At EliteFTS, we carry an amazing diversity of barbells designed for every
conceivable purpose. Whether you’re working on a specific weak point or you’re
recovering from an injury and can’t use one of our line of “conventional”
barbells, our selection of bars will meet your particular needs. In this
roundtable discussion, we asked various Q&A members – some of the best lifters
and trainers in the world – about their favorite bars and how they like to use
them.
Fat Bar - El Gordo. Believe it or not, when we bench with this bar it
helps take the pressure off of my torn rotators. I don't know why, but it does.
I wouldn’t be able to bench otherwise due to the pain.
Jim “Smitty” Smith:
Bar:SS Yoke Bar
Exercises:
Squats
Good Mornings
Step-ups
Zercher Squats
Zercher Good Mornings
Zercher Rack Extensions (various heights)
Zercher Walks
Zercher Step-ups
Why I like it:
It’s a form check, and it reveals weaknesses. The positioning of the bar
forces you to have good form. If you dip forward on squats, it will pull you
down! You have to stay upright with good form. Also, the pad is really
comfortable when you wrap your arms around it for Zercher
The neutral hand position helps keep the elbows strong and allows a full
lockout for overhead movements. The different hand positions fit various
lifters.
Chris Clark:
SS Yoke Bar: This bar is great to have for a change from normal
squats. It also works great for good mornings and when done as a wave for speed
squats. It can be held easily while doing Zercher squats. A great weapon for the
arsenal.
Cambered Bar: We use this bar a lot for a break from the norm and to
build the lower back and hamstrings faster, especially early in the training
cycle. We also use this bar for very heavy partial good mornings because it puts
extra stress in all the right places. This bar is also a wonderful tool for the
deadlift. By squatting with it using a close stance and stopping two or so
inches above parallel, your butt and bar angle are very similar to the starting
position of both sumo and conventional deadlifts.
Jim Wendler:
SS Yoke Bar
I love using this bar for lunges and good mornings. Not having to put my
hands on the bar and keeping the stress down allows me to do these exercises
without compromising my bench press. When using a straight bar, I tend to place
the bar lower on my back, which leads to using more weight (but more shoulder
stress). The SS Yoke Bar allows me to use a higher bar position, which taxes my
legs more during lunges and hamstrings during the good mornings.
Trap Bar
I love using this bar with people who are just learning how to lift. It's
easy to get them in position and get them to maintain that good lower back arch.
A couple of sets of 10 reps with this bar will murder your traps, too. This is a
great main lift for anyone looking to increase their lower body strength.
Texas Power Bars (Deadlift, Squat and Power Bar)
These are a staple of any serious weight room. There are a couple of things
you should never skimp on when building your weight room, and the bar that you
hold in your hands, over your face/head and on your back is one of them.
These bars are built to last and built for lifting weights.
If you don't have these bars, get them now.
Josh McMillan:
Texas Deadlift Bar
I use this bar for all my deadlift workouts – anything from stiff-leg
deadlifts to traditional stance, platform deads, and rack pulls. I like this bar
for deadlifts, because if you get a good enough pull off the bottom it will whip
nicely, which helps out. I work this bar with my deadlift movements into my
program generally every other week.
Rackable Cambered Squat Bar
Use this bar for suspended cambered bar good mornings (suspended by chain at
around 90 degrees). This bar works great for my suspended good mornings, and it
really works your lower back, glutes and hamstrings. This bar makes it tough
because of how the weight is distributed. I work this bar into my program every
3-4 weeks for heavy sets of 3 reps.
Matt Kroczaleski:
I have used the safety squat bar to maintain lower body strength while
training around upper body injuries. Whenever I’ve had some type of surgery or
injury that has prevented me from being able to hang onto or grip a squat bar
for squatting, good mornings – or any other exercise where you have the bar
across the back of your shoulders – the safety squat bar has allowed me to
continue squatting (or performing whatever other exercise I wanted) so I could
continue to build my lower body strength while my injury was healing.
Matt Rhodes:
SS Yoke Bar
Good Mornings
Shrugs
When I use the SSB for good mornings, I usually do the shrugs because the bar
is already loaded. It's an easy way to get some shrug work done without wasting
extra time loading and unloading another bar.
Julia Ladewski:
Texas Deadlift Bar: I love having an actual deadlift bar for pulling.
The extra length and the bar's ability to bend make for a perfect deadlift
setup.
Rackable Cambered Squat Bar: This is great for Zercher squats or
Zercher deads from the floor.
Jo Jordan:
SS Bar
Suspended Good Mornings vs. bands/chains
ME Squat vs. bands/chains
I like to use this bar because it saves my shoulders some wear and tear, it
strengthens my ability to stay upright while squatting and helps improve my
technique. Using it for good mornings places the bar high on my back, which
makes it more difficult for me. I use this bar the first 3-4 weeks of my
training so my shoulders aren't so beaten up come meet time.
Multi-Grip Bar
Floor Presses
Hammer Curls
Takes pressure off my shoulders on the floor press, which in turn allows me
to handle more weight without having to ice so much when I get home. Using it
for hammer curls trains my grip as well, so I'm killing two birds with one
stone. This adds a little variety to your accessory day.
Brian Schwab:
I'm a firm believer in training the way you compete, so I like pulling with
the Texas Deadlift Bar off the floor. It’s thinner, which allows for
easier grip, and longer, which allows for the bar to bow more before breaking
the floor. Because of this it reacts differently than other bars, which is why I
feel it's necessary to train specifically with it for max effort deadlifts.
I use the SS Bar specifically for dynamic effort squats to reduce the
strain on my elbows and shoulders, which can be aggravated from the use of a
straight bar. It also forces you to stay more upright, which strengthens the
lower back and quads more than a straight bar. It's a must for anyone looking to
increase their squat.
Matt Wenning:
The Multi-Grip Swiss Bar is great to give the shoulders a different
angle for heavy pressing. It helps me to lift heavy all year round, and to add
some extra tricep emphasis.
The Safety Squat Bar is a must for development of the upper back for
ultra heavy squatting, and also for a break from the shoulder stress accumulated
with straight bar squatting and heavier athletes. Another must for year round
training, especially for benchers.
The Fat Bar is very good for giving the wrists a break while heavy
pressing, and also for giving the bench a different feel. This is great for
accommodation purposes.
Jason Pegg:
Texas Squat Bar: We have used this before for ultra wide stance sumo
deadlifts. We have an older one, and it’s whippy like a deadlift bar.
SS Yoke Bar: We have used it upside down to really hammer the upper
back when squatting. We also use it for a lot of our good mornings.
Rackable Cambered Squat Bar: Great for cambered good mornings and
squatting with short chains. Short chains move this bar ALL OVER, so you have to
stay tight or throw the damn thing on the floor.
Trap Bar: High rep deadlifts, shrugs, farmers walks.
Mike Ruggiera:
I fell in love with the Cambered Squat Bar when I trained at Westside.
It really helped my hip strength, keeping my core tight and helped my
explosiveness out of the hole. Add bands and/or chains to it and you're
definitely in for one hell of a workout. You couldn't beat this bar for good
mornings, either. If I had access to one, I would definitely cycle it in with my
squat training.
Joe DeFranco:
We use the Multi Grip Swiss Bar for "666 Presses" as our main lift on Rep
Upper Body Day, or as the second exercise (after our main lift) on Max Effort
Upper Body Day. Basically, the athlete performs 6 reps with each grip, resting
10 seconds between each grip. We go from the "hardest" grip (close) to the
"easiest" grip (wide) as the triceps fatigue. We perform 2 sets in this fashion.
This is a great triceps builder...and it's easy on our athletes’ shoulders!
