Specialty Bars

Power Bar:

Safety Squat Bar (SSB):

A stiff, aggressive barbell with no whip and deep knurling. Standard for squat, bench, and deadlift in most federations.

Safety Squat Bar (SSB):

A padded bar with front-facing handles. Shifts the load forward and is easier on the shoulders—great for building upper back and core strength.

Cambered Bar:

Safety Squat Bar (SSB):

Cambered Bar:

A bar with a lower hanging middle that throws off your center of gravity. Increases range of motion and challenges trunk control.

Bow Bar:

Safety Squat Bar (SSB):

Cambered Bar:

A curved bar used for squats. It reduces shoulder stress and adds whip. Great for lifters with mobility limitations or needing variety.

MARS Bar:

Football Bar (Swiss Bar):

A yoke-style squat bar that sits lower across the traps and hips. Mimics a front squat without tipping you forward. Easy on the shoulders, tough on the legs.

Football Bar (Swiss Bar):

A bar with neutral grip handles—used for pressing or rowing with less stress on the shoulders.

Bamboo Bar:

Football Bar (Swiss Bar):

Bamboo Bar:

A flexible bar designed to be loaded with hanging bands or kettlebells. Forces stabilization and is great for shoulder rehab and warm-ups.

Rhino Bar:

Football Bar (Swiss Bar):

Bamboo Bar:

A plate-loadable instability bar—similar in purpose to the bamboo bar, but allows for heavier progressive loading. Designed to train stability while protecting the joints.

Conjugate Training Terms

The Conjugate Method, developed by Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell, is one of the most proven systems in the strength world. Instead of hammering the same lifts over & over, conjugate rotates variations: squats, presses, pulls, + specialty bars, bands,& chains—to attack weaknesses from every angle

Conjugate Method:

A system that rotates lifts weekly and trains multiple qualities—max strength, speed, and hypertrophy—across different days. Popularized by Westside Barbell.

Max Effort (ME):

Heavy lifts (usually 1–3 reps) at or near your limit. You rotate the lift each week to push intensity without burning out.

Dynamic Effort (DE):

Speed work. Moderate weights moved as explosively as possible—usually with bands or chains to increase tension and teach rate of force development.

Repetition Method (RE):

Moderate-weight, higher-rep training used for building muscle, reinforcing movement, or recovering from heavy days.

Bands:

Elastic resistance added to a barbell or movement. They increase difficulty as the lift progresses and help improve speed and control.

Chains:

Chains hang off the bar and add weight as they come off the ground—making the lift heavier at the top and lighter at the bottom.

Board Press (1–3 boards):

A bench press variation where a board is placed on your chest to shorten the range of motion. Used to target specific sticking points—especially in shirted or multi-ply lifting.

Reverse Hyper:

A posterior chain machine that strengthens your glutes, hamstrings, and low back while decompressing the spine. Huge in conjugate setups.

Good Morning:

A hip hinge movement that builds serious posterior chain strength—especially spinal erectors, glutes, and hamstrings.

Sled Work:

Dragging or pushing a sled for GPP, speed work, or recovery. It’s joint-friendly and brutally effective.

Box Squat:

A squat where you sit back to a box. Builds control, tightness, and posterior chain development—especially in multi-ply and athletic setups.