Rogue Training Bar – Black Zinc

Rogue Training Bar – Black Zinc

The Rogue Black Zinc Training Bar is a sub-$300 USA-made men’s Olympic training bar.

This bar comes with a 28mm shaft, Olympic knurl marks, a black zinc finish, bronze bushings, and a 190,000 PSI tensile strength. This bar is ideally suited for an intermediate or under lifter given its spec profile. There’s also a slightly more expensive version of this bar with a Cerakote finish that may appeal to those looking for more resistance to oxidation.

Here are some further details about the bar:

Features & Highlights

• Black Zinc Finish – Black Zinc is a cost-efficient plating that does an OK job at fighting off rust. You won’t get the same feel as you would with a non-plated finish like bare steel, stainless steel, etc… but you get a good blend of feel and rust resistance without the larger price tag.
• 28mm Shaft – The 28mm shaft will generate great whip and it’s consistent with Olympic Weightlifting standards.
• No Center Knurl – The Black Zinc Rogue Training Bar does not offer a center knurl, which is useful on high rep training sessions and/or in cases where a lifter wants a more comfortable bar.
• Grooved Bright Zinc Sleeves – The sleeves on this bar have fine grooves that help keep the plates on the bar better when you’re not using collars. The downside is that grooved sleeves make an audible zip noise when loading/unloading plates. Bright zinc is a fairly common sleeve finish that will hide blemishes well and provide ample rust fighting qualities.
• American Made – This bar is made in America.

What They’re Saying at Roguefitness.com

The Rogue Black Zinc Training Bar receives very good feedback from users. With an average rating of 4.8/5, here are some the things they’re saying at roguefitness.com:

Positive

• “The bar itself is really nice. The knurling is quite grippy, but not overly aggressive, and the 28mm diameter is perfect for me as someone who’s 5’7″ (170cm). After 3 months of constant use, the black zinc finish on the shaft still looks and feels great.”
• “An excellent bar! Very good spin, especially for a bushing bar. Knurling is just right for competition-oriented training: not too sharp, but with plenty of grip so there’s no problem holding onto it, even when the weight gets heavy. The 28 mm diameter is nice too: makes it easy to maintain a hook grip throughout the first and second phases of an Oly lift. Very pleased with this bar!”
• “Whether you plan to use this bar for olympic lifting, daily WODs, power lifting, or a mix of all three, this bar will serve you well.”
• “Excellent training bar. Nice whip and spins better then I would have imagined for a bushing bar. Worth every penny and then some. Really can`t go wrong with a Rogue bar. Quality through and through.”
• “Bought this bar to tighten up my Olympic lifts but didn’t want to spend a lot of money. This bar does its job with superb quality. The whip and spin on this bar is phenomenal for a bushing bar.”
• “Whip is on point! I noticed in my deadlifts and cleans. I am happy I went with this bar instead of the extra $200 I could’ve spent on the Rogue Oly Bar. The black zinc shaft and bright zinc collars are holding up very well after using it 4x a week for the past month. The spin is smooth and quiet. Dropping the bar on horse stall mats in my garage is not loud neither. The knurling is very nice and does not tear up my hands after multiple reps with heavier weights. I only use it for oly lifts and deadlifts. The sleeves don’t shift back and forth. It is a solid bar.”

Critical

• “The bushings were a bit stiff and didn’t spin very much when I first received the bar, but after a short break-in period they seemed to improve a lot and they spin pretty well now. After 3 months, the sleeves have some very minor discoloration. I imagine it’s either oxidation or humidity from being in my garage, but it seems like it’s just an aesthetic difference.”

Garage Gym Lab Review

Garage Gym Lab has not yet reviewed this bar.

Other Options

The below barbells were picked as alternatives to the Rogue Black Zinc Training Bar: