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TITAN Safety Squat Bar vs Rogue Russian bar [Article, Video]

Posted by Pascal Landshoeft

Jul 15, 2020 9:00:00 AM

TITAN Safety Squat Bar vs Rogue Russian bar [Article, Video]

This is a comparison between the TITAN Safety Squat bar and the Rogue Russian bar. Follow the links for more details.

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Rogue fitness vs TITAN fitness

Rogue Fitness is the current market leader when it comes to a functional home gym and commercial gym equipment. They have one of the widest portfolios including racks, barbells, benches, dumbbells, and apparel for the weekend warrior and dedicated athlete. The biggest downside of Rogue Fitness is their comparatively high prices to the competition.

 

TITAN Fitness is the clear cost leader when you want to build a home gym on a budget that is still similar to what Rogue offers in function, look, and feel. While you will save about half on the sticker price you will run a higher risk of inconsistencies in quality compared to a purchase from Rogue. The equipment will be safe but is more likely to have blemishes, quality issues with welds or that pieces will not easily fit into place. That makes TITAN a good option for a DIY enthusiast who does not mind tinkering with their equipment, but not the first choice to get the best equipment and treat yourself.

 

Overview & Review of the Rogue Russian bar

This overview of the Rogue Russian 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: 769$
 

Overview of the Russian bar

 
The Russian bar became popular in the 1960s and was used at the Olympic games in 1980. It weighs 20kg and uses a diameter of 28mm. It withstands 200.000 PSI and has a chrome finish with 16.25 of loadable sleeve length. The design is unique and optimized fur multiple reps. To achieve this the bar has special sleeves combined with special collars.  These enable you to do multiple repetitions on the Olympic lifts without having to reset the bar
 
Rogue took the old model of the Russian bar and applied their modern knowledge and technology to bring the bar into the 21st century. The bar has a centre knurl and Olympic knurl marks. It also comes with bearing for a better spin off the sleeves.
 
This high quality and special manufacturing make it the highest priced Rogue bar to date. You ultimately get what you pay for and this is the top end.
 

Pros of the Russian bar

 
You get the best of the best with added functionality for weightlifters. The shaft is made of stainless steel while the sleeves are made of chrome. This is combined with extra functionality through the click and tighten mechanics.
 
If you have Olympic weightlifters who want to fully focus on multi-rep sets this is the bar to go for. This is the right bar for serious athletes who are subsidized by the state to win gold medals. Put this bar into an environment where this is big respect for the sport of weightlifting and the equipment used. 
 

Cons of the Russian bar

 
The high price tag makes it not really a feasible option for a home gym or Crossfit box. If you have to buy many barbells, the price will get unacceptable compared to the Ohio bar as you can get twice as many barbells for the same budget. If your gym is mainly powerlifting focused you might also want to look into other barbells. 
 
As the collars are specialized the Russian bar might also not be the right choice for a commercial gym or military facilities where there are a lot of people. Collars tend to get lost in those environments and they are an essential piece of the functionality and price of this barbell
 

Conclusion

The Russian bar is a great addition to an already existing weightlifting gym which honors the past. You get some extra functionality which seasoned weightlifters will appreciate and respect. This piece of equipment would be wasted on beginners or people who do care little about the sport of weightlifting.

 
 
 
 

Overview and review of the TITAN Safety Squat bar

The Titan Safety squat bar will put you back about $200 TITAN is well known for their very good prices compared to their competition and will get you started on your home gym. This review was originally posted in “which barbell to get from TITAN”.

Overview of the Safety squat bar

 
A safety squat bar is a good tool to help with the development of your lower back strength. Strongman like it as a bar to prepare for the squat events in strongman competitions where the weight usually sits a bit lower from the bar based on the contraption they are using. If you want to take your squat to the next öevel and make it easier on your lower back, a safety bar is a good alternative to a straight barbell. Here are the features and specifications for the TITAN safety Squat bar:
 
Safety squat bar details
  • Shoulder and arm pads for a comfortable lift
  • 5" drop keeps the weight plates lower for a stabilized center of gravity and better balance
  • 6" hand grips for control when needed.
  • Extra thick pad comes in one piece to prevent sliding on the bar while squatting.
  • Capacity: 1500 LB
  • Weight: 61 LB
  • Overall length: 90.5”
  • Handle Spacing: 12.75”
  • Shoulder Pad Spacing: 8"
  • Bar Diameter: 1.5”
  • Loadable Sleeve Length: 16”
  • Camber Drop: 5”
  • Handle Angle: 22 Degrees 
 
This is a good edition for dedicated athletes or gyms who want to specialize into tailoring to strongmen.
 

Pros of the Safety squat bar

 
It is an extra tool in your belt to get stronger and bring up your lower back strength. It is easier to hold on to bigger weights and less taxing on the back. Some also like it to do good mornings with. TITAN also has a pretty good deal on this compared to the competition in the market.
 

Cons of the Safety squat bar

 
The cons of the safety squat bar are its single-purpose use, that it is cumbersome and that you buy it from TITAN. You can only use it for squats, not for bench pressing, Olympic lifting or powerlifting. TITAN is also known to cut corners on welding and finish of their products which is important for safety bars, as they are usually assembled by hand. 
 

Alternatives to the Safety Squat bar

 
Alternatives to the safety squat bar are:
 
 
The TITAN Bison bar is curved to ease the strain on your back when you are squatting. This bar can also be used for bench presses as well as squats. The downside is that it does not have as big as a capacity and might be a little tight for very big athletes. 
 
The camber bar works with a very similar concept as the safety bar but without the handles in front. This makes the camber usually a little less expensive and a good choice in combination with handles for very deep squats. 
 
The TITAN log bar is a great addition to your setup if you want to go for strongman competitions. For a proper strongman gym, you will want to have a log bar, safety bar, farmer's walk bars and some tires to flip.
 

Summary for the TITAN Safety bar

 
The TITAN safety bar is a low-cost Safety bar compared to other options in the market. With the savings, you might even be able to pick up another strongman item. The downside is that the finish might be not up to par. 
 

Topics: TITAN