Center Knurl or No Center Knurl?

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Rogue

You may be trying to decide between a bar with a center knurl like this, this, or this and a bar with no center knurl like this, this, or this.

There is not a definite right or wrong answer. Any of these bars will perform well at just about any task you throw at them, but different bars are optimized to really excel in certain areas. It all depends on what your predominant use will be for the bar. You need to ask yourself some questions as for whether or not a bar has a center knurl is only a small part of picking the right bar for you.

Will the bar be used predominately for powerlifting movements, Olympic lifting movements or both?

Will the bar be used in CrossFit workouts?

Here is some discussion to help the answers to those questions to help guide you to the perfect bar to fit your needs.

If you will be predominantly Powerlifting and only occasionally Olympic lifting a good power bar will serve you well. The center knurl will help keep the bar in place on your back during back squats and on your chest for front squats. If you are not doing cleans and thrusters you will not have to worry about scraping up your chest. Even if you are using a bar with center knurling for traditional Olympic lifting workouts a center knurl may not bother you, because the number of repetitions is not typically that high. In fact, all certified men’s Olympic lifting bars have a center knurl. However, if you are doing Olympic lifts during CrossFit workouts you may end up scraping you chest raw.

If you will have separate bars for Olympic and power lifts or of you almost exclusively Olympic lift, you will love the dedicated Olympic lifting bars or even the hybrid bars without a center knurl since you won’t end up with a permanent abrasion on your collar bones.

If you are competing or considering competing in Olympic weightlifting or Powerlifting, not only are you likely to lift more with a dedicated bar for that sport, you will also be lifting with an implement that is a close as possible to what you will be using in competition, helping to eliminate at least one variable on competition day.

Dedicated Olympic bars have bearings or bushings that ensure that the collars will spin freely 100% of the time which greatly reduces the likelihood of a wrist injury. Since many of the athletes that Rogue caters to, do a variety of lifts, most of the bars we sell spin well enough to keep you safe when Olympic lifting. However, a really fast bearing bar, may not be the best choice for bench press, since the spin may cause the weight to feel wobbly, making the lift more difficult and less safe.

If you will be using the bar for CrossFit workouts and both Olympic lifting and Powerlifting, a good hybrid bar like the Rogue Bar or the Burgener Rippetoe Bar may serve you well. They will stand up to abuse and do well in all the movements.

There are many other variables and many other questions you can ask to find the perfect bar for your situation. Read the descriptions carefully and don’t hesitate to ask questions to ensure that you get the best product available for your situation.

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Rogue Kids Pull-up Bar

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Rogue

There are more and more CrossFit Kids programs out there and many people training their kids at home. Finding a reasonable pull-up bar for them can be difficult. Having the kids use a box to get up to an adult height pull-up bar can be dangerous, and you want to be able to change the height as they grow or move from jumping to unassisted pull-ups.

The Rogue Kids Pull-up Bar can be adjusted in height in 2″ increments from the ground to 7 feet. It attaches to the J-cup holes on the Rogue Infinity Rigs, Wallmounts, R3, S1, S2 and S3 Squat Stands in seconds. As you can see from the video, it is strong enough to handle the weight of any kid.

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W-4 Installed in a Sound Dampening Platform

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Rogue

This application solves a couple of problems that the owner of a home gym faces.

First, it is not always practical to drill holes in your garage floor, especially if you are renting. The fact that the platform weighs about 450 pounds when finished makes it a stable base for your uprights.

Second, garage walls are often uninsulated allowing sound to travel to the neighbors during early morning workouts. Quite often, the hardest sounds to block are the low frequencies that travel through the floor. By padding the area that the plates will land, you dampen these vibrations and avoid complaints from neighbors. Even the thin garage walls can take care of any residual clanking sounds caused by dropping weight.

Full-Size Plans

The sound and vibration dampening is accomplished by stacking sheets of carpet padding below the lifting surface. In order to accomplish this dampening while still providing a stable lifting surface, 2 sheets of plywood, sandwiched together, float over the carpet padding, just below the horse stall mat.

2×4’s are stacked together to provide a firm support to attach the upright bases using 4 1/2″ long, 1/2″ lag screws.

2×12’s are attached to studs on the wall to provide a mounting surface for the standard pull-up bar and Dirty South bar.

In this case the uprights reached above the rafters allowing the cross member to be placed up there providing a higher attachment point for rings.

The end result is a phenomenal home gym with a W-4 that even be used early in the morning without waking up the neighbors or your spouse.

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Rogue Cargo Net

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Rogue

Train for the unknown and unknowable with the Rogue Cargo Net. The original CrossFit Gym in Santa Cruz had a cargo net that they put to great use. The applications are endless. Whether training for the CrossFit Games, preparing for military training or just general physical preparedness, this adds another functional challenge for your gym.

These heavy-duty non-stretch cargo nets are designed for indoor use. They are easy to attach to an Infinity Rig or other structures using the 4″ eyeloops. Of course, mats, spotting and supervision are required.

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Starting Strength – 3rd Edition

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Rogue

Starting Strength

The most important book in strength training has a new edition.

The second edition sold over 80,000 copies in a highly competitive sport and fitness publication market because it is just that good.

It is written in a way that is easy enough for a beginner to understand, but detailed enough that advanced lifters and coaches will gain new knowledge. Unlike most books on training, it does not put you to sleep. It holds your interest through the plain language, and often funny, explanations of what should be done and also why it should be done. If you are a coach, after reading this book you will be able to handle almost any form issue you might encounter with one of your athletes with simple cues as well as the knowledge to back up your recommendations. If you are an athlete, this book provides a wealth of information that you can use to improve your form as well as real programming that you can use to greatly improve your strength.

Now, after four more years of testing and adjustment with thousands of athletes in seminars all over the country, this third edition expands and improves on the previous teaching methods and biomechanical analysis. No other book on barbell training ever written provides the detailed instruction on every aspect of the basic barbell exercises found in Starting Strength, 3rd Edition.

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Rogue Strength Wraps

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Rogue

The Rogue Strength Wraps are a great alternative for an athlete that doesn’t prefer the bulkiness of a traditional lifting wrap. The unique design provides support without digging into your wrists.

Just twist the material to easily tighten or loosen. You can change how restricting the wraps are to fit your needs as an athlete. This allows you to train Olympic lifting, powerlifting, and for general physical preparedness without wasting time wrapping and unwrapping.

These are made in the U.S.A. and are machine washable. Because there is no Velcro to fail, these will last you for years.

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Rogue Knee Wraps

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Rogue

Sometimes you just need some extra support. Your knees take a tremendous load during Powerlifting or Olympic Weightlifting max sets. While knees are suited to the task if the lift goes well, a missed or unsteady lift can put lateral force on your knees that can cause ligament damage. In those cases, wraps can provide an additional measure of support. These also add protection while handling heavy weight on strongman implements where uneven loads are commonplace.

These heavy duty wraps are 3 inches wide and come in two lengths, 6.5 inches and 9 inches.

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Rogue Lifting Straps

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Rogue

If you can not grip the bar, your body will not let you pick it up even if your back is strong enough.

Quite often your max sets are limited by your grip strength, so you are not training your muscles to their maximum potential. Set new PRs on your pulls, hang pulls, high pulls and other back and trap work. The straps are made heavy duty cotton or leather, 1.5 inches thick and 21 inches long.

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Rogue Castro Rig

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Rogue

The perfect backyard gym solution!

This rig can do it all in your own backyard: squats, rope climbs, ring work, pull-ups, wallball. The durable Powder coat finish is weather resistant and can be stored outdoors year round.

It is 6 feet by 4 feet and has the ability to use both ends as squat racks. The Westside hole pattern and included J-cups allow for squats, presses, bench presses and more. The 12-foot uprights are perfect for hanging climbing ropes and rings. The included Dirty South bar will give you 2 pull-up heights which are perfect for husbands and wives. The Dirty South bars also work for bar muscle ups. The included fat/skinny bars give you the option of using a thicker bar for pull-ups.

Add a Matador dip attachment or Wall ball Target for more versatility.

Since the rig will work with a whole range of Infinity Rig add-ons the possibilities are endless!

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Captains of Crush Grippers

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Rogue

Captains of Crush Grippers are the gold standard for building and testing grip strength.

Very often grip strength is the limiting factor for performance, whether it is a 1 rep max deadlift, Fran, or rope climbs. The U.S.A. Made Captains of Crush Grippers are the best way to improve that grip strength and truly realize your potential.

There are 11 strengths so you can get on a linear progression like the rest of your strength training. Rather than banging out hundreds of repetitions and ending up with an overuse injury and no real improvement in grip strength, you can train in small doses with adequate rest, just like your powerlifting training, and get results.

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