This is a comprehensive review for the Strength Shop Bastard Power Bar, a mid-range bar that can be purchased both in the USA and in most of Europe from one of Strength Shop’s many domains. The Bastard Power Bar retails for US$275 but it can be found on sale fairly regularly (at least that is my experience with the USA store anyway).

The Bastard Power Bar lacks much in the way of unbiased feedback and reviews. There is only one review on the Strength Shop USA website, and the reviews that can be found on the European domains all seem to be the same reviews. Hopefully I’ll be able to shed some light on this product, and answer any questions you may have about it.

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This is a review of Rep Fitness’ new rubber-coated Kilogram Change Plates. While not the most complicated of products to review, the lower pricing and high level of interest in these plates made them worth checking out more thoroughly.

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I want to take a look at the Arm Blaster, a strength training accessory that has made quite a comeback as of late.

The Arm Blaster is a piece of curved aluminum about 24″ long and 4″ high that is designed to be worn around the neck when performing bicep curls. The Blaster keeps your arms in a fixed position against your trunk, with the claim being that this promotes proper form while also isolating the biceps. The idea, of course, is to “maximize the strength-building benefits of bicep curls”, and to give you that massive pump.

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Rogue has introduced five new Cerakote Athlete Bars; one Ohio Power Bar, two Ohio Bars, and two Bella Bars. They feature colorways specific to the very athlete they represent, and they include some artwork as well. Despite there being only one Ohio Power Bar (the ‘Thor’ Edition), there are two versions; a 20 kg and a 45-lb option. The athletes represented are:

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If your programming is centered around the bench press, squat, and deadlift and you have been chasing bigger and bigger numbers in these three lifts training session after training session, then regardless of whether you ever intend to compete or not you are basically a powerlifter. Well how’d you like to train at home rather than at the global gym?

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I bought something like 230 kilograms of the Rogue Calibrated Steel Plates back during the 2017 Black Friday sale, and aside from realizing almost immediately that I didn’t order quite enough weight I have been completely happy with this purchase. I wanted to take a couple minutes and write a short review on these plates for any of you who are on the fence about buying any of the nicer steel powerlifting plates for your gym.

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It was recommended to me that I keep a running list of all my barbell reviews, and even go so far as to perhaps comment on which bars were kept in the gym and which weren’t. Well I thought that was a fantastic idea, so here is a list of all the barbell reviews found on Garage Gyms along with a brief summary, links to the full review, and links to the product itself.

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I tend to believe that; if given the option; most serious and resolute strength athletes would prefer to have a gym right there in their own garage rather than have to pay monthly rent at a commercial gym or a CrossFit box. Even those lifters who do not necessarily disfavor the global gym as a training environment no doubt still see the benefit of having 24-hour instant access to their own private weight room; a gym with no queues, no crowds, no dues and no distractions.

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This is a full review of SABO’s newest lifting kicks; the GoodLift Powerlifting Shoes. The GoodLifts are designed primary for the deadlift but are also perfectly good shoes to wear when bench pressing, and for squats if you prefer to squat in shoes without a raised heel. These are flat, offered in two different colors, and available in men’s sizes 39-46 (Russian sizing); or approximately 7½’s – 13’s American.

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We survived another year, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Welcome to 2018! Have you resolved to do anything different or special this year? Did you set any training or diet goals? Maybe work or relationship goals? I wish you luck in all cases!

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This is volume II of the Equipment Reviews Revisited series. In case you missed volume I and don’t know what these articles are about, let me fill you in…

In this article I will take two previously reviewed pieces of equipment and briefly reevaluate them. I’ll discuss how each product has held up over time, what I think about it now x years later, and if I even still use that particular item. If I don’t; why not? It’s pretty straightforward.

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I’ve been a big fan of the Thompson Fat Pad since the very first time I benched on one. It’s wider, longer, thicker, denser, and more supportive than any other bench pad I’ve ever seen or used. In addition to all that it has a unique, heavy-duty “grabber” vinyl cover that prevents any slipping or sliding around on the pad; a surprisingly uncommon feature for bench pads.

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With bumper plate options more than covered across the Internet (here included), I figured it was time to tackle the options for standard weight plates, coated plates, and powerlifting discs. In this guide I’ll cover multiple styles, numerous brands, and offer up enough product examples for you to be able to evaluate any brand or style of plate you happen to stumble upon in your quest for iron.

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Is your garage gym too dark and gloomy at night? or during the winter when you don’t dare open that garage door and let what little warmth there is out? Can you see the hash marks on your barbell when you lay down to bench inside your power rack? Can you spot rubber hex dumbbells against the black flooring?

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