Equipment Review: CB-1 Rogue Cambered Bar

Performance Review and Programming Thoughts

Mark Brown

August 30, 2022

The Rogue Fitness CB-1 Cambered Bar has produced a unique experience for me in the garage gym since I bought it last year in July. It has helped me gain more raw strength in a variety of ways during that time. Today’s essay will be a performance review of the bar, how it has impacted my training, and how it can be brought into a strength training program.

There are a couple physical attributes of the cambered bar that a lifter will immediately notice and have to adjust to. First, the shape of it is an indication of how the weight of it will feel in the hands when lifting. The offset weight is jarring for people unaccustomed to weight offset by such a distance. It really tests a lifter’s strength to just keep the bar still. This isn’t the kind of bar that someone buys without doing some level of research on it, so that the offset weight being different shouldn’t come as a surprise. However, words can’t describe that feeling effectively. I’ll do my best, but that signature cambered bar sway is nearly indescribable. The shape has different effect on both presses and squats individually so I will get to those later more in-depth in this review. Second, is the heft of it. This bar weighs 85 pounds. This is a certified monster bar. When doing the lifts, that weight will blend in with the plates. The lifts that would feel the bar weight of it would be tricep extensions, presses or bicep curls and such other lifts. It’s more of a mental game when a lifter knows its a cambered bar day. Getting the bar up onto the J hooks for a squat or press requires a well done curl or clean, not a less precise lift.

A lifter only gets a bar like this for 2 reasons: Necessity or vanity. The first will keep the the lifter engaged with it and try to really use it tin a variety of ways. The second will ensure it is only used for squats and not very often. My initial desire for the bar came from having a different squat experience. I incorporated it into my lifting program a couple months after I got it. I didn’t want to throw it into what I was doing without having a better understanding of it. In that time, squatting with a straight bar at my normal levels of volume has become progressively more difficult because of the muscular development in my upper back. My left shoulder and bicep have bothered me while squatting for years now. Squats with the yoke bar and other upper back development has exacerbated that feeling upon getting properly under a straight bar.

The cambered bar eliminates that discomfort by literally placing the hands in a lower position. The weight’s location, which is almost waist level, causes the sleeves sway back and forth unless the lifter physically prevents it from happening in exchange for that preferred hand position. That is usually done through properly bracing the core. The swaying of the weight forces the body to focus more energy into that braced position. That is a major point of difference between a cambered bar squat and a straight bar squat. Another is the weight of the load is actually held in front of the lifter throughout the lift, from standing to the hole. That contrasts a straight bar keeping the weight in line with the lifter. The difference in the weight’s starting position produces a different squat and a higher impact on the quads, even on a low bar movement. I have learned through my use of the cambered bar that the lifter needs to lean more forward to get the best balance and stability on a squat movement. I have done reps with the cambered bar that were set too far back. I wasn’t in danger of falling backwards but there was definitely instability. That forward lean on a straight bar squat is quite dangerous. It’s not hard to find gym fail videos of people leaning too far forward on squat reps. Outside of those 2 points of difference, which are significant to be fair, a cambered bar squat and a straight bar squat aren’t separated by much.

For all of 2021, the cambered bar was only a squat bar. I did some messing around with it as a bench press bar just to get a glimpse of how it would feel in the hands. It was eye opening when I first tried it. The sway I described above is magnified many times when used as a press bar. It has to do with the fact that my arms are much weaker than my legs are, which kind of goes without saying why. When I first tried it, the sway was much more pronounced that it is now. That is because I have put more focus on increasing triceps strength in that time, the swaying effect itself forcing me to really put my upper body stabilizer muscles to use during a cambered bar press and increased upper back strength. I have made it a much bigger part of my chest strength and muscular development program in 2022. It really produces dynamic results. There are few other bars on the market that produce the same kind of wobble and sway that this bar does but they are much more expensive. I have seen Earthquake and Band-Bell bars well into the $400s and above on the market. It’s an expensive niche part of training if a lifter wants to go there. Like with the squat, the swaying doesn’t change anything about the bench press movement itself so it’s not that different than a straight bar press. The selling point for the cambered bar as a piece of flat press equipment is that it makes the lift harder without adding more weight, which is how straight bar presses are conventionally made more difficult. A cambered bar is a very viable option for lifters looking to increase strength without reaching into the danger zone for more difficulty. Anytime an opportunity arises to train harder without training heavier, lifters should take it. More reps means more strength and technical acquisition This bar gives that in spades.

Starting to use the cambered bar to supplement regular bench press more seriously changed my perspective on it in general. Home gym lifters need to get the most of all the equipment they have in them, even specialty bars that are designed to 1 particular thing exceedingly well. Having a lot of bars around without much competition for use can make programming a challenge, especially when they all do a really good job. What’s made it possible for me to use my full arsenal of equipment is a full rotation of main lifts and supplemental lifts every 3 weeks. I have learned quite a bit about how to bring the cambered bar into my program in the time that it has become my dominant “straight bar” squat and straight bar alternative for bench press.

The first is that the cambered bar loves a box for squatting. If a lifter owns a cambered bar, they should own a box to squat on. I bought an adjustable box mainly to squat in December of 2021 and it got immediate use upon getting back to the garage for lifting in March. Box squats are good regardless of bar, but what really makes this pairing work is the necessary forward lean on the squat. It really allows the lifter to get down to the box in a balanced and stable way. The weight in front of the body and at the waist puts it closer to bottom position of the lift than a straight or yoke bar. I am able to put 80-90% straight bar 1RM max on a cambered bar box squat for as much volume as I want to. It all gets back to the idea of training harder with less weight and staying out of the danger zone. That’s where a lot of my progress has been made.

The second is something I have already mentioned but will expand on now. The cambered bar and a straight bar squat really aren’t too different outside of what I mentioned above. It has been very worthwhile to rotate back and forth from the yoke bar and the cambered bar. They are very different beasts as squat bars go and help each other out appropriately. The yoke bar specializes in challenging a lifter’s upper back strength by focusing the weight of the bar right down the middle of the back. A yoke bar squat is a very challenging movement, especially at near max intensity. The cambered bar puts the focus lower in the bar. That’s not to say there isn’t upper back work in there, but the yoke bar is designed to do that better. There is value in both squat varieties. The cambered bar transfers much better over to the straight bar. The same can be said for good mornings, a main supplemental lift for the squat. The yoke bar does them exceptionally well. There’s just so much more weight concentrated on the upper back area when doing the lift compared to the cambered bar. If a lifter can only afford a safety squat yoke/yoke bar or a cambered bar, the former offers a far more challenging squat than the latter. It’s just a matter of prioritizing development. I got the yoke bar nearly a full year before the cambered bar and I’m glad I did it the way I did.

Third, the cambered bar plays better to a low bar squat than a high bar. The hand positioning, either on the curved vertical support or the horizontal right beside the sleeve, allows me to really set that bar right on my rear delt and across the upper back, aka the shelf. As a result, the cambered bar squat will be my low bar squat movement for the week. The second leg day would see a different squat variation. Lately, I have taken to a goblet squat with heavy dumbbells to remove some spinal loading from my programming. If a lifter only squats once a a week, then rotating lifts needs to be more thoughtful because there’s only one chance to get it right all week.

The fourth has come very recently. I just wrapped up a 3 week wave of cambered bar press last week (2022 Week 34) and made some significant findings. On the bench press, the plates being in line with the lifter in the starting position emphasizes lat and possibly rear deltoid development over all other muscles used in the lift primarily. When the lifter touches their chest with the bar, the weight is 14 inches below them. The pressing movement with this bar is more dependent on the lats than triceps. This motion can be felt when doing pec flies with the arms starting from the furthest back position on the machine. Main difference from the fly to the press is much more weight on the latter than the former. That weight means the lats are going to fatigue at a greater rate than they would with a straight bar. It’s the biggest note that has stuck out to me over the last 3 weeks. It adds a bit of strength and muscular development to what is more of a technical movement. I have gotten more out of my straight arm lat pulldowns over the last 3 weeks at lower weights than I have anytime prior with higher weights. The biggest lesson learned there is the best time to do the volume on muscular development on lats is after doing a cambered bar press.

The fifth was a bit of a revelation and has never eased up on the hard factor. Each main movement with specialized equipment comes with its ideal assistance supplemental lift. In the case of a cambered bar press, it is a hold above the body in the flat position. I have seen this done with hand-bell and earthquake bars in videos and applied it to the cambered bar when I was done with my pressing sets earlier this year. The lift barely qualifies as a movement because there’s none. The idea is to hold the weight in the top position for a set amount of time and let the bar do its thing, which is sway and wobble. Over the span of that time the aforementioned movements of the bar will cause strain on all the muscles down the chain, especially the stabilizers in the arms. I felt how much strain it also put on the lats with a minute and half hold with 265 pounds. Over the time of the hold, it got progressively harder to hold still. The effect is that it feels like a a very slow negative rep. I typically do 3 or 4 of these single hold reps when I do them. The lift also requires the lats to remain strained the entire time. That’s when I discovered the value the combination of cambered bar press main lift and a hold supplemental lift had for helping lat pulls be more effective, which helps muscular development in that area. The entire chain was worked in all of its phases. It’s not a concept that wasn’t new to me prior to 3 weeks ago, but experiencing the feeling more fully has helped open my eyes a bit more to it.

Sixth, these past 3 weeks have helped me put the cambered bar press where it needs to be in the program. I lift on Sundays with Pete and his son. They bench press with a straight bar only currently. His son is either new to training or hasn’t done it for awhile. It’s not my place to ask which is accurate. About 4 months ago I laid out a plan for transitioning my 3 week phases from bench press variation to variation. Getting to the cambered bar was part of my plan up till about 3 weeks ago because there’s no reason to make everyone get under my bar I’m pressing with to get to the other one. That just feels like a dick move for me to make when I press twice a week anyways. That realization has also allowed me better focus on the technical improvement on the straight bar press. Wednesday is the first pressing day I do during the training week (Sunday is a weekend day!) and it is usually done by myself so I’m a bit freer to get done what I’m after. Sometimes I’m in the gym using dumbbells as a main. When I’m in the garage I’m using the EliteFTS American Cambered Bar(ACB). It’s a multigrain press bar with a 2 inch camber in the middle portion. It’s really a good bar for muscular and press development. It gives me the option to volume the hell out of myself with a giant set, which I take every time. It’s another bar that follows the principle of using less weight to work harder. I thought the cambered bar belonged with the straight bar variation group on Sunday because of the similarities in the lift, but the last 3 weeks have shown me that doing it in rotation with the ACB helps me hit all 3 phases of development (technical, strength, muscular) much more thoroughly through the week. Wednesday is where this bar belongs in my training. It’s unique enough from a straight bar press that it’s not duplicating the lift later in the week, and it’s completely different from pressing with the ACB. The lift being different is what the other press day is there for.

I have yet to test the bar beyond squat and bench press seriously but I can see where it could potentially be used when I am able to take better advantage of it. I thought a narrow grip flat press would be utter tricep torment. I may try that in 3 weeks. The bar is probably too heavy for a tricep press currently. Last week I gave a half hearted attempt to see how a zercher squat, which is technically a deadlift, at 175 pounds would feel after getting done with my sets of presses and holds and put it back down immediately. I’m not a fan of zerchers to begin with because I don’t enjoy feeling like my biceps are about to explode when I lift. I imagine the bar sway has to add difficulty to the zercher squat but I’m not quite there yet with the lift. I’m more than capable of doing curls at the weight the bare bar is and above. I can see the swaying motion being a benefit to the curl but I just haven’t done it yet. I see possibilities for lifts I do with other bars so there’s real room for the bar in a strength training program beyond squats and presses.

This wouldn’t be a proper review without going over some the specifics about the bar itself. The combination of the bar’s weight and signature sway during lifts could be a real mental impediment for some lifters. The reason to get the bar in the first place is to help correct some of those weaknesses, but getting around the first turn, to so speak, might be difficult for someone who thought they were getting out out of necessity but turned out to be vanity. The bar’s weight comes from the fact that entirety of the bar is one solid piece of steel that is significantly wider than standard barbells. It’s 1.5” in diameter. That wider diameter actually plays into to the cambered bar holds I mentioned earlier. It will test grip strength and endurance. When I made up my mind to get a cambered bar in July 2021, I looked at the EliteFTS Cambered Bar and seriously considered it because it is lighter than than this one. It weights 65 pounds because it uses hollow bar construction instead of being one solid piece of steel. I got the Rogue Fitness version because it was significantly cheaper. That shipping and handling, maaaan. Also worth noting is the sleeves on this bar do not rotate. That is a positive in this case. Some may disagree.

The bar is awkward to both store and get into proper position. That is because of the heft and the shape. If a lifter has enough free wall space at knee level, that’s the best place for it when not in use. Saving that or proper bar storage, setting it vertically against a wall in the corner is the best option. It’s more awkward to move while in the vertical position than a log, which is saying something. It’s a pain in the ass to get the bar racked, but that just comes with the territory. There’s no getting around this. The easiest way to get the bar to squat position is to do a proper power or continental clean. At 85 pounds, it’s not that hard. It’s a much more difficult curl, though. Merely a slight annoyance, all told.

The bar has the a powder coating that is also on other Rogue Fitness products that don’t have knurling on them. I’ve experienced a similar power coating on the EliteFTS American Cambered Bar I mentioned earlier. This bar doesn’t need any knurling. The coating is enough of a gripping aid for pressing or squatting. unless someone is a heavy sweater. Even then, all a lifter needs chalk, which is cheaper than a knurling on a bar. Lifters will need a specialty collar for the sleeves. I use the Rogue HG 2.0 Axel Collars to keep the plates in place. They work absolutely perfectly for it.

In closing, the CB-1 Rogue Cambered Bar is definitely worth buying if a lifter is looking to add a new level of difficulty to their lifts or needs to make a switch to a squat bar that won’t make them feel like their shoulder and bicep aren’t about to explode. I do not recommend it to new lifters, though. The offset weight does offer a level of increased resistance that doesn’t exist on a straight bar or dumbbells. New lifters don’t need to increase the very nuanced difficulty and resistance that a cambered bar delivers. They would be much better off focusing effort on the technical, strength and muscular development the can get from straight bars, dumbbells, and machines before getting this. Do not expect to be able to lift inside of a rack with the safety pins or straps on. It’s too wide. When I got the bar in July 2021, it was $300 before shipping costs. At the time of this review, that cost has gone up to $335. That price wouldn’t dissuade me from getting it if I was after it. This bar is a big part of my program now. I give it a big thumbs up.