep 22, 2020 4:00:00 PM

Rogue anvil grip vs dog bone pull up bar

This is a comparison between the Rogue anvil grip and the dog bone pull up bar including pros, cons, and alternatives. It was published first under which grip strength tool to get from Rogue. Follow the links for more details.

 

Overview and review of the Rogue dog bone pull up bar

This is an overview of the Rogue dog bone pull up bar including pros, cons, and alternatives. It was published first under which grip strength tool to get from Rogue. Follow the links for more details.

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Overview of the Bone pull up bar 

Price: $85.50 
 
The rogue bone pull up bar is a thick little bar with a sphere at each end to hold on to. This makes it an interesting tool to attach to barbells, kettlebells, dumbbells, or your rack. You can use it for pull-ups and most other pulling motions. The full specifications of the rogue dog bone are: 
 
  • Length: 19"
  • Height: 5"
  • 5" diameter sphere on each end
  • 3" diameter center section
This is a good tool that combines a sphere and a thick bar. If you want to save me eh and space it is a hood option for grip training. 
 

Pros of the bone pull up bar 

 
Pros of the bone pull up bar are: 
 
  • Compact design 
  • Low price 
  • Good grip 
 
As with all the steel products from rogue the dog bone is so one in its design and excellent in its execution. You get many grip variations on one compact surface to use in your home gym or commercial gym for a comparatively low price when you get the separate tools. As the finish is the same as for rogue kettlebells and other metal you will also have a good grip. 
 

Cons of the bone pull up bar 

 
Cons of the bone pull up bar are: 
 
  • Small space for your hands 
  • Not a sphere and not a fat bar 
  • Only works as a single 
 
As this design is very compact it is very easy to be on a part of the dog bone that is neither straight nor a sphere, but somewhere in between. Climbers might like this but for lifters, that is not really ideal. It will also be hard to use two Dog bones in two weights so the assumption is that you will always lift one weight with two hands. This limits options compared to cannonballs or pinch blocks considerably that come in free moving pairs. 
 

Alternatives to the bone pull bar

 
Alternatives to the bone pull up bar are: 
 
 
The crown pull up bar is pricier and also needs to be attached to the rack. So it assumes that you already have invested in a home gym whereas the dog bone also can work by itself. That being said, if your main interest is pull-ups and hanging holds, the Crown pull up bar is far superior to the dog bone. The distinction between bar and sphere is clearer. You also have different sized spheres and angled bars for a truckload if pull up variations. If you have a rack, spend the extra money, it’s worth it. 
 
If you are looking into the dog bone to increase your grip strength rather than improving your pull-ups than the cannonball grips might be the better option. You get a pair of them for a lower price and they form perfect spheres. As you can order them with carabiners and steals you can hook them up with many different weights to vary your training. This makes your training more symmetrical and does not assume that you always have both hands on the weight like with the dog bone. 
 
The monster lite pull up spheres are a compromise between the crib pull up bar and the dog bone. The spheres attach directly to a rack for pull-ups. They are cheaper than the dog bone and the crown pull up bar and are there a good option to buy in bulk for grip and pull up training for commercial gyms, as long as they fit your rack.
 

The conclusion to the bone pull up bar 

 
The rogue bone pull-up bar is a great tool to get when you want to create a climbing area with your rack. Hang multiple grip tools like pinch blocks, spheres, and dog bones in there to create a little climbing park. That assumes you have a rig or some daisy-chained racks to climb around in. Home gym owners are in my opinion better off to invest in a set of cannonballs or pinch blocks for roughly the same price to train their grip. 
 
 

Overview and review of the Rogue anvil grip

This is an overview of the Rogue anvil grip including pros, cons, and alternatives. It was published first under which grip strength tool to get from Rogue. Follow the links for more details.

Overview of the Anvil grip

 
The rogue anvil grip simulates a time old feat of strength. Many attempted to lift an anvil by the horn. The cone shape of the anvil grip simulates this. To increase the weight you can attach it to a loading which Rogue sells separately. The specifications of the anvil grip are: 
 
  • Made in the USA
  • Machined from a Solid Piece of Steel
  • Weight (Unloaded): 12.33 LBS
  • Length: 11” (Anvil itself), 13.5” (Anvil + Eye Bolt)
  • Tapered Cone-Shape design: 3” dia. at the base, 0.75” dia. at top
  • Eye Bolt at the base for attaching weight via loading pin (pin sold separately)
  • Engraved Rogue branding
  • Finish Options: Bare Steel or Black Oxide
This is a solid piece of steel to varying your deadlift and grip strength. 
 

Pros of the anvil grip

 
The pros of the anvil grip are: 
 
Good quality 
Simple design 
Challenge for the grip 
 
This is a great tool for working on your grip strength. The cone shape gives you a different challenge than the usual bar grippers most people use. A great addition for someone who almost has everything but wants to challenge his or her grip even further. 
 

Cons of the anvil grip

 
The cons of the anvil grip are: 
 
  • Needs plates and pin to function 
  • Very specialized equipment 
  • High likelihood to gather dust 
 
While these are a good addition to an existing for someone who is serious about grip strength, for some others this might just be a fun little purchase that is ultimately money down a hole. Be sure you have the plates and you are also investing in a loading pin. Once you are of this mindset you will probably also get the dinnie rings and other grip attachments from Rogue. For someone who is very busy or not dedicated to grip strength this can be a purchase that will lie around in your gym more than you use it. 
 

Alternatives of the anvil grip 

 
Alternatives to the anvil grip are: 
 
 
For the average Joe, a set of pinch grip and cannonball grip handles are probably the better choices. They are easier to handle with kettlebells or to hang from your rack. Therefore they do not necessarily need a loading pin to function. This gives you more versatility for a little more spend then for the anvil grip. 
 
The dinnie rings are the ultimate hardcore grip strength test from Rogue. If you want to train in the highest levels you will probably get the anvil grip and the dinnie rings. If I had to choose between the two, which I wouldn’t as I am a sucker for complete training sets, I would go for the dinnie rings instead of the anvil grip as it is the cooler record to chase. 
 

Conclusion for the anvil grip 

 
The anvil grip is a must-have for any serious strongman or strength athlete who is serious about their grip. It is cheaper to co nine the anvil grip with a loading pin than to get anvils of different weights. If you want to save money and start out with grip strength training I would recommend going with a combination of pinch blocks and cannonballs first and then graduate to dinnie rings and the anvil at a later point when those get to easy / you have reached your goals on those.