Rogue Squat bar vs Westside power bar
This is a comparison of the Rogue Squat bar and the Westside power bar including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details
Review and Overview of the Rogue Westside Power bar
This overview of the Westside 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 345$
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Overview of the westside power bar
The
Westside bar has been developed together with Louie Simmons which is not too far from his own gym. The
Westside barbell training facility is world famous for continuously producing some of the strongest powerlifters in the US and on an international level. The Westside method is a staple for strength coaches. The method is especially well tailored to lifters who compete with bench press shirts and squat and deadlifting suits.
The westside barbell weighs in at 45lb with a diameter of 29mm. It can withstand 205K PSI tensile strength and connects the sleeves to the shaft via bushing.
Rogue offers a black zinc finish on shaft and coating. The knurling is powerlifting and the
bar has no whip. The loadable sleeve length is 16.25. There is no 20kg version available.
Westside bar pros
Westside bar cons
The black zinc finish is more open to corrosion than other finishes from
Rogue. It is also a powerlifting specific
bar and you might also have to buy an
Ohio deadlift bar to complete the set. Depending on your need the
Matt Chan bar retails at just a slightly higher price, has the same tensile strength and has a better whip. It all depends on your goals. If you want to do more than powerlifting this
bar is not ideal. If your main focus is the big three go for this one.
Conclusion
The westside bar is a great option when you are mainly focused on powerlifting and want to do the three big lifts. It is a bit more upmarket than the Ohio power bar and less expensive than the Rogue Ohio deadlift bar.
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