I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m incredibly lucky to be able to train at some awesome gyms. Between Brown University and Total Performance Sports, I’ve got literally every piece of equipment I could ever want. Factor in the intense environment and you’ve got a foolproof recipe for success.
When most people think of great exercise equipment, they think of new, shiny machines with fancy features like cup holders, TV screens and WiFi. I promise you those people will never be ripped or strong. When I think of great exercise equipment, I think of bars, chains, chalk and rust.
Most people won’t need more than just a barbell and some dumbbells for the first few months or even years of training. But once you get to a certain point, it helps to have specialty bars to develop new aspects of strength and bring up weak points.
Three of my favorite specialty bars are the trap bar, multi-grip bench bar and safety squat bar. In one way or another, they’ve helped my deadlift, bench and squat, respectively, by providing a unique training stimulus that isn’t possible with just a regular barbell. If your gym doesn’t have these bars, get a new gym.
In my latest article on Stack.com, I explain some of the benefits of incorporating these bars into your training. Check it out: