I don't support safety equipment. I support having 2 randomly selected out-of-shape men I see occasionally around the gym carry my whole life in their hands.
@@BasementBrandon Yup. I just received an RML-3 yesterday and already have a set of straps in my shopping cart, almost entirely because of what a hassle it is to adjust the pins --- plus that irritating sound that it makes. Ugh.
I use straps for squat but prefer pins for bench press. Straps, as you said, protect us and equipment. It's necessary for squat as the barbell with pretty heavy plates moves a lot. But the drawback of strap is when you fail the bench press, the barbell rolls to the lowest point (typically the center) of the straps that could hurt yourself. 1. If you align the lowest point of straps with your stomach, you have to set straps high enough so that its lowest point is still above your chest level. But straps above your chest will be in the way when you lower barbell to your chest. 2. If you align the lowest point of straps with your chest, you could have difficulty taking the barbell from the J-hook. Pins, on the other hand, can be simply set at your chest level. You can lie down wherever you feel comfortable to take barbell from the J-hook. Once you fail it, let it roll on the pins. It won't hurt you. It won't hurt the equipment either, as the barbell movement during bench press is quite stable and the weight is less. One more thing I love pins for bench press is its stiffness. The give of straps, although very tiny, makes me feel unprotected.
I wish flip down safeties were brought up in the discussion. Most quality flip down safeties now have UHMW, including Rogue. In my experience, if you have a quality bar, the bar is going to eat through j-cups/safeties/pins & pipe setups before the knurling will be damaged. If I was to do rack pulls (not a huge fan of these), I'd have a beater bar & pin/pipe safeties. The pin/pipe combo does a good job eating up a lot of energy that would otherwise bend the bar or pin. I don't feel that pin pulls are a solid argument for any other set up. You are going to eventually wear out the nylon safeties. It won't happen over night, but the pin/pipe combo is like a diamond, it's forever (see what I did there? lol). Otherwise, good video man. It's nice to see small topics like this brought up, since people are always in the market for new racks.
I tried to upgrade my pins to straps based on this review. I contacted Rogue and talked with Alex. He said no can do, even though my order wasn’t ready to ship. I asked why not and mentioned they had them in inventory. Alex didn’t even care. He said there was too much demand and they just weren’t going to do it. Thats what Alex said today. Overall, disappointed experience with their customer service. Im hoping when my rack comes in I will forget about. Right now though, my first experience is that Rogue doesn’t care about me because they have so much other business.
You could call and try to get someone else, but also during the pandemic times Rogue (and most other suppliers) are not doing things that are considered custom orders like this.
I just had the same thing happen. Needed to change my order right after it was placed. REP fitness got back to me right away and had no issue making the swap! REP customer service amazing! Rogue no bueno..
I love my Sorinex safety straps especially considering my rack is in a 10'x10' shed, space has to be used efficiently. The straps make it easier to change plates on the barbell without fully coming out of the rack. Very convenient !
Thanks for letting everyone know. I was thinking about getting a home gym and that clip had me kind of scared, even of my actual gyms equipment. But now I feel better about it and I'll just stick to using pins.
I was victim to the pins not absorbing the impact yesterday. Was doing squats my heaviest yet as the linear progress program told me to and was doing pretty good until I just couldn't get it up and knew I would fail. I thought "All good, I put the pins up" but they were kinda wobbly on this particular rack and I went down quite a way so the weight slamming on the pins caused one to jump off. Could definitely see why straps are better now.
no you just have a shitty rack and/or pin combo. cheap racks made in china come with cheap pins. im betting it isnt anything stronger than 11g steel right? and what kind of pins are they?
Good info Brandon. As someone that is looking to invest in a home gym in the future I had never considered straps before as pins were all I was used to from commercial gyms. Straps it is!
I get that the extra slack probably makes the straps a bit safer if they land at a high speed, but when I do actually fail at a squat or bench press, I'm usually failing slowly. I've never straight up dropped the bar and had it in free fall. So. I don't think it really makes much difference either way.
Was thinking the same, plus I prefer to set the pins/bars at the point where it's out of the way of whatever movement I'm doing & exactly at the height I want the bar to stop. I don't like the bar tapping off straps as I find it off putting & if I fail I wan't the bar to stop immediately, not roll away to the lowest point etc. Just my personal preference though 😁
Brandon Campbell Diamond Nah, the pins are just fine considering 30 years. You can see they're old as hell and a little bent but they're still holding up as they still use them. We aren't lifting anywhere near that anyways. Straps def have advantages but there's no reason to worry about pins bending or "damaging" a bar. If you're Brian Shaw or Big Z maybe. But us mere mortals, nah.
Brandon Campbell Diamond oh for sure their stuff is totally beat up, but that's the point. It's ugly but these are just weights and barbells. This isn't a beauty contest. Some digs and scratches after 30 years and they can still use it. I saw some people complaining on the Rogue site that the black zinc finish on their bars wears as time goes on.. I'm like, uhhh it's a barbell... Who cares. For sure you can bend some stuff with 135lbs, but you got other problems if you cant control 135lbs. Gotta use common sense. Straps won't save the knucklehead doing stupid things either.
@@frankm5150 agreed man, dropping 135 with iron plates from over your head on the floor will bend a bar. Maybe even carelessly dropping it from a squat, but you gotta be an idiot (who carelessly drops barbells) to bend a bar. Failing a squat isn't a catastrophic event. You get pinned and squat back down setting it on the pins. Brandon's too worried about the poor finish on the equipment lol. Same kinda guy that says "the powder coat on rouge's stuff is really nice."
I mainly got the straps for my rack because they are quieter and I also didn’t want to mess up my parkerized Froning bar. I got the straps when they transitioned to the newer design so they sent me the older design as well as the newer one. I use them for my bands and whatever else I hook up to the rack.
Brandon Campbell Diamond you probably ordered yours when I ordered mine Black Friday a few years ago. The older design was a pain in the ass but I use those as anchor points for stuff on my rack. They just let me keep them and sent me the newer design for free.
I prefer the solid pins. Placed below your desired range of movement, there is no contact between metal and metal under normal usage. If I do fail on a lift, its at the beginning of the concentric movement, so there is very little distance the bar drops. Also the rigid pin allows more precise placement of the stop position. For bench press, for example, since the bar is lifted off the rack next to the uprights, the movement is also fairly close to the uprights. I don't want an unweighted strap hanging in an arch interfering with my range of motion, yet not supporting the bar from penetrating well into my chest. With the pins, the height is level all the way across the rack, and placed just below the height of your chest, you will suffer no injury nor be pinned beneath the weight in the event you have to rest it on the pins.
yeah i dont get it really. you shouldnt be lifting so heavy that you drop a bar from shoulder height while squatting. at most you shouldnt ever really DROP any bar even if you failed. i've always SET the bar on the pins on a failed bench (just above my chest where i set the pins) or squat (at the bottom). well i cant speak for other idiots out there who TRY to lift more weight than they can
I think it depends what you are doing. For bench I like pins or safety arms better. U can set them just below your arch then if you fail u just drop the arch. The straps I find that with the give, u have to set them high enough where you would touch them. Personally looking at getting safety stands for squats because I grab the bar on squats so wide that my wrists hit the straps when I fail so I have to move them out of the way.
I can see this being an issue. I think for someone with no real arch like me, I'm bound to hit whatever is there (pins or straps), since straps let me complete the set easier, I prefer them.
I've got safety pins on my old school rack I bought 2nd hand. I'm about to DIY a tough rubber hose around them to protect my brand new bar. Also should eliminate a lot of noise
@@BasementBrandon it's an imperfect solution, I'm going to have to remove the hose when I reset the bars lol. Eventually, I'll get a new rack because of it, but it works for now 😁
Agree with your assessment, except when doing seating military press. I find it impossible to use straps because the bar rolls & sags. For this exercise safety pins are better. Any ideas suggestions? I really want to get rid of my safety pins. Thank you
I prefer pins for bench and straps for squats. Reason is, I set up pins below my chest position but above my neck. So if I fail a bench I push it up towards my neck and the pins hold, the I can slide my neck out. Straps for squats because I squat much more than I bench and although I am good at failing squats(have good bar dropping technique), straps means less damage to the equipment than if I did no safeties or used pins.
Counterpoint: Go to a commercial gym for a few months first, then acquire a set of gymnastics rings, a punching bag, and 3 single dumbbells (10 kg, 15 kg, 20 kg) for your home that won't cost anywhere near as much as a good rack will, and you're also set to do calisthenics/boxing workouts at home. I also bought 3 ceiling hooks to hang my rings & bag from (I got hooks that can hold ~200 kg/each, for safety; installed via expansion bolt screws _plus_ chemical anchor). Test out both methods for a few months and see what approach motivates you to workout best. I'll probably do both, but mainly rely on the gym. However, my punching bag and rings are a godsend on the days I don't go to the gym to. Personally, I also use hand grip trainers to keep my hands strong and prevent them from slipping off heavy loaded bars or tiring faster than my targeted muscle groups (depends on how much one trains per session). Entry level plastic ones are ~5 USD and will last months until you outgrow them and you likely won't even need them for a long time once you can do ~60 reps at max weight with them. I like gaining strength where I can, so I also bought 4 steel grippers (150/200/250/350 lbs) for ~50 USD in total. These should last me at least a few years if I train regularly. 6 months of gym membership included, I don't think I've spent 1k USD on everything, here in Eastern Europe. That said, it did take me several days to weight my options carefully and organize everything, but it was worth it for me. All the best from Romania, fellow lifters!
How about both straps and pins? Might help in the quest in not dying. Strap has a chance to absorb impact and pin as a last action safety somewhere between being crippled and death maybe
when i asked rogue to "upgrade" they stated they don't do that. For reasons like that one plus about three other customer service problems I had with my $3k order, i'll probably not order from them again.
Lol you're 100% correct. I don't think I ever noticed as they were sent attached already (they were a replacement for the 1.0 version). Fixed them, thanks.
One thing to note is you can still bend a barbell if it is dumped on the straps. I have seen 800+ lbs dropped from shoulder height on to those straps and it turned a 29mm power bar into a buffalo bar. Like you mention it isn't as hard of an impact as the the pin pipe, but there still is the chance of bending. I rack pull, getting up to 800+ out of the straps with a vintage 27.8mm york bar and havent noticed any deformation of the bar yet, but don't drop it. I think if I was using pin pipes I would have seen some deformation doing the rack pulls.
I think the biggest benefit of straps is the reduction of noise when the bar is dropped. I imagine a bar dropped onto a safety strap is less noisy than a bar landing on a safety bar.
On a squat I like the pins. They can be used mark parallel as does a box in box squatting. I do fail a lot, but my pins have never bent the bar. Luck i'd say; my brothers have bent plenty. Though they like to take the pins out so who can say. The biggest advantage of the straps wold have to be the lessened bounce. I have a squat rack rather than a cage, so a dropped squat can bounce out.
One argument against straps is that there's going to be a component of the force which is lateral and causes a bending moment on the columns. This may not be a large force, I didn't calculate it, but it's definitely there. The pins on the other hand, only apply force downward, the obviously preferable way to load a vertical column. One could mitigate metal-on-metal impacts and wear-and-tear by adding a layer of plastic (nylon or similar) to the top of the safeties. This would also lower noise, making workouts quieter and thus more pleasant.
@@BasementBrandon a flip-down safely also exerts a bending moment on the columns, because it will present a cantilevered load on the column you're hanging it on.
@@BasementBrandon in a nice, controlled failure, no doubt you're right. How about failing a 600 lb squat near the upper part of the lift because something tore? I mean a dead dropped weight that's got some serious speed when it impacts the safeties. I think that especially if you hit cantilevered safeties at their far end, you're very likely to bend something.
I’m curious as to how you would do isometric pin presses on bench or squats with the straps. If you’ve got two sets of pins you can work isometrics and sticking points.
Brandon Campbell Diamond i see. I personally i would prefer the safety of having two sets of straps to do the active isometric that I’m talking about. It’s not just holding the bar at a height. It is pressing with full intensity in to the top pin (or top strap) and then allowing it to rest on the bottom pin (or strap). Sorry i didn’t explain my question better the first time.
Straps wont bend your bar pins do , however if straps are used on a Monolift rather than a Rack and someone useses a suicide grip and falls with the bar then that can an has caused the mono to flip but generally straps prevent more accidents than they cause.
i'm a beginner and don't have a power rack (looking to get one) but it seems straps are good for squats, but it seems like pins are better for chest presses?
I recently purchased a squat rack and a friend gave me some old safety straps, the strap itself is really worn out so I was thinking of replacing it, is there somewhere where you can buy only the straps to replace them?
I also lift slightly forward in the rack. If I fail the bar will roll down the straps into the center of the rack making it easier for me to pop out from under the bar. Edit: Just watched the rest of the video and you said the exact same thing.... whoops.
A possible problem for safety straps if you have very cheap power rack: some cheap power racks that work well with stiff safeguards and pins might not be strong enough for straps and dropping heavy barbells. Because straps will redirect most of the impact energy into pulling the front and rear column towards each other, and if they are some 5x5cm (2x2inch) thin steel tubes of a shitty 150$ power rack, they just might bend and collapse the whole power rack. Stiff beam safeguards, unlike straps, do not pull the columns into each other, but rather just mostly transfer the downwards impact energy onto the columns, which is not a problem (for the columns at least, pins do suffer a lot here). If you have a very budget orientated power rack, this might be dangerous.
That is a good point, I was not aware of how expensive they are. Someone might still DIY-it, but I guess they know enough if they are confident to DIY safety straps. Thank you for replying. I'll edit the original post to not say "very important point was not mentioned".
Hey Brandon, at 1 :39 your safety straps are set higher towards your knees. Is it because there is too much slack and the straps jcups near your head can't go up any higher?
The nice thing is you can offset them to make them hit the spot perfectly. Here I have them angled so it will catch right at about my chest, but still protect my neck.
Looking into getting the RML-690.... no "C".... if I need color I can go buy some spray paint for a fraction of the price..... but black is fine with me. ANYWAYS...... I was just wondering what size/length of safety straps did you get to fit your rack? I assume they are the 43" variety.
I haven't used straps before, I really trust Brandon's opinion. But my only concern was can they handle a heavy load. But hearing him say that they can handle 10,000 pounds made me very relieved.
Thought straps were gimmicky before I got them but they are great. Have the straps, spotter arms and the rod and pipe. Rod and pipe are awful... Rogue needs to make a swing in type full length safeties for the rml... Never use the rod and pipe straps for squats and the spotter arms for upper body but the spotter arms are long enough to squat with the rml.
Brandon do you think it'd be a good idea to deadlift off of safety straps? Mostly as a way to mitigate noise since I'll be lifting on the first floor. Also to avoid smashing though the ceiling.
Does titan have no option for these? I always liked them as they allow for you to play with where the bar stops rather than one single postion but I have a titan x3 and don't know if they'd work
Well they did, but they had a pretty bad failure problem in that they couldn't even catch 135lbs. So they recalled them all and are redesigning them. Should be out again by end of summer.
I have the 4x4 rack , 2x3” x 11 mils I cant find anything on their site for that size I noticed your rogue rack is the same size roughly So how long are your straps 54”?? Were they custom ordered Thanks in advance
"My goal in life is to not die."
Shouldn't we set realistic goals though?
Ha! Technically right! The best type of right.
You go threw your whole life without dieing so your wrong
he's done pretty good so far!
Never give up! Nothing is impossible!
My goal in life is the same. To not die
I don't support safety equipment. I support having 2 randomly selected out-of-shape men I see occasionally around the gym carry my whole life in their hands.
lol too funny and too true.
😂😂😂😂
Hahahahaha
Very well put comment!!!
🤣🤣🤣If it's a public gym with people no problem but if ur working out on ur own u would reconsider that statement.
No drone footage, no dub step edits, no flashy cars... Unsub dislike report for spam
This is pretty accurate lol
3:02 rack pulls...we were all thinking it lol
#RACKPULLSABOVETHEKNEE
only black asses
Hah figured!
Amardeep SN #alphadestiny
I think it's hilarious but still have no idea where all the black asses references comes from regarding Alpha Please fill me in
I'd want straps to get rid of that cringe sound when you take out pins
I meant to talk about how much of a pain in the ass pins are to adjust but I forgot, whoops
@@BasementBrandon Yup. I just received an RML-3 yesterday and already have a set of straps in my shopping cart, almost entirely because of what a hassle it is to adjust the pins --- plus that irritating sound that it makes. Ugh.
@@MarkEWallace I read this comment ages ago thinking "can't be that bad" now I have a racm with pins and I can't stand the sound 🤣
Alpha Destiny pic when he said rack pulls 😂😂😂
the legend
When I see someone who needs a spotter I always say to myself: “if he dies, he dies”
lol
Lmao ded
ME TOOOOOOO! I’ve never ever ran to someone at the gym about to die on bench or deadlift hahaha idk why either
I guess I’d he dies he dies
Rocky IV
@@BasementBrandon I'm willing to bet this is a concerned "lol"
I use straps for squat but prefer pins for bench press. Straps, as you said, protect us and equipment. It's necessary for squat as the barbell with pretty heavy plates moves a lot.
But the drawback of strap is when you fail the bench press, the barbell rolls to the lowest point (typically the center) of the straps that could hurt yourself.
1. If you align the lowest point of straps with your stomach, you have to set straps high enough so that its lowest point is still above your chest level. But straps above your chest will be in the way when you lower barbell to your chest.
2. If you align the lowest point of straps with your chest, you could have difficulty taking the barbell from the J-hook.
Pins, on the other hand, can be simply set at your chest level. You can lie down wherever you feel comfortable to take barbell from the J-hook. Once you fail it, let it roll on the pins. It won't hurt you. It won't hurt the equipment either, as the barbell movement during bench press is quite stable and the weight is less.
One more thing I love pins for bench press is its stiffness. The give of straps, although very tiny, makes me feel unprotected.
I've found I'm able to adjust the straps where that's not an issue.
3:03
i see what you did there
;)
ABOVE THE KNEE
Sanjin Pilepić I
Sanjin Pilepić i
I wish flip down safeties were brought up in the discussion. Most quality flip down safeties now have UHMW, including Rogue. In my experience, if you have a quality bar, the bar is going to eat through j-cups/safeties/pins & pipe setups before the knurling will be damaged.
If I was to do rack pulls (not a huge fan of these), I'd have a beater bar & pin/pipe safeties. The pin/pipe combo does a good job eating up a lot of energy that would otherwise bend the bar or pin. I don't feel that pin pulls are a solid argument for any other set up. You are going to eventually wear out the nylon safeties. It won't happen over night, but the pin/pipe combo is like a diamond, it's forever (see what I did there? lol).
Otherwise, good video man. It's nice to see small topics like this brought up, since people are always in the market for new racks.
Brought up some good points! I don't think I've ever seen a pin/pipe set that was more than a few years old that wasn't bent however.
I tried to upgrade my pins to straps based on this review. I contacted Rogue and talked with Alex. He said no can do, even though my order wasn’t ready to ship. I asked why not and mentioned they had them in inventory. Alex didn’t even care. He said there was too much demand and they just weren’t going to do it. Thats what Alex said today. Overall, disappointed experience with their customer service. Im hoping when my rack comes in I will forget about. Right now though, my first experience is that Rogue doesn’t care about me because they have so much other business.
You could call and try to get someone else, but also during the pandemic times Rogue (and most other suppliers) are not doing things that are considered custom orders like this.
I just had the same thing happen. Needed to change my order right after it was placed. REP fitness got back to me right away and had no issue making the swap! REP customer service amazing! Rogue no bueno..
that's an instant order cancellation from me
@@oneillam1990my thoughts exactly.
I would have instantly cancelled my order
I love my Sorinex safety straps especially considering my rack is in a 10'x10' shed, space has to be used efficiently. The straps make it easier to change plates on the barbell without fully coming out of the rack. Very convenient !
When I first was scoping out my home gym it was through Sorinex and the straps were def on my list with them too.
lol at "rack pulls" hahahaha
laughes so hard when i saw dat pic
we were all thinking it.
For someone with as many subscribers as you responding to so many comments...respect
least I can do
always strap on, if possible
xenon237 You see...I.wonder if he was actually talking about something other than that
I was thinking about trying to say this but it wouldn't have sounded right lol
1:08 the user admitted to not setting the pins correctly in the holes. just saying
guilty
Thanks for letting everyone know. I was thinking about getting a home gym and that clip had me kind of scared, even of my actual gyms equipment. But now I feel better about it and I'll just stick to using pins.
I was victim to the pins not absorbing the impact yesterday. Was doing squats my heaviest yet as the linear progress program told me to and was doing pretty good until I just couldn't get it up and knew I would fail. I thought "All good, I put the pins up" but they were kinda wobbly on this particular rack and I went down quite a way so the weight slamming on the pins caused one to jump off. Could definitely see why straps are better now.
Hope you're ok!
no you just have a shitty rack and/or pin combo. cheap racks made in china come with cheap pins. im betting it isnt anything stronger than 11g steel right? and what kind of pins are they?
Great review man. I think the piece of mind with having that safety allows you to perform much better.
Thanks for taking a look!
Good info Brandon. As someone that is looking to invest in a home gym in the future I had never considered straps before as pins were all I was used to from commercial gyms. Straps it is!
Haha add it to the list!
Damnit why to you have to be so likable and informative. #RougeSignBrandon
unfortunately I have a face meant for podcasts.
I get that the extra slack probably makes the straps a bit safer if they land at a high speed, but when I do actually fail at a squat or bench press, I'm usually failing slowly. I've never straight up dropped the bar and had it in free fall. So. I don't think it really makes much difference either way.
More than just that as a benefit!
Was thinking the same, plus I prefer to set the pins/bars at the point where it's out of the way of whatever movement I'm doing & exactly at the height I want the bar to stop. I don't like the bar tapping off straps as I find it off putting & if I fail I wan't the bar to stop immediately, not roll away to the lowest point etc. Just my personal preference though 😁
3:03 Rack pulllssssss above the kneeeeeee broooooo
gains!
Great video-straight to the point and informative. Thanks!
Thanks man
"Rouge, gimme some free shit!" BCD 2017
No more asking, just telling.
4:27 gotta do more Crossfit lol
I think that's likely it!
Westside guys rack pull 1,000 pounds using pins in the same rack Louie had since the 80s. The pins will hold up just fine.
If you want bent bars and pins, sure.
Brandon Campbell Diamond Nah, the pins are just fine considering 30 years. You can see they're old as hell and a little bent but they're still holding up as they still use them. We aren't lifting anywhere near that anyways. Straps def have advantages but there's no reason to worry about pins bending or "damaging" a bar. If you're Brian Shaw or Big Z maybe. But us mere mortals, nah.
frankm5150 you can bend a bar/pin with as little as 135lbs. Take a look at their equipment. It’s beat to shit lol. Straps>>>>
Brandon Campbell Diamond oh for sure their stuff is totally beat up, but that's the point. It's ugly but these are just weights and barbells. This isn't a beauty contest. Some digs and scratches after 30 years and they can still use it. I saw some people complaining on the Rogue site that the black zinc finish on their bars wears as time goes on.. I'm like, uhhh it's a barbell... Who cares.
For sure you can bend some stuff with 135lbs, but you got other problems if you cant control 135lbs. Gotta use common sense. Straps won't save the knucklehead doing stupid things either.
@@frankm5150
agreed man, dropping 135 with iron plates from over your head on the floor will bend a bar. Maybe even carelessly dropping it from a squat, but you gotta be an idiot (who carelessly drops barbells) to bend a bar. Failing a squat isn't a catastrophic event. You get pinned and squat back down setting it on the pins. Brandon's too worried about the poor finish on the equipment lol. Same kinda guy that says "the powder coat on rouge's stuff is really nice."
I mainly got the straps for my rack because they are quieter and I also didn’t want to mess up my parkerized Froning bar. I got the straps when they transitioned to the newer design so they sent me the older design as well as the newer one. I use them for my bands and whatever else I hook up to the rack.
awesome! I actually had the older model but they released the newer ones like 2 days after my order so luckily I was allowed to swap them out.
Brandon Campbell Diamond you probably ordered yours when I ordered mine Black Friday a few years ago. The older design was a pain in the ass but I use those as anchor points for stuff on my rack. They just let me keep them and sent me the newer design for free.
I prefer the solid pins. Placed below your desired range of movement, there is no contact between metal and metal under normal usage. If I do fail on a lift, its at the beginning of the concentric movement, so there is very little distance the bar drops. Also the rigid pin allows more precise placement of the stop position. For bench press, for example, since the bar is lifted off the rack next to the uprights, the movement is also fairly close to the uprights. I don't want an unweighted strap hanging in an arch interfering with my range of motion, yet not supporting the bar from penetrating well into my chest. With the pins, the height is level all the way across the rack, and placed just below the height of your chest, you will suffer no injury nor be pinned beneath the weight in the event you have to rest it on the pins.
I think the same negatives you point out for straps also apply to pins.
yeah i dont get it really. you shouldnt be lifting so heavy that you drop a bar from shoulder height while squatting. at most you shouldnt ever really DROP any bar even if you failed. i've always SET the bar on the pins on a failed bench (just above my chest where i set the pins) or squat (at the bottom). well i cant speak for other idiots out there who TRY to lift more weight than they can
I think it depends what you are doing. For bench I like pins or safety arms better. U can set them just below your arch then if you fail u just drop the arch. The straps I find that with the give, u have to set them high enough where you would touch them. Personally looking at getting safety stands for squats because I grab the bar on squats so wide that my wrists hit the straps when I fail so I have to move them out of the way.
I can see this being an issue. I think for someone with no real arch like me, I'm bound to hit whatever is there (pins or straps), since straps let me complete the set easier, I prefer them.
Tryin' to get Rouge sponsorship lol
Not good enough at handstand push ups :(
*rogue
No stay big? At the end 😟
I've given up, living that small life.
i was always skeptical of these, was cared to trust my life on cloth looking material
They're super heavy duty and rated higher than normal pins.
I've got safety pins on my old school rack I bought 2nd hand. I'm about to DIY a tough rubber hose around them to protect my brand new bar. Also should eliminate a lot of noise
Smart thinking.
@@BasementBrandon it's an imperfect solution, I'm going to have to remove the hose when I reset the bars lol. Eventually, I'll get a new rack because of it, but it works for now 😁
If the material ever wears out you can buy Industrial Rigging straps flat EYE-EYE. They are surprisingly cheap when you need short lengths.
Nice.
Agree with your assessment, except when doing seating military press. I find it impossible to use straps because the bar rolls & sags. For this exercise safety pins are better. Any ideas suggestions? I really want to get rid of my safety pins. Thank you
I've done seated presses with the bench flat and use the straps set a little lower than my ROM allows to start from.
I prefer pins for bench and straps for squats. Reason is, I set up pins below my chest position but above my neck. So if I fail a bench I push it up towards my neck and the pins hold, the I can slide my neck out. Straps for squats because I squat much more than I bench and although I am good at failing squats(have good bar dropping technique), straps means less damage to the equipment than if I did no safeties or used pins.
You can do that for bench with straps as well
Even tho the pioneer belt video was awhile ago. I finally bought one this past weekend.
Please let me know what you think.
Upgraded my rouge order due to this information thanks TK.
Right on!
This was very helpful, thank you for making this video.
No problem!
Brandon, check out my newest video, where my squat rack actually tipped over into the wall because I use pins
Will go check out!
Counterpoint: Go to a commercial gym for a few months first, then acquire a set of gymnastics rings, a punching bag, and 3 single dumbbells (10 kg, 15 kg, 20 kg) for your home that won't cost anywhere near as much as a good rack will, and you're also set to do calisthenics/boxing workouts at home. I also bought 3 ceiling hooks to hang my rings & bag from (I got hooks that can hold ~200 kg/each, for safety; installed via expansion bolt screws _plus_ chemical anchor).
Test out both methods for a few months and see what approach motivates you to workout best. I'll probably do both, but mainly rely on the gym. However, my punching bag and rings are a godsend on the days I don't go to the gym to.
Personally, I also use hand grip trainers to keep my hands strong and prevent them from slipping off heavy loaded bars or tiring faster than my targeted muscle groups (depends on how much one trains per session). Entry level plastic ones are ~5 USD and will last months until you outgrow them and you likely won't even need them for a long time once you can do ~60 reps at max weight with them. I like gaining strength where I can, so I also bought 4 steel grippers (150/200/250/350 lbs) for ~50 USD in total. These should last me at least a few years if I train regularly.
6 months of gym membership included, I don't think I've spent 1k USD on everything, here in Eastern Europe. That said, it did take me several days to weight my options carefully and organize everything, but it was worth it for me.
All the best from Romania, fellow lifters!
I think this would largely depend on someone's training preferences, but I get the point!
This answered a good question, thank you sir.
Thanks for taking a look my dude, hope all is well.
How about a video on how to set up the safety straps for bench and squat.
Might be able to do that.
About to pb in the squat rack and always opt for straps. Solid video brahhhh
Thanks guys
How about both straps and pins? Might help in the quest in not dying. Strap has a chance to absorb impact and pin as a last action safety somewhere between being crippled and death maybe
Could def double up
when i asked rogue to "upgrade" they stated they don't do that. For reasons like that one plus about three other customer service problems I had with my $3k order, i'll probably not order from them again.
Weird, as they definitely do that.
"My goal in life is to not die." Solid goal.
Unfortunately not one you can achieve, only prolong lol.
>main goal in life is to not die
Brandon Immortal-Diamond
Haha maybe just prolong it as long as possible.
Hey Brandon you're straps should be flipped there's a wear padding.
Lol you're 100% correct. I don't think I ever noticed as they were sent attached already (they were a replacement for the 1.0 version). Fixed them, thanks.
You should do a video comparing strap with flip down safeties.
I think the only real benefit to the flip downs would be they usually have UHMW on them. But otherwise straps are still better to me!
One thing to note is you can still bend a barbell if it is dumped on the straps.
I have seen 800+ lbs dropped from shoulder height on to those straps and it turned a 29mm power bar into a buffalo bar.
Like you mention it isn't as hard of an impact as the the pin pipe, but there still is the chance of bending.
I rack pull, getting up to 800+ out of the straps with a vintage 27.8mm york bar and havent noticed any deformation of the bar yet, but don't drop it. I think if I was using pin pipes I would have seen some deformation doing the rack pulls.
Good point, I hope people aren't just dropping 800lbs from shoulder height however lol.
I think the biggest benefit of straps is the reduction of noise when the bar is dropped. I imagine a bar dropped onto a safety strap is less noisy than a bar landing on a safety bar.
On a squat I like the pins. They can be used mark parallel as does a box in box squatting.
I do fail a lot, but my pins have never bent the bar. Luck i'd say; my brothers have bent plenty. Though they like to take the pins out so who can say.
The biggest advantage of the straps wold have to be the lessened bounce. I have a squat rack rather than a cage, so a dropped squat can bounce out.
Right on
Great video. Very thorough explanation is less than five minutes!
Great to hear!
One argument against straps is that there's going to be a component of the force which is lateral and causes a bending moment on the columns. This may not be a large force, I didn't calculate it, but it's definitely there.
The pins on the other hand, only apply force downward, the obviously preferable way to load a vertical column. One could mitigate metal-on-metal impacts and wear-and-tear by adding a layer of plastic (nylon or similar) to the top of the safeties. This would also lower noise, making workouts quieter and thus more pleasant.
Would be more of a flip down safety in that case I'd imagine.
@@BasementBrandon a flip-down safely also exerts a bending moment on the columns, because it will present a cantilevered load on the column you're hanging it on.
@@losfromla1480 The force needed to do is more than any person is able to lift, so it's not an issue.
@@BasementBrandon in a nice, controlled failure, no doubt you're right. How about failing a 600 lb squat near the upper part of the lift because something tore? I mean a dead dropped weight that's got some serious speed when it impacts the safeties. I think that especially if you hit cantilevered safeties at their far end, you're very likely to bend something.
@@losfromla1480 You're going to bend pins in that case too.
Great video. Important topic that needed to be discussed!
Thanks for taking a look!
This dudes voice straight up earnt my sub
haha appreciate it
Brandon Campbell Diamond I love it, so calming
Good stuff never really thought about it.
Thanks for taking a look!
Good video, thanks for the info
Thanks for taking a look
Good to know thanks
You bet
I’m just fucking with you man you do you and yeah if you can’t lift it you can’t no matter what you listen to
:)
Excellent videos. A wealth of information. Now, I know how to use safety straps with a rack. 😀
Thanks Wes!
Great point
Thanks for taking a look!
I’m curious as to how you would do isometric pin presses on bench or squats with the straps. If you’ve got two sets of pins you can work isometrics and sticking points.
Same way, just adjust the straps to desired height.
Brandon Campbell Diamond thank you very much for your response! So just buy two pairs of straps just like two sets of pins. Got it. Thank you!
Jacob Nesmith ah not necessarily. A lot of people I know who do these with pins only own one pair
Brandon Campbell Diamond i see. I personally i would prefer the safety of having two sets of straps to do the active isometric that I’m talking about. It’s not just holding the bar at a height. It is pressing with full intensity in to the top pin (or top strap) and then allowing it to rest on the bottom pin (or strap). Sorry i didn’t explain my question better the first time.
Why not use both pins and straps? My rack came with pins and I added straps. Both have their place on the rack.
If you want redundancy in fail over sure. I just don't see a need for both and pins are much more annoying to adjust.
Straps wont bend your bar pins do , however if straps are used on a Monolift rather than a Rack and someone useses a suicide grip and falls with the bar then that can an has caused the mono to flip but generally straps prevent more accidents than they cause.
Have seen a few monos flip, not a fun time.
How do you use safety straps with bench press?
Set the mid point so it is around chest level, the uprights closest to you should be slightly above that way it protects your face.
So you're saying strap up or die? lol Solid video as always man!
50 cent was right all this time.
i'm a beginner and don't have a power rack (looking to get one) but it seems straps are good for squats, but it seems like pins are better for chest presses?
I think straps are still better as you can position them in different angles
"My goal in life is to not die." 🤣😂😅😄😆
Don't think that one will work out well
I recently purchased a squat rack and a friend gave me some old safety straps, the strap itself is really worn out so I was thinking of replacing it, is there somewhere where you can buy only the straps to replace them?
I believe some people recommend looking at harbor freight.
i couldn't stop laughing at that "Alpha"destiny shot
:)
I also lift slightly forward in the rack. If I fail the bar will roll down the straps into the center of the rack making it easier for me to pop out from under the bar.
Edit: Just watched the rest of the video and you said the exact same thing.... whoops.
Hah you beat me to it.
I like the fact you can do exercises with them instead of just having a single function. Thanks
Thanks for taking a look!
I got the Titan t-3 rack but it looks like they don't sell straps for it. Can I use rogue straps on my t-3?
They've suspended the straps due to safety issues. They should be available again in a few months.
A possible problem for safety straps if you have very cheap power rack: some cheap power racks that work well with stiff safeguards and pins might not be strong enough for straps and dropping heavy barbells. Because straps will redirect most of the impact energy into pulling the front and rear column towards each other, and if they are some 5x5cm (2x2inch) thin steel tubes of a shitty 150$ power rack, they just might bend and collapse the whole power rack. Stiff beam safeguards, unlike straps, do not pull the columns into each other, but rather just mostly transfer the downwards impact energy onto the columns, which is not a problem (for the columns at least, pins do suffer a lot here). If you have a very budget orientated power rack, this might be dangerous.
I don't imagine those who aren't willing to spend on rack would invest in something that's not cheap like good straps.
That is a good point, I was not aware of how expensive they are. Someone might still DIY-it, but I guess they know enough if they are confident to DIY safety straps. Thank you for replying. I'll edit the original post to not say "very important point was not mentioned".
Hey Brandon, at 1 :39 your safety straps are set higher towards your knees. Is it because there is too much slack and the straps jcups near your head can't go up any higher?
The nice thing is you can offset them to make them hit the spot perfectly. Here I have them angled so it will catch right at about my chest, but still protect my neck.
Great channel. Thanks for the info big dawg
Appreciate that
Good idea . I try it.
Haha right on
Rogue sells their straps with different depths . How do you know which one to pick ? Maybe a good video idea ?
Usually you get the depth for the according rack, like 30" for a 30" depth rack, 43" for a 43" rack.
@@BasementBrandon Danka !!!!
only advantage of pins is they are better for pin squats/presses .
I think I prefer straps for this now TBH
should we be putting the strap-on or off with pins?
I'm not sure I follow.
Looking into getting the RML-690.... no "C".... if I need color I can go buy some spray paint for a fraction of the price..... but black is fine with me. ANYWAYS...... I was just wondering what size/length of safety straps did you get to fit your rack? I assume they are the 43" variety.
Yep, 43"!
I haven't used straps before, I really trust Brandon's opinion. But my only concern was can they handle a heavy load. But hearing him say that they can handle 10,000 pounds made me very relieved.
I have a few videos showing tests too, I worked up to a 700 or so rack pull on them.
Are the rogue monster lite safety straps compatible with the titan t-3 36" deep rack? Wondering if the 43" straps are too slack for it or not.
Not sure, there's a conversion chart between Titan and Rogue that's floating around on the web that may have it.
Convinced me! Great video
Thanks for taking a look!
IVE BEEN WAITING SO LONG FOR THIS RESPONSE
sorry for the wait
I have a Titan X-3 power rack, if I order Rogue’s Monster Lite Strap Safety System 2.0 will they fit and work?
Titan stuff is hit or miss on if it fits or not.
wish i had room im house for a squat rack,will get the straps once i get a bigger place.
awesome!
Thought straps were gimmicky before I got them but they are great.
Have the straps, spotter arms and the rod and pipe. Rod and pipe are awful... Rogue needs to make a swing in type full length safeties for the rml...
Never use the rod and pipe straps for squats and the spotter arms for upper body but the spotter arms are long enough to squat with the rml.
Glad you like them
Brandon do you think it'd be a good idea to deadlift off of safety straps? Mostly as a way to mitigate noise since I'll be lifting on the first floor. Also to avoid smashing though the ceiling.
It will help with noise assuming you control the negative. Downside is a slightly limiting ROM unless you're elevated to offset it.
@@BasementBrandon Thanks man! Even after all these years you're still answering every comment. Mad respect
Have you done a video on that cambered (?) bar in the background?
I did a video on how to use it, if you search my channel for safety squat bar it should pop up.
Which size do you have?
43"
Does titan have no option for these? I always liked them as they allow for you to play with where the bar stops rather than one single postion but I have a titan x3 and don't know if they'd work
Well they did, but they had a pretty bad failure problem in that they couldn't even catch 135lbs. So they recalled them all and are redesigning them. Should be out again by end of summer.
Brandon Campbell Diamond okay, thankyou for the response.
So does Rogue not let people put affiliate links on UA-cam? They have a link in the footer of their site for their affiliate program.
They might, but I don't use it.
I have the 4x4 rack , 2x3” x 11 mils
I cant find anything on their site for that size
I noticed your rogue rack is the same size roughly
So how long are your straps 54”??
Were they custom ordered
Thanks in advance
Mine are the 43" ML version. You'd likely need the infinity version if yours is 2x3
Great info as always B!!
Thanks my dude!
Which length straps do you own.
For this video they're the 43" version
Yes this year I was maxing our for football and I maxxed on bench @ 125 because I hit the pin and it noched me all of balances
nice.
2:05 did YT mute you there? Copy right crap??
Yep!
Lol the ending. "Give me something free because I've spent a lot of money on your shit."
tired of asking lol