Rogue Squat bar vs Training bar
This is a comparison of the Rogue Squat bar and the Training bar including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details
Overview and review of the Rogue Training bar
The Rogue Ohio training bar combines the Rogue Oly and Ohio bar to create a low price training bar for Olympic weightlifting with great whip at an affordable price. This article was originally published in "Which Rogue barbell to buy".
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Price 295$
Overview
The rogue training bar takes the core of the higher priced Oly bars and combines it with the sleeves and bushings of the Ohio bar. The result is the lowest priced bar with a great whip in the Rogue selection. This is the bar to get for gyms tailored to the needs of beginner Olympic weightlifters. You still get the feel of the whip while optimizing for cost as they likely are going to wreck the bars quicker.
The training bar weighs 20kg and comes with bushing at a 190K PSI tensile strength. The loadable sleeve length is 16.25 and the diameter of the bar is 28mm. The shaft is made of black zinc while the sleeves come in bright zinc. A standard knurl round this bar into a good package for aspiring Olympic lifters.
The training bar is a good cost safer coming in at 200$ less than the high-end Olympic barbells. This is almost two for one for your Olympic weightlifting needs. I would not equip a gym full of Olympians with this, but when you run a reputable gym that is aimed at making soccer moms and middle-aged dads strong, this is the bar to go for.
Pros of the training bar
The biggest pro is the price. You can not beat 295$ in the rogue selection to get a great whip. Even if you are mainly getting all-purpose barbells you can throw in one or two of these to keep your Oly fans happy.
Cons of the training bar
The training bar has no bearing and only comes in Zinc. Therefore your athletes will train with bars that do not fully represent what happens in competition. This can have an impact on movements like the snatch and clean and jerk which hugely depend on timing and explosiveness. The zinc is one of Rogues poorer coatings in terms of corrosion. Be prepared that you have to replace these bars more often if your gym goes for a very neat and tidy look.
Learn more about the specs of the Rogue Training bar 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
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:
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Made in the USA
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Weight: 25 KG
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Diameter: 32mm
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Stainless Steel Shaft - 200,000 PSI
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Aggressive Knurl Pattern along full length of shaft + powerlifting and center knurl marks
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Bar Length: 94.488
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Distance Between Sleeves: 56"
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Loadable Sleeve Length: 16.795"
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Chrome Sleeves
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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.
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Longer sleeves
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Longer shaft
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Full knurling
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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
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No IPF / IWF approval
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Space requirements
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Limited use
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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
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