Safety Squat Bar

Shark22 · Jun 6, 2012

Looking to buy a safety squat bar and I was recommended the ss yoke bar by elite as a well made bar. Any recommendations? Also the SSB 1500 by elite was recommended.

Future · Jun 8, 2012

Whatever you can afford. I have used several kinds and all were good so my assumption is it won't matter too much.

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purepower40 · Jun 10, 2012

i have the ssb yoke from elite fts and its a great piece of equipment for good mornings and box squats

mung · Jul 7, 2012

I buy all my gear from Dave at Elite and love supporting those guys, however, this is what I did. Bought a bunch of used 7' olympic bars and took them to a welding shop and they fabricated a SSB. I have several with 4", 5", 6" and 8" off sets with yokes. Then I ordered 4" foam rollers off the internet for about $8 each. A few large washers from Menards and athletic tape from the training room and viola...a homemade SSB. Total cost was about $110 each give or take. The 8" offset SSB really hammers the upper back, traps and neck! Killer for box squats...probably my favorite SSB. I also had them fabricate one giant cambered bar from an olympic bar.

Good luck, all are great ways to change the stimulus!

sbc5966 · Jul 7, 2012

mung said:
I buy all my gear from Dave at Elite and love supporting those guys, however, this is what I did. Bought a bunch of used 7' olympic bars and took them to a welding shop and they fabricated a SSB. I have several with 4", 5", 6" and 8" off sets with yokes. Then I ordered 4" foam rollers off the internet for about $8 each. A few large washers from Menards and athletic tape from the training room and viola...a homemade SSB. Total cost was about $110 each give or take. The 8" offset SSB really hammers the upper back, traps and neck! Killer for box squats...probably my favorite SSB. I also had them fabricate one giant cambered bar from an olympic bar.

Good luck, all are great ways to change the stimulus!

I am very interested in doing the same thing.

Do you have any schematics for those custom bars!? It would be much obliged.

triathloncoach · Jul 8, 2012

I have had one from Elite Fitness for years. Honestly, I never quite saw the value. It's in my basement.

What do they cost now? And make sure you factor in their shipping charges. Their shipping charges are outrageous. And I have spent thousands of $ with them.

rippedout · Jul 8, 2012

mung said:
I buy all my gear from Dave at Elite and love supporting those guys, however, this is what I did. Bought a bunch of used 7' olympic bars and took them to a welding shop and they fabricated a SSB. I have several with 4", 5", 6" and 8" off sets with yokes. Then I ordered 4" foam rollers off the internet for about $8 each. A few large washers from Menards and athletic tape from the training room and viola...a homemade SSB. Total cost was about $110 each give or take. The 8" offset SSB really hammers the upper back, traps and neck! Killer for box squats...probably my favorite SSB. I also had them fabricate one giant cambered bar from an olympic bar.

Good luck, all are great ways to change the stimulus!

Sounds awesome! Got any pics?

kdtl61 · Jul 9, 2012

There is a 1200# cap SSB out there I got shipped from the west coast. Save about $150 from the 1500#. Like I would ever need something built for that kind of weight.

saps · Jul 10, 2012

My gym has some specialty bars from elite and some from other vendors. Elite is great quality but humbly speaking the other stuff is just as good.

mung · Jul 12, 2012

sbc5966 said:
I am very interested in doing the same thing.

Do you have any schematics for those custom bars!? It would be much obliged.

I didn't make any schematics, but simply showed him pics from Elite and how those were constructed. Printed the pics off the net. I told him I wanted a variety of "offsets" in order to rotate the stimulii, and he did the rest. He simply cut off the bars outside the width of the power rack, then used 1/2"-ish flat stock, drilled two large holes in the flat stock and welded the bar in one hole and the other end where the weights go, in the other hole. Then used scrap black pipe and welded those 13" apart on center, and 14" long. This allows for the foam pad, large washer with 1" hole and athletic tape for the hands and room to spare.

The giant cambered bar was made with a 14" drop, and he actually angled the 2" bar where the weights go up at an angle so it does not need collars. Very simple design and the weights cannot come off! This one is a bitch as the 14' cambered drop is outside where your hands go so you cannot stabilize the weight during the set. You have to be smooth.

He has since made bar holders, a killer diamond plate stainless steel chalk box with neck harness hooks, 8 weighted sledgehammers, 2 prowler sleds, farmers carry implements, ammo boxes for unbalanced weighted carries, deadlift bar jack, truck attachment for the athletes to push me around in my truck...all out of scrap metal. Waiting for a giant yoke when he has time.

If you have someone in the area that enjoys this stuff, some guys will make it for minimal pay. I have one guy that does not charge beacause it is for the high school football team, and the other guy has access to free scrap metal from Proctor and Gamble projects...semi loads of free metals! Ask around, explain what you want and see what they will do.

I can take pics at tomorrow mornings workout and post if it helps!

Here's a couple I had on my phone, pretty small but gives you an idea. The sledges have 2" pvc handles...fat grips and weight from 15-35lbs! The square sledge is harsh!

sbc5966 · Jul 13, 2012

if you could take pics of your bars that would be awesome.

If it isn't too much trouble!

Thanks!

-SBC

mung · Jul 14, 2012

Sorry SBC, forgot to snap pics of the bars. I can og there on my way home today. I will take a few from different angles.

sbc5966 · Jul 14, 2012

No rush! just happy you are taking the time!

mung · Jul 15, 2012

sbc, I took several pics of the 6", 8" and giant cambered bar from a few angles, let mwe know if there is anything you want to see specifically and I can take more pics. Hopes this helps, as it is a cheap way to get decent ssb if you can find cheap used ones.

mung · Jul 15, 2012

A few more...

A couple small notes if you makes these. Between the athletic tape and pad on the yokes, there is a large washer with a 1" diameter hole that helps keep the pad in place. If you tape the handles, helps with sweaty hands and keeps the washer and pad in place, be sure to start taping at the "bottom" of the yoke to prevent "rolling" of the tape over time.

The 8" offset takes some getting used to, but I have all linemen rotate through this bar and am waiting for him to make a few more. It really forces you to stay tight through the shoulder blades and sit back on your heels and drive your head into the bar before coming off the box, otherwise get stapled to the safety pins. Great bar. I have not tried anything longer than 8" on the offset until we perfect the 8".

Here's two places I ordered pads from. Prices are going up on these almost monthly...petroleum based?

Foam Roller - Replacement Foam Rollers

Browse Roller Pads | Fitness and Exercise Equipment Repair Parts

Let mek now if you need anything further and I will do what I can!

Good luck!

mung · Jul 15, 2012

Also, if your shouolders and elbows are getting beat up from heavy squating you can move the giant cambered bar in to just outside the your rack so you can hold onto the "drop down" part of the bar. We don't have that issue and he just made them wide enough to be rackable.

sbc5966 · Jul 15, 2012

Damn those look brutal!

Thanks for the pictures, hopefully I can get something together pretty soon.

-SBC

mung · Jul 16, 2012

You're welcome, sorry it took so long. They are not pretty, but I did not want pretty, I wanted functional! And they are functional, and cheap if you can find used olympic bars!

It looks like the flat stock he used is either 3/4" or 1" and not 1/2" as I indicated earlier.

Hope you get one made, they are a good switch from straight bar squatting and keep those numbers climbing!