Monday, 15 June 2015

Advantages Of The Stainless Steel Hex Bar

By April Briggs


Exercising with weights is an important part of physical training and fitness for many people. Weights are typically used by those who want to increase their muscle mass or their physical strength. A standard item in their equipment is the barbell, or simply the bar. The stainless steel hex bar is one design version of the barbell.

The principle behind the barbell is extremely simple. It is simply that the weight is raised using both hands at the same time, at an even height. Some people shift the weight to knee height (dead-lift), others to shoulder height, and sometimes even right above their heads. Unlike the dumbbell, the bar makes it possible for them to shift greater weight because they are using both hands.

The bar itself has not escaped the attention of designers trying to experiment with its concept. The traditional or straight bar is possibly the one that is used the most. It is simply a straight metal bar or rod with the plates screwed onto its ends. Yet even this simple design merits more attention, because various issues arise in its use, issues which modifications try to resolve.

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.

In order to counter this issue, the EZ ("easy") bar was introduced. The EZ bar has the shape of a zigzag, even though it has exactly the same material specifications as the straight bar. Its design allows the weightlifter to raise the bar with straight wrists, since the hands are pointing inwards or outwards, according to the preference of the user. This is the EZ bar's main advantage.

The hex bar goes far further, however. It has a hexagonal opening in the middle of the space between its ends, hence its name. This opening is formed by a bar on either side. At each side of the opening, there is a handle. Once again, it is made of the same material as other bars.

This modified design allows for exercises which were not possible with either the straight or EZ bar. This illustrates the principle in gym equipment design that a modification sometimes enables new exercises. Users of the hex bar can stand within the hexagonal space and dead-lift directly upwards, holding the handles. They therefore, effectively, are holding the weight plates directly at their sides. This is in contrast to the other bars, which require their users to hold the weight in front of their bodies as they lift it, something which is potentially dangerous, or at least awkward.

The designer of a new piece of exercise equipment might be able to devise exercises which ordinary users don't think of. This is why you should do some homework on what is possible with the hex bar before starting to use it.




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