Reviews

After what felt like an eternity, the aggressive Rep Fitness PowerSpeed bar has arrived! If you got a taste of the Rep stainless steel power bar (review here), you know what I'm talking about. That bar, which released in 2017 offers more of a medium cut. That is, it's not very aggressive. It's a really nice bar, no doubt, but it...

Vulcan Strength, as I've mentioned before, is perennially underrated in the gym equipment space. They make some of my favorite gear, including my #1 pick for a power bar under $350. Recently they've launched their new urethane bumper plates, and overall I'm very impressed. As urethane continues to become more and more popular, it's nice to see some additional options out there,...

The Rogue flat bench is one of the most popular benches on the market for anyone with a home gym. It's reasonably priced, it's easily portable, it's well built, and it works just fine... Wait... just fine, you ask? Yes, in my opinion, it works just fine. I've owned this bench for over two years now, and it that time it has served...

Have you ever looked at a product and said to yourself "damn, this thing is just well made." Pretty cool feeling, right? In the gym equipment space, there are some companies who really excel at craftsmanship. American Barbell with barbells and Sorinex with power racks to name a couple. Pioneer belts fall firmly in this category, and I would go so far as to...

I've used a lot of equipment - some great, some not so great. In the equipment space, you see a lot of the same types of products, where construction, design qualities, and overall execution are the primary physical differentiators. Every once in a while though, you'll see a truly unique piece being introduced to the market. Unfortunately, more often than not they're a little...

Mammoth mam·moth  ˈma-məth  Noun: Something immense of its kind Example: American Barbell is a mammoth in the barbell industry. I don't think I'm alone when I say that American Barbell makes some of the finest barbells around. Their craftsmanship is exceptional, their bars have a true uniqueness, and they offer something for everyone at multiple price points. A few months ago I posted my...

Oh, what's that? You need a new flat bench? Well, that's good because this Rep Fitness bench is rocking the flat bench world. Yep, this bench is completely awesome. Not only does it offer one of the best designs around, but it has one of the best values of any bench you'll find. I've been using the Rogue Flat Utility Bench for the past...

The deadlift jack is a nice-to-have product that makes loading and unloading a bar much easier. It's not necessary by any means, but if you're deadlifting often, it does make a noticeable difference. While there are a few different options out there in terms of the style of deadlift jack, the "full" deadlift jack seen here is the easiest to use....

You've seen it, right? Chris Duffin gnawing away at a competing power bar... Not literally, as in Chris himself, but rather his ever-so-awesome Kabuki Strength power bar. In case you missed it, you can catch the video below, but the cliff notes are a follows: Chris puts the Kabuki power bar on the lathe. Chris turns on the lathe. Chris firmly presses...

You know what's kind of annoying... Having to use different collars on specialty bars and standard olympic bars. With a standard olympic bar, you've got sleeves that are 1.96" in diameter, whereas on almost all specialty bars you've got sleeves that are made out of 1.91" OD pipe. Since most collars are made to fit a 1.96" sleeve, you normally need to...