Thick Bars Training

[Blackheart]

Hello to all again..

A thought that i am considering many days now.. (me and a thousand more trainees) wouldn't be better for all trainees if they could train all the exercises with thick barbells and dumbells as Brooks Kubik suggest's? the quantity of the weights used will be decreased of course (because of the thick handle) but the power that the hands will gain will be great... i think... I don't know maybe i am mistaken can you give me your opinions pls?

[mobsterone]

No it would not.

Edited October 17, 2007 by mobsterone

[MARKR]

From experience you would have to be careful as all that work using a thick bar on all your exercises would give you tendonitis and or other elbow problems.

[mobsterone]

Firstly there are a few reasons we have standard thickness bars - history shows why. Brooks, as much as I loved his first book, now does bodyweight etc stuff. One wonders if he over did it - but it bothers me that he changed tack.

[MalachiMcMullen]

Use normal bars for most exercises and use thickbars for grip specific stuff or movements where grip needs improvement. Pulling movements and some curls but I wouldn't use it for much more because it does seem to me you'd get tendonitis or overwork something real easy. Besides, as you pointed out to make your body stronger you want to use bigger weights and you can't do that as easily with thickbar.

[Blackheart]

So which exercises i should do with thick bars and handles?

[The Mac]

Not only do we have standard bars for a reason, we also have straps for a reason too.

[mobsterone]

Strange comment. Explain:

[superfeemiman]

So we don't have to worry about our grip all the time when we pull heavy weight? I think...

[The Mac]

Strange comment. Explain:

Yates was once quoted as saying, when asked about using straps for pulling exercises, something like "If my body is not stronger than my grip then I am doing something wrong". For many people there is at least a grain of truth in the statement.

[Blackheart]

yes , but the potential of the human grip is huge!!!!!

We have many proven examples!!!!

[The Mac]

Yes, I am sure that Bolton would be pulling 1,000lbs plus on a thick bar.

[Stew]

Everything has its place and to develop fully you need a mix, sometimes std bars sometimes thick bars and on occasion although I seldom use them even straps have there place. by limiting yourself to any one thing you limit your potential.

[MalachiMcMullen]

Everything has its place and to develop fully you need a mix, sometimes std bars sometimes thick bars and on occasion although I seldom use them even straps have there place. by limiting yourself to any one thing you limit your potential.

Great way to put it!

[Wes]

Yes, I am sure that Bolton would be pulling 1,000lbs plus on a thick bar.

The question is, had he done much of his training with thick bars, would the grip element of his 1000lb lift have been easy? Would he have NOT missed his 1031 (or somewhere around there) attempt on the account of grip?

Edited October 18, 2007 by Wes

[superfeemiman]

Yes, I am sure that Bolton would be pulling 1,000lbs plus on a thick bar.

The question is, had he done much of his training with thick bars, would the grip element of his 1000lb lift have been easy? Would he have NOT missed his 1031 (or somewhere around there) attempt on the account of grip?

Indeed. I think it remains to be seen whether or not the potential of our grip has been explored as much as our pulling power.

[nightowl27]

i also like to work out with thick bars and so on. at the moment i´m doing rolling thunder pullups. i had to reduce some weight but i also think that i can someday improve to get the pullups done on the rt with an acceptable amount of weight. for my other training i use a sandbag where the grip is not so important so i don´t have to fear tendonitis that much.

to mix up things is probably the best. nevertheless i wouldn´t use straps .

the comment of ytes isn´t logical to me. he says that using straps is logical because the body is stronger than the grip.

i see it viceversa. why should i be able to lift something of the ground i can´t hold with my hands? to me this is much more logical. the only thing i feel is, that i can easily overwork my grip when using weights that are really heavy for much larger muscles.

[mobsterone]

Yes, I am sure that Bolton would be pulling 1,000lbs plus on a thick bar.

The question is, had he done much of his training with thick bars, would the grip element of his 1000lb lift have been easy? Would he have NOT missed his 1031 (or somewhere around there) attempt on the account of grip?

It's not an issue. Check out his training DVD and his brief write up on his training program. I have his email address and checked that he does do some work with partials and we all know that's always heavier than from the floor. Truth is his last effort was not what it could have been on the day. He'll do better nest time.

[The Mac]

Yes, I am sure that Bolton would be pulling 1,000lbs plus on a thick bar.

The question is, had he done much of his training with thick bars, would the grip element of his 1000lb lift have been easy? Would he have NOT missed his 1031 (or somewhere around there) attempt on the account of grip?

There is certainly more than one way of looking at it, it is true.