Rogue branch and beam vs dog bone pull up bar

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Sep 26, 2020 4:00:00 PM

Rogue branch and beam vs dog bone pull up bar

This is a comparison between the Rogue branch and beam and 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 branch and beam

This is an overview of the Rogue branch and beam 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 branch and beam

Price: $170

The branch and beam are bars from rogue which have been made extra fat. The branch has a round grip, while the beam has a square grip. These two bars are a great alternative to the traditional 28-29mm bars and a bit closer to the unconventional lifts you can find in strongman competitions. This will also help with your grip strength in general. The specifications of the two bars are:

The Rogue Branch Fat Bar
Round grip
Outside Diameter: 3"
Bar Length: 80.5"
Bar Weight: 39LB

The Rogue Beam Fat Bar
Square grip
Fat Grip is 3x3”
Bar Length: 80.5"
Bar Weight: 41LB

These are great additions to a fully equipped gym that looks for more options to entertain their clients or a strongman home gym who wants to be prepared for anything.

Pros of the branch and beam

The pros of the branch and beam are:

Safe to use
Easy to load
Easy to store

The branch and beam are two options to challenge your grip for heavy lifts with unconventional setups. They can be stored on a regular barbell gun rack, are easy to load, and are safer to use than an actual tree trunk or wooden beam. Compared to other more cumbersome solutions to the problems they solve they are a preferable option.

Cons of the branch and beam

The cons of the branch and beam are:

No knurling
Issues with the finish
Narrow use cases

For bars with very limited use cases, unless you really make a point about using them, they are eating up quite a bit of space to become a gimmick. As these bars also not go through the standard quality tests for all barbells from rogue, some of them lack in quality. Especially during COVID where some extra people were hired.

Alternatives to the branch and beam

Alternatives to the branch and beam are:

Fat gripz are an easy and cheap way to turn a barbell into a branch. These are made of plastic and can be wrapped around the bar to make it thicker.

Pinch blocks can be used to simulate the beam. Combined with straps and a carabiner you can hook up kettlebells, dumbbells, and barbells to your liking.

Log bars are an essential training tool for strongman athletes as no competition goes without a log bar lift. The neutral grip also challenges the regular deadlift setup.

Conclusion for the branch and beam

The branch and beam are great tools for serious strongman athletes or gyms who like to mix things up regularly. With pinch blocks and fat gripz you can simulate similar stress to the body, without eating up as much space in your home gym.

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