Thoughts and Performance Review
Mark Brown
June 30, 2022
Ha! I bet you thought I only had EliteFTS Stuff. Reviewing a bar like this is harder to do than a specialized bar because the latter is designed to something very specific exceedingly well. That’s why they exist and are extremely valuable to have in a gym when the money allows it. A power bar has to be able to everything well because it used for a wider variety of lifts and exercises. That’s why this article has taken the time it has to get done.
First, the Rogue Fitness Ohio Power Bar has tons of different types of finishes for both the bar and the loadable sleeves. The one I have is a stainless steel finish on the bar and black cerakote on the sleeve. It’s very striking and has required no maintenance so far in a full year and half of ownership. The sleeves spin perfectly. It is a well constructed bar. The finish also made it about $100 ($400 total) more expensive than other finishes.The knurling on it is aggressive but it doesn’t take much to get used to. It’s definitely more present than on Olympic bars. That’s not shade on Oly bars because those bars are designed to do something else that doesn’t require heavy knurling. I’ve definitely felt more aggressive knurling on other bars, the Ohio Deadlift Bar and Texas Deadlift Bar specifically.
Now that the bar’s specs have dealt with, the harder part of the review for me begins. I got the bar in response to the only bar in Pete’s garage to lift with was his old power bar he’s had for 25 years. One of the sleeves came undone while deadlifting a couple times so that put me on the hunt for a power bar for use both there in the garage and if my stuff ever comes back to my house. This bar solved such issue I could have. The transition from the old power bar with little knurling left on it to the very knurled Ohio Power Bar took quite awhile. I could press all way up to 265-275 pounds with the Pete’s bar but could only do about 235-245 with the one I just bought. I suspect that’s because it is slightly longer and that threw off my hand placement. I have since learned a wider hand placement on the bar for pressing and my bench press has never been higher. Long pressing sessions have resulted in my hands getting overly chewed up so that is something to be aware of. It’s why I am considering investing in a combo bar.
Bars for squatting and deadlifting have been changing quite a bit lately. Deadlift bars are being developed with more whip in mind to help aid bigger deadlifts at competitions. Squat bars are being developed to fit a population of competitors that are bigger. Rogue Fitness’s Buffalo Bar is a Duffalo Bar on a few steroids. It was highlighted at their company’s Strongman Invitational. It got a lot of positive buzz because professional Strongmen are some of the largest athletes in the world and it worked well for them. Even with the effect of the bow in the bar, JF Caron made the bar look it wasn’t large enough. That’s how big some Strongman competitors are.
The reason I mention all of that is because straight bars can be difficult to squat with for because of the tension they put on the shoulders and both bicep tendons. This is especially true for individuals with larger upper backs. Getting the hands on the bar without feeling too much tension can be difficult. I myself own 2 different squat bars because of that reason. Straight squat bars are longer and thicker than power bars. The Rogue Squat Bar has knurling all the way down it and is 32 mm thick, as opposed to the 29.5 mm thick Ohio Power Bar. I have a squat with a straight bar in rotation with the Safety Squat Yoke Bar and the Cambered Bar to keep my skills on it fresh. A straight bar squat is and always will be one of the 3 main lifts at a powerlifting competition. The center knurling, as the squat is the only reason to have center knurling on a bar, is every bit as aggressive at the rest of it so make sure to wear a decently thick shirt when squatting with this bar. One will understand immediately if they made a mistake on shirt choice. I have my heaviest squats on this bar, in part because it is where my power rack is.
I haven’t deadlifted with this bar for a specific purpose. That reason is because I have a deadlift bar. The deadlift bar came in stock before the power bars did on Rogue’s site in the fall of 2020. If I ever wanted to do a powerlifting meet, then I probably would deadlift with Ohio Power Bar to work with a much stiffer barbell on that lift. However, I have done plenty of rack pulls off the safety straps and can firmly say that the difference in thickness from this bar to the Ohio Deadlift Bar, 29.5 mm to 27 mm respectively, matters. I know that doesn’t seem like much of a difference but in this sport the very fine points matter. I can’t get a hook grip on the deadlift bar as is because my hand size and finger length. I use straps and make it work. The difference between the thicknesses could matter to someone with a specific hand size.
The Ohio Power Bar is an excellent bar to invest in. As of the time of this post going up, the Bare Steel variety sits at $295 and the “lower” end finishes are in the low $300s. That’s a bit of a monetary investment but buying it could last multiple generations of lifters treated it right. I’m sure there are power bars out there with more aggressive knurling but this one’s knurling is good enough for me. It’s survived the pin presses I’ve done on it to date without damage. I expect that to stay the case. The bar does all 3 main lifts exceedingly well, especially for non-competitors like myself. I’m 6 foot tall and 285 +/- 5 pounds and a decently larger build. If you’re anywhere close to me and don’t have shoulder/bicep problems, you don’t need a Buffalo, Duffalo, Cambered or Safety Squat Bar to do squats. The thicker, stiffer bar will make deadlifts harder than using a deadlift bar for them, but that doesn’t make the latter necessary to do the lift. This bar will do all the lifts any gym needs it to do. Leave the Weightlifting to the Olympic bars though.
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