Fat bars... any good or what?

NB: I have a vested interest cos I sell them here.

Right that's out of the way onwards. Fat bars... any good or what?? In a word - yes. If for no other reason than the old adage of 'change being as good as a rest' you'll get something out of training with the above Tricep V-Bar handle. In some movements especially where you press (either upwards a la pressing, benching etc) or downwards (dips, tricep work and so on) they have the advantage of dispersing the weight more evenly and over a wider area. When you get 'silly strong' or are bigger than most standard bars can press into the hands something awful and in certain lifts be properly uncomfortable. In my own gym I had my dipping frame handles beefed up from the usual 1-inch to close to 2-inches thick. Now I enjoy, when i use them, far less strain and discomfort than I would if they were the usual size.

On pulling movements not only do you get many of the features mentioned above but a hand and grip workout to boot. Literally, for some, just hanging on for grim death happens when the bar gets a little bit bigger and thicker than usual. Look at the massive differences 600+lb deadlifters have when trying Ironmind's Apollon's axle and similar equipment. Most become 330-350lb deadlifters at best.

You can, of course, train on them as frequently as any other equipment in the toolbox but I'd suggest either a short period leading up to a competition which includes said equipment just to become used to it or, better still, a rotation through the year.

Give them a try. You might not actually wanna thank me, what with it being a bastard of a workout, but you will feel the difference.