The Basics of Multi-Ply: Bars and Racks

I wanted to write this series to get a few basic pieces of information out that I wish were more readily available online when I was first curious about gear. While common sense to competitors, I was unsure of some things coming up and hope this article finds someone early enough in their journey to make use of it.

Large Equipment

First, you will need a monolift. 

I would highly recommend a monolift if you can get access to one over the mono-hooks from Rogue or Titan or whoever. This is because the hooks aren't adjustable like a real mono and they won't come back as easily, meaning you have to lean into the rack. They also change your pick/unrack because there is not anything keeping them from moving in the first place. Also, if you want to put the arms in, it is only as adjustable as your power rack is. I've nearly died or cut my hands off using these hooks more times than I can count.

The brand of monolift isn't too important as long as it is well made and stable. EliteFTS, Dynabody, Legend, etc. All good options. 

As for better rack mounted options, Crepinsek used to make a rack mounted mono with bottle jacks and all but their website is now defunct and I have no point of contact for them. At a gym I used to train at, I had a friend who welded make a very rudimentary rack-mounted monolift that was honestly as close as it gets outside of a real mono or Crepinsek one.

The sides drop into the rack like pin safeties and the arms are attached to a tube that links the sides together. Behind them is a pin that goes through both arms which let you operate them from the back. It wasn't adjustable, the hooks could move forward freely, but it was so rudimentary I'm convinced anyone that could weld and had access to the materials could make this. If you are considering making one and want to see more pictures or videos of it in operation, reach out to roman@equippedpowerlifting.club and I will gladly provide you with more information.

Optionally second, you will need a competition bench. I personally love the ones Dynabody and EliteFTS make. It doesn't have to be a proper comp bench, but just a solid, dedicated bench with a good pad and heavy construction. You don't want to be benching big weights in a combo rack or shitty squat stands. 

Below is the custom bench Dynabody made for us at Deathwish Barbell. I must say, it is a fucking tank and the pad is great. 

However, I will say if you already have a solid power rack, preferably bolted down, the Rogue Thompson (or competition) Fat Pad monster utility benches are very good. They're super stable and the fat pads are perfect. Sticky without chalk, dense, wide, and fat make for happy shoulders and big benches. 

As for deadlifts, a platform with band pegs is nice, but you really just need a solid piece of ground with space for a bar.

Specialty Bars

I am not talking about SSBs, Cambered Bars of Buffalo bars. I'm talking about the competition bars necessary for the sheer size of the weights multi-ply equipment allows you to handle.

The first is the squat bar. The 55lb 32mm squat bar is not going to be what you want. These are usually too thin and flimsy. Ideally, you want a 60 or 65 lb 32+mm squat bar. 

On the market now, you only have two new options. The Sportkraft Xtreme squat bar or Texas Monster Squat Bar.

I have yet to hear much about the Texas Monster squat bar, but of the few testimonies I've heard all have been overwhelmingly positive. As for the Sportkraft Xtreme Squat bar, it has the endorsement of Dave Hoff, the WPO and APF. You shouldn't need much more than that to convince you it's solid.

As for some of the bars no longer produced to keep your eye out for, you have the Texas Westside Bulldog Bar, Texas Mastodon Bar, and Iron Wolfe Arctic Wolfe Squat Bar. The Bulldog bar was made as a collaboration between Texas and Westside and was a 65lb squat bar most easily identified by looking like a Texas Squat Bar on steroids. It has the same knurl pattern but is much thicker. The Mastodon Bar, also made by Texas but this time in collaboration with EliteFTS, is a 60lb squat bar but is very solid. It has a different knurl pattern with a longer center knurl, which looks like some older seldom seen versions of the Texas Squat Bar. The Arctic Wolfe bar is 65 lbs with some of the most aggressive knurling I have ever felt. It is fully knurled with only a center ring and power rings, like the Sportkraft. It is a tank and what supply is left of them is largely held and used by Northeast RPS and IPA meets. 

Bench Bars are a similar story with a few still around today and a handful left from a few decades ago. 

In fact, it is the exact same players as the squat bars. Sprotkraft makes a bench bar in collaboration with F8 Customs called the F8 Bench Bar, also 55 lbs and 30 mm. This is, similar to their Xtreme Squat Bar, favored by the APF and also has the endorsement of Jimmy Kolb. Jimmy recently took 1450 lbs to a 1 board with the F8 Sportkraft bar and it barely even bowed. It is serious. Texas also makes a 55 lb 30 mm Texas Bench Bar. We have one at Deathwish Barbell and I am a big fan. 

There are some older bars out there that if still produced would hold their own at least with the latest Texas. In fact, two of them were made by Texas- the Westside Bulldog Bench Bar and the EliteFTS Sabertooth Bench Bar. I have never used either but have heard good things about both. Iron Wolfe also made a bench bar, which I have used, and is quite the bar. I also watched Jimmy Kolb bench both his 1120 single-ply and 1320 unlimited in York Barbell with the IPA on an Iron Wolfe. The 1320 is certainly past what this bar was built for, however, it still held its own. Most of these bars are now with the IPA or RPS in the Northeast. 

As for deadlift bars, pick your poison. My favorite is the Texas, some like the Ohio, now the APF uses Sportkraft and some PA RPS meets still use an Okie. There is also Kabuki now in the USPA. The only deadlift bars I don't like are the Ohio and the Iron Wolfe. The Iron Wolfe is super stiff and I'm not sure what it is about the Ohio, but I just never pull well on it despite it being the bar I train on most. Ideally, train on whatever bar the federation you will compete in uses.