Whether you go to the gym or work out from home, dumbbells and barbells might play a part in your training but you may not have seen them in a square and rectangle grip form, however. In this article we will discuss the purpose of these different grip styles, who they can benefit, and exercises you can complete with them.
Why Train with Square and Rectangular Grips?
With the ever-increasing popularity of strength sports such as strongman and powerlifting, there is a larger call for equipment variety than ever before. Grip positions play a key role in getting the most out of exercises, including adjusting the muscles you hit and strengthening tendons and ligaments you may otherwise miss. This is where the Mirafit Square Grip Strongman Bar and Beam Dumbbell Bars can help!
Typically, square and rectangle grip barbells and dumbbells offer a larger, thicker surface area to grip, versus a typical dumbbell or barbell shaft. This amplifies recruitment of grip during exercises such as barbell curls, dumbbell presses and deadlifts, increasing forearm, wrist and thumb and finger utilisation, strength, and endurance.
What Are the Benefits of Square Grip Training?
Alongside improving your grip and upper limb strength, the single-piece construction, combined with the flat metal edges reduces rotational movement, meaning you can put more torque into your lifts with increased control and less slipping from sweat.
Mind muscle connection is also improved, as you adjust to the different muscle sets required, just from holding the implement alone. Going back to the reason most people train, they are fun! Mixing up your training with new kit and a new challenge is a terrific way to keep you stimulated to achieve your goals.
Who Should Use Rectangular Grip Training?
Predominantly targeted squarely at strongmen (get it?), these barbells and dumbbells can be used by any intermediate or advanced lifter. Strongmen can benefit for grip event training, powerlifters can make great use of these as an option to strengthen their grip for deadlifts, and bodybuilders or power builders (and anyone, really) can bulk out their forearms.
Whilst these barbells and dumbbells might not be suitable for everything, such as specialist Olympic weightlifting lifts, they are incredibly versatile and suit their purpose in a multitude of exercises. They are great for grip challenges, such as pinch grip training, as well as deadlifts, rack pulls, mixed grip holds, curls, overhead presses, and rows. If you would like a great travelling exercise, you can also train farmers walks with these too.
Square Grip Bars vs Axle Bars
Square and rectangle grip barbells and dumbbells and their axle equivalents both provide excellent ways to train your grip strength and endurance, in turn growing your forearms. They key difference lies in their design.
Axles use thick grip round, solid or hollow shafts. The angular design of rectangle and square grips can make them more ergonomic and comfortable for the wrists. Both often use a one-piece construction, demanding and supplying more torque directly to your lifts. Mirafit axles bars, while thick, are narrower than the square and rectangular grip options, making them preferable for those with smaller hands.
Axle Bars can be considered suitable for lifts such as squats, clean and jerks and snatches, while square and rectangle grips are perfect for a multitude of accessory lifts. Both options have the ability to complement each other.
Superb for strongmen training for grip events, for lifters looking to build their forearms, or to spice up your day-to-day training, there are a multitude of reasons to have these square and rectangular freeweights in your toolkit! Whilst not suitable for every lift you would use a conventional barbell or dumbbell for, their suitability in such a wide range of body workouts makes them very dynamic. If you have them in your gym, or are looking for something a bit different to try, why not give these a go?
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Tags: Equipment > Bars and Weight Plates ; Equipment > Dumbbells ; Exercise Type > Strength ; Misc > Gym Planning
