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Titan Fitness Roller J cup / J Hooks

183:846848612 (Robert Holthouse) — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 02:38:11 GMT

Titan Fitness Roller J Hooks / Cups: A great price that seems to be holding up.

I purchased these J cups (Titan Refers to them as J hooks on their site) about a year ago. I really liked the idea of the roller cups for a couple reasons. First those minor adjustments you always make when setting up for a lift would be easier, and second those minor adjustments wouldn't rip the UMHW plastic off my J cups. Being that I lift primarily with a Rogue Ohio Power Bar, the removal of plastic happens pretty fast.

About the J Cups:

Anyone and I mean anyone whose seen the Ghost Strong Roller J Cups has desired to own a pair, but at roughly the cost of my entire rig for a single un customized pair it's not exactly something I am planning on spending that hard earned Facebook marketplace flipping money on. In steps Titan undercutting entire market segments with their take on the roller j cup. Currently at $74.99 (definitely going up currently out of stock 11/22/21 and the smaller versions have already hit $90) for my X3 rig (they make a 1" hole variant for their TITAN rig, and a 2x3 for their t3 rig), it was a no brainer for a second set of cups for my rig.

The weight capacity is listed at 1000 lbs per pair in their specs, but oddly a photo on the page says 2000 lbs, I am not sure which is accurate, but as there is not a change I am putting a thousand pounds on the bar for any reason I think I'm good.

All the contact point have UMHW (Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene) plastic which is great to prevent any wear on the bar and your uprights, which I think is honestly one of the best improvements in jcup design.

They also have a screw in pin, I have never used it, but I guess someone might.

What I Like:

There is a lot to love about this design. Sincerely. The fact that all contact surfaces are covered in plastic is so nice. My Ohio Power Bar has so much damage to the Knurl from my Rogue Infinity J cups because they lack a piece of plastic on the lip. There is literally bare metal from where the bar has ground the powder coat off and started to eat the metal beneath. Not with these, or their non roller version, all TItans new J cups have some serious design improvements.

One issue that I used to read about with Titan J Cups as well is that they would break off. Now I've owned a lot of their products, and know a lot of people who do as well, and this isn't something I've heard about outside of the internet, but by adding that little triangular piece under the the portion that holds the bar you get a ton of extra strength for anyone still concerned.

Besides the plastic hitting all the bar contacts, they also have plastic on all the rig contacts as well like I mentioned above

I don't care where the rig is from, I've had Rogue and Titan, I've seen almost all the others, you will always take off the powder coat, but this helps cut down on that, and again this is the standard for all their current J cup designs, huge improvement. I've also noticed Rep is doing this as well, and I hope it becomes the standard.... Rogue.....

For the actual Rolling Portion, it works great. I used these as my primary Cups so they are being used at least 6 days a week and for everything from my Bamboo Bar to Benching they move well. I can move them pretty easily with one hand with 235 on the bar.

It's super handy for loading the bamboo bar (Pictured Right Dutch&Co bar) because you can slide it clear over and load one side at a time then just roll it back center.

When you get under to bench or squat it's super easy to get it lined up with minor adjustments without dragging. I think that rolling is actually what has led to it holding up so well. See Below.

That Ohio Power knurl has definitely left it's mark on these, but I haven't dug any large furrows in in yet, and that is not the case with my old Rogue cups. If you look at that top pic the roller hasn't developed a valley after a year with an aggressively knurled bar. They still Roll great, they still have plenty of protection left on the pads, and they are the first ones I go for almost every time.

Oh right also you can screw in a pin so they don't move on you. I guess that's a thing people do.

What I don't like:

This is more of a few design choices that make me a bit nervous. I really think these are fantastic for the money. My main concern before even buying them was how that roller was attached. It used to be a bolt and nut assemble, where the nut protruded from the front.

The reason a bolt concerns me should be obvious if you've ever played around with plastic rollers conveyer belts ect.. (I grew up doing industrial vegetable farming, so I've spent a lot of time with these materials) If for example the threads from that bolt were actually inside the roller, you've got yourself a heck of friction point, that is way, way harder than the plastic that's rolling over it, and that is going to mean it's going to be grinding away at that plastic, and wouldn't you know it.

There are some threads in there. Now I assume this isn't in the whole barrel, but I didn't take it apart to check, but you can see where the thread have already started to flatten from use. You can also see rogues knurling patter in that roller which is fun. Alright, so how bad is this? Probably not that bad really. Realistically it will wear, but unlike industrial applications (where my head was at when I first worried about this) that roller isn't spinning for 8-14 hours a day, so while there is wear, it's not insane, and so far so good.

My second little grip concerns the back.

A little wider pad on the back would like prevent the one point of metal on metal contact, if you look at that side piece you can see where my power bar as taken the powder coat right off from the occasional contact.

My last gripe also concerns that side piece, lets zoom in.

There is probably some good engineering reason why they decided to weld this piece to the main body, rather than bend it out of one piece of metal, but I really wish it was one piece. This is actually some of the best welding I've seen on Titan gear, in fact lately their welds have been really solid, but their other J cups are one piece, so it would be nice to have this one to be a solid piece as well.

Rogue Ohio Power Bar : The bar that holds you the way you always wanted to be held.

183:846848612 (Robert Holthouse) — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 22:40:07 GMT

Rogue Ohio Power Bar: Fantastic Value, Amazing Performance.

The barbell. a staple of us home gym enthusiasts. The Rogue Ohio Bar, possibly the most well known specific model of barbell on the planet, and with good reason. This there is it's big thicc brother, The Ohio Power Bar, now there are thicker barbells out there, but, why? You're on a page of an average man, lifting average weight. If you're here wondering how this stacks of to Rogue's 32mm squat bar, you and I are not in the same class of lifter, and frankly if you're worried that the OPB is to "whippy" you and I might not be the same species. Also congrats you freaking animal, know that I am jealous of your raw power.

About the bar:

The Ohio Power Bar is just shy of 87" long, has just over 16" loadable sleeves, a center knurl that will fuse with you under enough weight, power lifting marks, and a 29mm diameter. It's a bushing bar, and while it spins it's not loose. Its got all of the Rogue stuff, their work hardening (whatever that actually means), a F8-R, f rating, again that's a rogue thing, and a 200k-205k PSI tensile strength depending on configuration.

Speaking of those configurations, boy or boy decisions decisions. The bar comes in all kinds of finishes so you can properly accessorize your lifts. You got black zinc and chrome (what's in my gym), bar steel for all you purists, a few different colors in cerakote, a couple stainless options, and what I am actually really learning to love E-Coat.

Now, I've handled each of these in my many visits to Rogue, and for a feel in the hand: 1 - Bare Steel, 2 - Stainless, 3/4 E-Coat and Zinc, 5 - Cerakote. But to be clear, the difference is pretty minimal other than Bare Steel, there's just something about being free from any protection that just feels better.

What I like:

I've kinda already started this section, but here we go. The knurl, oh boy that knurl. Now I've handled a lot of bars, my hands have have wrapped around steel from Ohio to California, I've touch knurling manufactured on multiple continents, and there is something about the Ohio Power Bar this is just.... soooooo gooooood. Just look at it a minute:

I could look at that all day. Doesn't it just make you want to reach out and wrap your hands firmly around it? Just me?

I don't think I have ever used straps or chalked this bar, for what I do it simply doesn't need it. I have one of the older Rogue beater bars, and trying to pull anything heavy with that without chalk or straps is impossible, but when you grip this thing, it bite back. Honestly I think this knurl profile is as close to perfect as you get on a power bar. You're not going to want to being doing high rep Olympic work with it, but why would you want to do that anyway?

The other thing I like on this bar is that 29mm thickness. Which is surprising, because I really prefer 28mm in general, just be aware that if your hands are.... dainty, that getting a grip on this hog may be a problem. I'm not saying that dainty hands are a bad thing, it's just that general meatiness of this bar may present you with some issues.

The next few things I like are also the reasons I don't use this bar for everything, so it's going to be hard to put them in the don't like section, but I'll try to make sense of this.

The center knurl is just as aggressive as the rest of the bar, which means that it is going to stick, and stick firm, when you're squatting. Now, this is great, but I have a literal callus on my spine, and if you for some reason lift shirtless (I know some of you don't have that deeply ingrained puritanical shame I do) do not let this bar slip. It is a half step away from an actual wood rasp.

This bar does not whip (at normal human weights) so your movement is going to go straight into the weight. I like a little which on certain things, but this aint gonna do that.

Let's talk about value on this bar. The version I'd recommend for most people would be the E-Coat, that bar retails for $305. Now, you can technically buy a barbell on Amazon for like 70 bucks, I do not think that is a good idea. I in fact this that is a very bad idea. I have used a lot of barbells, mostly from garage sales until the last 5 years or so. So let me give you some advice, I have had sleeves fall off (the entire sleeve) mid lift, I have bent barbells, and that is from someone who has a squat of 325 at the very best. So you could get a cheap barbell, don't. If that thing fails at a bad time, it could be a bad situation. $305 for a bar that quality of what Rogue gives you is an amazing deal. And as I write this they have Boneyard (bars with blemishes or double knurls) Power Bars for as low as $195 bucks. Those are bars that you are never going to need replace (probably, some of you get up to some wild stuff). Not to mention they are backed by a warranty from Rogue, not some drop shipper that started their "company" three moths ago. Spend a little more on that bar, and go hunting for some cheap cast plates if you need to save. You can always flip plates, but that bar is going to be around long after you're dead, I plan to be buried with mine.

What I don't like:

Nothing... Ok fine, but this isn't a real don't like it's more of a be careful list.

First off, if you drag the bar along your shins when you deadlift, enjoy getting to know the staff at the ER, because thing is going to carve trenches into the bone of you shin.

I mentioned that center knurl earlier, well I do wish they made one without it because I am not squatting enough for it to make a difference, but at around 225 if I go shirtless this bar has drawn blood. To be fair, I was being slopping and bouncing out of the whole, but this bar is not going to pity your poor form, it is a cruel and unforgiving bar, and it will demand sacrifice for your mistakes.

If you are concerned about keeping your hands nice and soft this probably isn't what you're looking for, but why? Like, having a nice durable layer of callus is nothing but positives in my book. I once grabbed a bare wire and didn't notice for a full five seconds because of all the dead flesh between me and the wire, and I have Rogue to thank for that.

That's pretty much it. I really like it.

Conclusions:

If you're a standard lifter that only wants one bar, this is that bar. If you are an Olympic lifter you already know this isn't for that, but that doesn't mean you can't have one of these too. Especially with boneyard pricing.

For the price, the quality, the warranty, and the general pleasure of cold hard steel biting deep into your flesh there isn't much better. I mean they do have those Aggro bars, but dude, even I do not understand who was looking for that.

ANGLES90 Dynamic Training Grips Review:

183:846848612 (Robert Holthouse) — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 18:11:53 GMT

Angles 90: versatile, compact, and priced right.

These handles are an extremely useful for a wide variety of exercises, and for those of us with nagging shoulder, wrist, or elbow injuries they can be very handy in alleviating some of that paint.

About the Handles:

These handles are pretty straight forward, like the picture above they are some sort of non slip plastic material with a strap rated for 400 pounds per handle. They were originally developed from a ski handle and evolved into what you see above. From personal experience I can tell you they are extremely conformable and natural to use. There are a variety of grip options, I prefer the ERGO grip, but for some more info you can check out their page Here: https://angles90.com/pages/ergo-power

What I like:

The Angles 90 do a great job at doing exactly what they set out to, let your arm move more naturally through a pulling motion. For those of us with issues in the tendons throughout our arms having something that allows you to rotate in the way that feels best is great. If you've ever been doing bench and felt that shoulder tension, then switched to a multigrip bar and felt how natural that neutral grip can be, this provides that for all your pulling movements.

The sheer variety of things you can do with this is ridiculous. I originally bought it for deadlifts, between my hip, back and shoulder I was having issues. This seemed like an in-between for straight bar deadlift and trap bar, and cost way less than a Rogue trap bar, and it worked perfectly for that. It is also great in place of a T-Bar handle for land mine rows, seated rows, and even pull ups. Speaking of pull ups, close grip and wide grip, no problem. I have used this for virtually any pulling motion you could think up on my functional trainer, I've pulled my sled with them, I've used them with bands, I've even used them on my rower. The angles of my rowing handles always tweaked me a bit, but these let you go neutral. If it's a bit to long you can shorten the strap (pictured above).

If you buy them and a set of their straps, it opens up dips, "ring rows", push ups and if you check out their Instagram there is a whole mess of nonsense exercises people have come up with to use them for.

On top of all that, they also sell bands, ankle straps, and a pulley system to use with them. Now me personally I am not looking to carry "GYM in a BAG" I prefer a 2+ car garage to carry my gym around, but I am a man of culture and taste. However, if you're going to be spending some time in a hotel or whatever, I know people travel I just don't understand it, their Athlete bundle would let you get a solid workout.

https://angles90.com/collections/onlineshop/products/a90-athlete-set

What I don't like:

No real cons here for the handles. If you like this sort of thing it does exactly what it is supposed to and does it at a very fair price for the level of sheer variety you can achieve. Personally lots of the ad ons leave a little to be desired for me.

The straps in particular aren't my favorite. They are a bit short for my use, and for the same price you can get some really nice straps on amazon. The Cable system as well is something I feel is more born out of everything that went down in 2020. It has utility, but it's something you use because you have to, not because you want to. That's not a knock on their product, it's more of a reality of all those pulley systems, they'll get you by, but really you'd rather have a pulley tower or a functional trainer as soon as it's in the budget.

Conclusion:

Should you buy a pair of Angles90? At $50 they are a good deal, but it depends, like with most equipment on if you're going to use it. From a pure value and quality standpoint, get them. They are well made and well priced. From there, if you've got any tendon issues, they're also a no brainer, personally they take a lot of paint out of movements for me.

If you own any kind of lat machine, cable machine, or even a landmine they are a pretty compelling attachment at the price. Honestly if you decide to give up on all the fitness crap they make a pretty nice carry handle for all sorts of things. You'll definitely be able to one trip it with groceries, or loop it through your toddlers overalls, makes a nice little attachment point.

Here's a link to their store:

https://angles90.com/collections/onlineshop

While you're there check out their studies too, lots of great info on what they're all about.

Feel free to reach out with any specific questions, here or over on my Instagram. I'll also post the video review below.

Bear Komplex Hummer Speed Rope Review:

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 02:10:13 GMT

Bear Komplex Hummer Speed Rope:

I own, many, many speed ropes. About 2 years ago I went on a kick where I was convinced the issue I was having with double unders was the rope, and not me. It was me. Anyway, I have tried many ropes, with many different methods used to make them move fast.

About the rope:

The Bear Komplex Hummer Speed Rope has an aluminum handle with an interesting pass through design, that essentially uses a one way valve to feed the rope out or quickly change the length. A very cool idea. The handles have a nice knurl and a good weight to them. They feel far more substantial in the hand than say an RPM or Elite SRS speed rope. The bearings have a good spin to them and that's pretty much all there is to talk about, its a jump rope.

What I like:

Personally I love the weight and girth of the handles. I mean I know it's not for everyone, but I like it a little on the thick side. For my hands it just feels better. Combined with the weight it gives me a better feel for how the rope is moving and lets me time my jumps better. (I am bad at jump rope, keep that in mind)

The pass through handles are nice for those of us who constantly believe our only issue is that we don't quite have it dialed in yet. You essentially only have the length of the handle to play with so I don't think I could hand my rope to my wife and she's be able to adjust it to her height, but honestly she gave me a Hummer so I should probably give her a Hummer as well, though she might take it the wrong way depending on what she thought I was implying, however they do have a blue one, you know what give your wife a hummer, she deserves it.

What I don't like:

This isn't so much of a don't like as a concern. The way the rope feeds out of the handles is super neat. Unfortunately, I've seen a few reviews complaining about that mechanism failing, and it's just one of those cool, but potentially overcomplicated mechanical solutions that could become a point of failure. Mine has not failed, it's been fantastic.

The other thing about the handles is with the straight out the end design, you develop a bend in the rope very quickly, which does make it a bit more prone to tangling and might eventually cause in issue with the cable itself. Again mine is holding up great.

Conclusion:

The rope is $30 bucks, comes in black and green (also blue I guess), and feels great. In this price range I think its as good as any of it's competitors I've used so far, and it's my go to, and rest assured I have many more expensive ropes on my wall. So I think it's worth the money.