I clean my B&R bar every week, and this is how I do it. I use Singer sewing machine oil instead of the 3-in-1 oil and it works fine.
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For those who want to workout at home and are planning on setting up a home gym, I’ve written this blog post that will hopefully guide you in the right direction as far as equipment selection, and cost.
This is my home gym so far:
I decided to start with, what I believe are the essentials to any home gym.
When I used to train at a commercial gym, I would occupy the squat rack (or power rack) and perform most of my training there. The selection of exercise equipment I’ve invested in is based on what I have used on a regular basis at the gym, which really isn’t much.
To minimize cost, I try to buy the equipment used. But this isn’t always possible because I prefer to have items delivered rather than picking it up myself.
Gym Flooring (Used)
The last thing I want is the steel plates damaging the concrete floor after a heavy deadlift, so proper gym flooring is essential.
My original plan was to buy horse stall mats from the Tractor Supply Company (TSC). But it’s a bit of a hassle to go there, pickup 10 rubber mats that’s 4’x6’, weigh 100lbs each and 3/4” thick, put it in the car and transport it home.
Luckily I found an ad on Kijiji (a classified ads website similar to Craigslist) from someone who was selling about 30 stall mats.
Turns out that these mats were used at a Crossfit gym in Waterloo! At the time, Crossfit Waterloo just moved location and wanted to sell their old stall mats.
These gym mats are made from virgin rubber, 4’x6’, 1/2” thick and weights around 100lbs. It was listed for $35 each, but I struck a deal and purchased 10 for $300. Best part is, it was delivered! (And no tax!)
It’s awesome for weights, but when tried hitting the “Body Opponent Bag” while barefoot, the bottom of my foot was all black. I’ll need to get some proper mats designed for martial arts in the future if I don’t want to be scrubbing my feet for 10 minutes after kicking the bag.
Cost: $300 for 10 mats.
Amstaff TR023 Power Rack
Next I needed a power rack or squat rack. I was debating about the Amstaff TR023 or a Rogue power rack, but in the end choose Amstaff.
It’s a solid rack with band attachments and monkey bars at a low price. Check out my review here.
Cost: $449.99
AmStaff TS015F Commercial Heavy-Duty Flat Bench
Purchased this bench along with the power rack.
Cost: $98.99
Total cost for the power rack and bench with shipping: $732.55
800lbs Olympic Plates
540lbs York & CAP Olympic Plates
I managed to find some good deals on Kijiji, and this is the best deal I’ve encountered to date.
A lady wanted to get rid of twelve 45lbs Olympic plates. I’m not exactly sure why she even had so much weight in the first place. She wanted $50 to have them removed from her premises. AWESOME.
The only negative about this was I had to pick them up myself, and the plates were rusty (I have since refinished half of plates). But at 50 bucks, it was a deal I could not pass up.
Cost: $50
245lbs Bollinger Plates
I also found this on Kijiji. Not a killer deal, but the price was fair at $170 delivered. It also included an Olympic bar. The plates are:
- 45lbs x 2
- 35lbs x 2
- 25lbs x 2
- 10lbs x 2
- 5lbs x 2
- 2.5lbs x 2
The plates are marked “Bollinger”. I don’t think this company makes Olympic plates anymore. I’m not even sure it still exists.
Cost: $170
Weider 5lbs Olympic Plates (2)
I bought this from Sears.com. I wanted an extra pair of 5lbs plates so I can have all possible combination of weights.
Cost = $20
Rogue Fractional Plates
Purchased these from Rogue Fitness. Expensive, but very very useful. My review of the Rogue fractional plates here.
Cost: $75
Total Cost
- 540lbs York and CAP plates = $50
- 245lbs Bollinger = $170 *included a crappy Olympic bar
- 10lbs Weider = $20 *including shipping, taxes and rounding up
- 5lbs Rogue Fraction Plates = $75 *including shipping, taxes and rounding up
- Total: 800lbs for $315
Ivanko COT-1.25 Olympic Pressure-Ring Training Collar
When I was living in Bangkok, Thailand and training at a gym there, the plates kept on sliding on the Olympic bar, even when I used spring collars. Purchased these collars from Amazon and haven’t that problem since.
Cost: $60 including shipping
B&R Bar
The B&R bar a solid bar that’s probably going to last me the rest of my life if I take care of it properly. Read my review of the B&R bar here.
Cost: $350 *included shipping & taxes.
Cap Barbell RK-1 Standard Plate Rack
I was thinking I could save some cash by having my weights on the floor. That thought lasted about a day, since I couldn’t stand seeing all the plates lying around.
I bought 2 of these because I wanted a weight tree on each side of the rack. It would make it convenient to load the bar on each side. I also need 2 because one weight tree wasn’t going to hold 800lbs of plates. Check my review here.
Cost: $110 *included taxes. Shipping was free.
Chalk
1.5L bucket of “Teknik Chunky Yeti Chalk”. Purchased this from MEC. 1 tub cost $8. I’ll round this up to $10 with taxes.
Cost: $10
Ironmind Headstrap Fit for Hercules Neck Harness
I got this while I was living in Bangkok. I wanted a neck harness that was durable, but lightweight. Most neck harnesses I’ve seen uses chains, but the one from Ironmind is made from nylon (I think) and supposedly can hold over a ton. Works for me!
Cost: $119.95 *including shipping
Ironmind De Rigueur Dipping Belt (Used)
I also purchased this while I was living in Bangkok. There wasn’t a dip belt at my gym, so I scoured the interwebz to find a durable but lightweight dip belt. I found the this Ironmind dipping belt on eBay at a great price. There’s no metal chains, so it’s very light. Also, it’s made by Ironmind, who makes equipment for the World’s Strongest Man competitions.
Cost: $49 *including shipping
Fatgripz
I’ve seen these advertised everywhere, so I decided to pick up a pair and see what’s all the fuss is about. They’re actually pretty good.
Total Cost: $40.26 *including taxes and shipping
B.O.B (Body Opponent Bag)
When I was planning my home gym, I knew I watched something to punch and kick. It was either a heavy bag, or a free standing bag. I got this off Kijiji. Right now it’s being used as a place to hang some of my gear.
To be honest, hitting a freestanding bag is not the same as hitting a properly hung heavy bag. Even when filled to the top with water, it still moves around when I kick it.
Cost: $200
Ikea Jerker Desk (Version 1)
I’m currently using this as a standing desk. I got this off Kijiji for $35 delivered.
Combined with a laptop and speakers, I use this area to:
- Keep a record of my workouts on my blog
What I used to do is log my workouts in my iPod Touch. I would make a draft, and then upload it to my website. But now I can do everything straight from my laptop which eliminates the extra step uploading from the iPod. - Play music during my workouts
I hooked up an old pair of Monsoon MM-700 speakers and usually play the Trance or Goa-Psy Trance channel from di.fm - Write
I’m finding that having a separate computer and location to do specific work really helps with productivity.It also helps being surrounded by exercise equipment when writing about exercise as well.
Summary
So far, in total I’ve invested $2321.76 in my home gym.
You might think that’s a lot, but $2321.76 pays for a little over 3 years of a gym membership, assuming the monthly cost is $60 (not including the cost of transportation).
But since there’s 2 people using my home gym on a regular basis, $2321.76 will cover about 1 year and 7 months worth of a gym membership. I plan on lifting weights until I’m on my death bed, so the way I see it, $2321.76 for my current home gym is good investment.
If you’ve got the space and you TRAIN on a regular basis at a gym, I would seriously consider setting up a home gym. You don’t need to buy all the equipment at once, and you can find some pretty damn good deals on classified ads websites such as Kijiji or Craigslist.
Best part is, you don’t have to deal with any of the annoyances typically found in a commercial gym!
The Burgener & Rippetoe Men's bar (also known as the B&R bar) from Rogue Fitness is a hybrid, jack-of-all-trades, all-in-one barbell for powerlifting and weightlifting movements. It is the best Olympic bar I've ever used, and the price along with shipping costs is very reasonable. Here’s my review of the B&R bar:
Introduction
Originally, I had plans to use the so-called “Olympic bar” that I bought from Kijiji (a classified ads website similar to Craigslist that’s popular with Canadians -- I got the bar with 240lbs of Olympic plates for $170 delivered). But that used barbell was too short for my power rack (it has a center length of about 50”, whereas my power rack is 51” wide). Also, the Kijiji bar was crap. The chrome plating is flaking off, and I would also have to tighten the sleeves every now and then because it would unscrew itself a little every time I power cleaned the bar.
Because of these issues, I had to get a new Olympic barbell.
I wanted a barbell that would last a lifetime, but wouldn’t cost me an arm and a leg (such as the Eleiko
or Invanko bars).
I also wanted a bar that wouldn’t permanently bend from heavy squats & deadlifts, but also have enough whip for the occasional power clean.
After a lot of research, I decided on the Burgener & Rippetoe Men’s bar from Rogue Fitness.
Up until now, I have only used chrome plated, bolted-at-the-ends Olympic bars that are commonly seen at commercial gyms.
The B&R bar easily blows them all out of the waters.
I’ve read many reviews and user experiences about the Burgener & Rippetoe Men’s bar on forums such as Crossfit.com, Bodybuilding.com & StartingStrength.com, and they mostly had high praise.
Also, it’s designed by Mike Burgener and Mark Rippetoe, and manufactured by York barbell. I’m not familiar with Mike Burgener, but I’ve had success with Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength program, and own his books Starting Strength, Practical Programming and Strong Enough? Thoughts from Thirty Years of Barbell Training. Rip’s work is amazing, so when I was choosing a bar to purchase, I expected the same Rippetoe quality to be infused in the bar (if that makes any sense).
Some Details
The B&R bar is designed as an all purpose bar that’s suitable for powerlifting and Olympic lifting. It has dual markings at 32” and 36” apart for powerlifting & weightlifting movements.
The spacing between knurls at the center of the bar is wider than normal allowing a slightly wider stance during conventional deadlifts and Olympic lifts (so it doesn’t scrape the shins).
I believe it’s the strongest bar that Rogue sells, with a tensile strength of 205K. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but apparently the higher then tensile strength, the stiffer the bar is and the less likely it is to permanently bend.
Since I’m focusing on powerlifting movements (and want a bar durable enough that I can pass onto my grand kids), I’m looking for a bar that does not flex as much, and the B&R bar appears to be the best answer.
First Impressions
The B&R bar was delivered by Purolator (the delivery guy said I had a package that was long and heavy. I wanted to say, “...that’s what she said”). It was packaged in a long, sturdy cardboard tube that was duct taped at both ends.
Inside the tube at both ends was crumpled paper to cushion and protect the ends of the bar.
Overall it seemed packaged quite well, however I did receive a notice that Purolator had to re-tape both ends. I’m assuming the B&R bar came out of the duct taped ends of the package during shipment. The bar arrived fine however.
The first thing I noticed when I cut off the duct tape was that the ends of the bar did not have a bolt on it. All the other barbells I’ve used in a commercial gym had bolts, which I had to tighten from time to time.
Taking out the bar, I immediately saw (and felt) the difference in quality compared to the piece of crap I got from Kijiji, along with the other bars I’ve used in the past.
There was no comparison.
The bar was already covered in grease. I could see that my hands were greasy and covered in some black substance after taking the bar out of the package. I'm assuming this grease is to protect from rust during shipment.
The look of the bar is different than the bars I’ve used.
The B&R bar is pure steel, and doesn’t have any chrome or zinc plating on it.
When I gripped the B&R bar, the diameter of the bar felt much smaller than I'm used to. The B&R bar’s shaft is 29mm in diameter, and all the bars I have used at commercial gyms felt much thicker.
I have read that men's Olympic bars used in weight lifting competition are 28mm, while bars used in powerlifting can range from 28-29mm. So the B&R bar, at 29mm is at the thicker end of the scale suitable for powerlifting.
Is Bar Straight?
The B&R bar I received has a slight, tiny wobble to it that’s barely noticeable. Heck, I can’t even capture it with my camera, but it is there. In each picture below, I rotate the bar a quarter turn:
Personally, I’m not concerned with this tiny bend in the bar. I’ve seen and experienced a lot worst, and so far this hasn’t affected my training at all.
Stiffness
The B&R bar feels stiff and rigid. Much more stiff than all the other bars I’ve tried in my life. So far, there doesn’t appear to be any bend to the bar at all. The maximum weight I have used on the B&R bar to date is only 407.5lbs. I’m sure at higher loads this bar will not permanently bend, like some of the bars I’ve used at the previous gym I was a member at.
Sleeves
This is my first time using a bar that isn’t bolted at the ends.
The sleeves has tiny ridges on it. I think these ridges are to provide friction so that the weight plates doesn’t slide off during a set.
The sleeves on the other bars I’ve used did not have these ridges and was completely smooth. I have had times where the plates would nearly slide off a bar with smooth sleeves during a set of squats (even when paired with spring collars). So these ridges on the B&R bar is a nice safety feature.
Spin
One side spins more smoothly than the other, but after contacting Rogue, they said it was normal and that I just need use lithium grease in the sleeves.
When I spin the sleeves, it would spin for about 1 second and then stop. To be honest I expected the bar to spin a lot more, but this isn’t really an issue for me because my focus is the slower lifts (i.e. squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press) rather than the faster lifts (cleans, snatches etc).
In the future, I’ll probably end up investing in another bar that’s suitable for Olympic lifts (maybe another Rogue bar or one of the Pendlay bars).
Markings
There are 2 sets of markings on the bar, one for Powerlifting and another for Olympic lifts.
Although this is a nice feature, personally I only use the powerlifting marks, even for power cleans. I’m not sure if I’ll ever make use of the Olympic markings simply because it feels too wide for me. But for other people the dual markings might be more useful.
Knurl
The knurling on the B&R bar feels awesome. It’s not too deep, and it’s not too shallow either. It feels just right.
When I grip the bar, it almost feels as though it’s sticking to my hands.
Other bars I’ve used in the past felt a bit slippery (probably because of the chrome plating). But since the B&R bar is bare steel, the knurling is not covered up with any sort of plating so you can feel the full texture of the knurl.
I’ve never used a bar with aggressive knurling, but I’m sure the B&R bar won’t shred up my palms during use.
This bar also has a center knurl, which is one thing I wanted in an Olympic bar. I tend to sweat a lot, especially on my back. The last thing I want is a silky smooth bar sliding down my sweat soaked shirt during a heavy set of squats. The center knurl is definitely a plus when it comes to squats.
Overall
Let me put it this way: the B&R bar is awesome.
Pro’s:
- Solid, stiff bar
- Fine knurling makes gripping the bar easy
- Center knurl keeps the bar in place on my sweaty back while squatting
- Bare steel looks manly
- Dual markings for powerlifting and Olympic lifting
Con’s:
- Because it’s bare steel it will require more maintenance to prevent rust
- Shipping to Canada took a few weeks so it wasn’t as fast as I hoped (took almost a month! To be fair, I ordered it a few weeks before Christmas and things mail much slower around that time)
- Doesn’t have a lifetime guarantee like the other bars sold at Rogue
Take a look at the Burgener & Rippetoe Men's bar at Rogue's website for additional details.
Squat
- 367.5lbs: 3,3
Bench Press
- 277.5lbs: 1,2
Deadlift
- 407.5lbs: 1
Notes
- B&R bar finally arrived to my doorstep this morning! Solid bar, and it fits inside my 51" wide power rack. Review coming up soon.
- Haven't done bench press in a while, felt pretty weak.
- Also haven't done squats over 320lbs in a while (because I was using a crappy bar I purchased from Kijiji that didn't fit properly in my power rack).
Admiring my new B&R Bar
Squat
- 320lbs: 7
Standing Overhead Press
- 187.5lbs: 5,5,3
Notes
- Just found out today that my order for the B&R bar from Rogue is being shipped to the wrong address (billing instead of shipping address) :/
