Bodybuilding is a large area of physical training and exercise. Usually, people who are trying to develop their muscles or strength make use of weights or other equipment. One of the most common and also oldest pieces of equipment is the bar, or barbell. The stainless steel hex bar is one variation of this piece of equipment.
The barbell's concept is easy to understand. It is a weight that is gripped with both hands and lifted equally, either to knee (dead-lift) or shoulder height or raised above the head. Using both hands means that the person can lift more weight than is possible on the dumbbell, which is raised using only one hand.
There have been various design modifications of the barbell throughout its history. The most basic and perhaps oldest design is the straight bar, which is the standard or ordinary one. The weight plates are then attached to its ends. No matter how simple it looks, though, it is worth taking a closer look at it, since there have been attempts to improve certain factors associated with its design.
One such aspect is the way that the hands grip the bar. If the straight bar is used, the hands grip it at an angle. This can, in turn, place the wrists under stress, since they are flexed at an angle. This may lead to pain in the wrists, since they change their angle as the bar is lifted into the air. A joint changing its angle under extreme strain, such as the weight of the plates, can contract injury.
One attempt to address this issue was the EZ bar's invention (pronounced "easy"). It takes the shape of a zigzag, yet it is made with the same material as the classic straight bar and has the same dimensions otherwise. The advantage of the EZ bar is that it can be gripped in what is supposed to be a more natural position for the hands, since they can incline inwards or outwards throughout the lifting movement.
Another development is the hex bar. The hex bar, as its name suggests, has a hexagonal aperture at its centre, instead of a single piece of metal spanning the gap between the plates. It also has a handle on either side of the aperture. It is made of the same material as other bars.
Of course, as soon as the design of exercise equipment is modified, new exercises and training approaches become possible. The hex bar allows for different methods of lifting, some of which are not possible with the more traditional bar designs. As an example, the person can stand inside the aperture and then lift the weight around themselves, using the handles. Standing directly between the weight plates is not possible with other designs, which require the weight to be lifted in front of the person, something that can cause injury or discomfort.
Those who are interested in using the hex bar should take note of the different exercises that are possible with it. Its designer may have envisaged exercises that the ordinary user won't be able to figure out themselves.
The barbell's concept is easy to understand. It is a weight that is gripped with both hands and lifted equally, either to knee (dead-lift) or shoulder height or raised above the head. Using both hands means that the person can lift more weight than is possible on the dumbbell, which is raised using only one hand.
There have been various design modifications of the barbell throughout its history. The most basic and perhaps oldest design is the straight bar, which is the standard or ordinary one. The weight plates are then attached to its ends. No matter how simple it looks, though, it is worth taking a closer look at it, since there have been attempts to improve certain factors associated with its design.
One such aspect is the way that the hands grip the bar. If the straight bar is used, the hands grip it at an angle. This can, in turn, place the wrists under stress, since they are flexed at an angle. This may lead to pain in the wrists, since they change their angle as the bar is lifted into the air. A joint changing its angle under extreme strain, such as the weight of the plates, can contract injury.
One attempt to address this issue was the EZ bar's invention (pronounced "easy"). It takes the shape of a zigzag, yet it is made with the same material as the classic straight bar and has the same dimensions otherwise. The advantage of the EZ bar is that it can be gripped in what is supposed to be a more natural position for the hands, since they can incline inwards or outwards throughout the lifting movement.
Another development is the hex bar. The hex bar, as its name suggests, has a hexagonal aperture at its centre, instead of a single piece of metal spanning the gap between the plates. It also has a handle on either side of the aperture. It is made of the same material as other bars.
Of course, as soon as the design of exercise equipment is modified, new exercises and training approaches become possible. The hex bar allows for different methods of lifting, some of which are not possible with the more traditional bar designs. As an example, the person can stand inside the aperture and then lift the weight around themselves, using the handles. Standing directly between the weight plates is not possible with other designs, which require the weight to be lifted in front of the person, something that can cause injury or discomfort.
Those who are interested in using the hex bar should take note of the different exercises that are possible with it. Its designer may have envisaged exercises that the ordinary user won't be able to figure out themselves.
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