I’m starting to struggle a bit with deadlift and squat with regard to my back. I know that Jim has in the past recommended the trap bar and safety squat bar to overcome this. He recommends a EliteFTS bar for squats (very happy about that, as it’s cheaper than Rogue’s offering), but I can’t find anything definitve on trap bar.
This one is local to me and the price is right, and it would take me several years of never missing an opportunity to increase my training max before reaching the 750lb max load. Anyone have any exerience with CAP’s hex bars? I’m a big believer in Jim’s buy nice not twice mantra, if saving up for Titan or Rogue is the right call then it’s the right call, but a local low cost option would be awesome if possible.
Thanks!
I had a few CAP bars in my first home gym. They’re pretty cheaply made but get the job done. Not going to last forever though.
For a trap bar, I recommend saving up for a nice, overbuilt LONG one. (I didn’t check the dimensions on the one you’re considering, but compare it to one from Rogue.) That way you can do various rack lifts like rack pulls or overhead lockouts. So you want it to be long enough to be rackable (on the pins/supports). These are usually plenty roomy in the middle too.
I see what you mean. The Rogue has a solid 3 feet in additional length over the CAP. Certainly makes sense to try to shoot for that extra capability, although right now my lifts mainly stick to the 4 primary ones.
What have you tried so far to be able to do both lifts and keep your back happy?
I’ve had back issues from both lifts in the past. I do use a hex bar that my gym has. However, a few other things work too. Regarding deadlifting, the sumo deadlift does not beat my back up nearly as much as conventional. Pulling conventional from a short block (2-3") also helps a lot (you could do rack pulls too). I pretty much only pull conventional from short blocks these days. I think some of my conventional issues stem from being long torso short limbs (I pretty much start with my back parallel to the floor). Deadlift bars also help the back, but that is also buying another bar haha.
Most of my efforts to keep my body happy have been trying to do the little things right, if that makes sense. Focusing on form, using a belt for all squats and deadlifts as opposed to just heavier ones, etc. I haven’t incorporated sumo deads yet, but my gut is telling me that squat is the larger issue given that I’m having trouble making the required reps with my training max. Was mainly wondering if there was a hard and fast trap bar recommendation like the Elite SS Yoke.
It’s another bar, yes, but health/safety may ultimately win out over wallet.
I don’t have a cap hex bar but I do have the cap beast barbell and from what I found it is the same specs as the rouge Ohio bar but much cheaper. It’s not perfect but for what I use it for it works. I have heard good and bad things about their hex bars. As for the saftey squat bar I would recommend looking into Titan fitness. There saftey squat bar has been reviewed and called the best budget option out there. It is identical to rouge or elite fts with half the cost
I believe it is a clone of the EliteFts bar. The Rogue and the EliteFts have the pad at a different location relative to where the weight sits. Most prefer the EliteFts over the Rogue, so I believe Titan copied that.
That’s my understanding as well. Rogue also uses 3 separate pads on the bar vs one solid piece ala Elitefts/Titan.
I used the Elite SS bar for years and really liked it. I also used the first generation Titan SSB, and it was a piece of garbage.
On recommendation from @T3hPwnisher, when I was shopping to buy my own SSB, I gave the current generation of the Titan SSB a shot (~6 months ago).
It is, as stated, nearly identical to the Elite bar. The camber, width of the pad, and feel of the handles are all the exact same (and the handles are removable, just like the SS). There are areas I actually believe it’s superior: the camber on the Elite bar is slightly thicker at the curve, and it typically won’t sit in a rack exactly even. The Titan bar doesn’t have this issue (and didn’t sacrifice any weight capacity). Second, the Titan bar actually has Olympic sleeves, so I don’t have to hunt around for the special collars in the gym to avoid being a YouTube sensation. This is a huge win - I’d always get annoyed at people that unwittingly used the specialty bar collars on an Olympic barbell as if they were supposed to know any better and watch out for that.
The Titan pad is one piece. So far, this is a win. The Elite pad liked to move around and I would have to adjust it, and sometimes it felt like the Velcro wasn’t sitting where I wanted. To be clear, this was super rare and it was very high-quality and never felt like it needed to be replaced; just sometimes I would have to spend 1.5 seconds making sure it was sitting right before I got under it. On the Titan bar, it’s a single piece and sits firm and high (make your jokes), which is awesome but, I assume if I did have to replace it, it would be harder to do so.
I got the pure chrome bar, on sale, and it was a couple hundred bucks. If you really want to rip off Elite, they have a black bar that looks just like the SS Yoke (different logo on the pad, of course).
I’ve also used spider bars and the Kabuki transformer bar (relative to groceries, this one has gotten a lot cheaper!), which are tons of fun; happy to give my opinions on any of those. If I’m just trying to pick a squat bar (and I’ve gotten where I just about won’t squat with a straight bar) for a home gym, though, it’s the Titan SSB.
I used to have a Marcy Hex bar (many years) ago…it was 6ft long as I remember and the knurlings were fierce/super sharp, lol…the handles on the CAP Hex bar you posted don’t appear to have knurlings, which, for me would be a deal breaker. Just my take.
I have a CAP Mega Hex Bar and I think at the time I payed $93 for it on Amazon. For that price it was a steal but it is not a pretty bar. One side has sharp knurling and the other side is moderate. It looks like it was painted with chrome spray paint. Other than those features it’s been great. Can put lots of plates on each side unlike a lot of other trap bars out there and it is built tough but ugly.
Truth be told if I were in the market for a new hex bar I would buy the Titan version.
I bought a REP fitness SSB a while back and that bar is very nice and worth considering if you are in the market for an SSB.