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Rogue Squat bar vs Safety Squat bar

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Jun 28, 2020 4:00:00 PM

Rogue Squat bar vs Safety Squat bar

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

Overview and review of the Rogue Safety Squat bar

This overview of the  Rogue safety 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: 395$

 

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Overview of the Rogue Safety bar

 
This is a bar out of the speciality bar selection of Rogue. Safety bar squats are especially popular among powerlifters. The idea is that the squats become less taxing on your body while still being able to train your posterior chain longer and harder. A very popular combination os to do safety bar squats to a box. You might want to consider to pick up one of Rogue boxes to be able to perform the movement.
 
The Rogue safety bar is tested at 1000lbs and 70lb/35kg. It has a frame and padding attached to it so that you can fully focus on your legs. There will be less balancing needed as with a normal barbell. Also, your elbows will not suffer as much as with extensive heavy squatting. 
 
Safety bar squats are not ideal for beginners. You need to build basic strength first to be able to progress to this beast. Do not think that 140kg of back squat with a barbell is the same as with the safety bar. The name can be a little misleading.
 
 

Pros of the safety bar

 
The safety bar is very popular with seasoned powerlifters. The older you get the more wear and tear your body shows. Especially when you have been lifting heavy for decades. The safety bar addresses these issues. You can lift heavy weights without taxing your ligaments and shoulders as much.
 

Cons of the safety bar

 
This bar can only be used for squats. If you only have a budget of 400 USD for the bar in your home gym do not get this bar. The same goes for gyms. Most of your clients will be intimated by the size of this beast and not know how to use it. You probably will only need one unless you are specialised in powerlifting. It is also huge and awkward to store. It fits on the lowest position of the gun rack. Know exactly why you want this bar before purchasing it. Otherwise, you have 395USD gathering dust in your basement. If the price tag is too high you can also opt for the camber bar. The camber bar comes in at a lower price and has a similar effect to the safety bar with less material protecting the lifter.
 

Conclusion

The Rogue Safety bar is a great tool for seasoned powerlifters to take stress of their lower backs and still train hard. You will also be able to mix things up a little more. You can also look int the Rogue Rhino Belt Squat as an alternative.

 
Learn more about the specs of the Rogue Safety barbell and purchase on the Rogue website
 

Overview and review of the squat bar

The Rogue squat bar is a 32mm long sleeved version of Rogue bars to maximize what you can squat. Here are the pros and cons.

 
The Rogue squat bar is a special design that focuses on squatting at $445. The main differences to regular bars are
 
  • Bigger circumference 32mm
  • Longer shaft 
  • Fully knurled 
  • Longer sleeves 
 
This makes it a bar that is aimed at big, heavy squatters. It could also be interesting for some deadlift experiments as the elephant bar from the Arnold has not gone into mass production yet. The specifications of the bar are: 
 
  • Made in the USA
  • Weight: 25 KG
  • Diameter: 32mm
  • Stainless Steel Shaft - 200,000 PSI
  • Aggressive Knurl Pattern along full length of shaft + powerlifting and center knurl marks
  • Bar Length: 94.488
  • Distance Between Sleeves: 56"
  • Loadable Sleeve Length: 16.795"
  • Chrome Sleeves
  • Bronze Bushings
 

Pros of the squat bar 

 
The pros of the squat bar compared to other bars are in the name. The design features are inbuilt to maximize big squats. 
 
  • Longer sleeves 
  • Longer shaft
  • Full knurling 
  • 32mm 
 
Longer sleeves will enable you to put more weight on the bar with rubber or steel plates.  If you see Ray Williams squatting you can get an idea of why he might run out of space on the sleeves. 
 
32mm stainless steel will keep the whip at bay. While you want whip in an Olympic barbell to make use of momentum to get the bar overhead, it is not a desirable feature in a squat bar. You want to minimize 1000 pounds taking a life on their own on your back. 
 
The full knurling will provide more grip to your back. There are other bars out there with center knurls which does almost the same thing for you. 
 
The longer shaft will make it less like for you to bump into the rack when oh are walking out very heavy weights. Depending on your setup this can be annoying. I injured myself twice because of twisting my upper body when walking out of a setup and touching off the j cups. 
 

Cons of the squat bar 

 
The cons of the squat bar are
 
  • No IPF / IWF approval 
  • Space requirements 
  • Limited use 
  • Price 
 
If you are considering the squat bar because you want to break records, keep in mind that it is not approved for the IPF or IWF. You will still earn respect for posting the first 500kg raw squat, which this bar is basically built for, but it won’t count in these federations. 
 
If you are setting up your home gym in a very crammed place, keep in mind that this bar will protrude even further to the sides. If you have already cut it very thing with the distance of your bar to the wall or another rack, the squat bar might just push it over the edge. 
 
The squat bar is mainly limited to squats. As it has bushing and knurling all across the bar it might not be the best option for Olympic lifts, the bench press, and deadlifts. 
 
For the price you are looking at you can get more versatile barbells for your home gym with a cooler design. If you are setting up your home gym the squat bar might not be the go-to option. 
 

Alternatives to the squat bar 

 
Alternatives to the squat bar are 
 
 
The Rogue Chan bar is a good alternative for mere mortals who don’t squat 400kg. It is cheaper than the squat bar, has a poppier design and can also be used for Oly lifts. If I was to spend $400 on a starter barbell for my home gym it would be this one. 
 
The duffalo bar is an interesting bar for people who squat 800 pounds plus on a regular basis. This bar has been invented at Kabuki strength which is headed by Chris Duffin. The design is aimed at relieving stress on the shoulder while bench pressing and squatting. This is a very interesting second bar to buy instead of the squat bar, even though it costs $200 more. 
 

Summary for the squat bar 

 
The squat bar is a great bar for someone who actually needs it. This would be people who squat more than 300kg on a regular basis. There are not that many of them around. I personally think for a second barbell in your home gym you are better off going with safety or duffalo bar.vs Squat bar
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