John Brookfield's Grip Tips

IronMind Bars: Used by the World’s Strongest Men

Strongman, grip, squats and deadlifts—IronMind bars are built to perform

Apollon's Axle: world champion thick bar
 
Apollon’s Axle™... Grip, Strongman Star

Not just the original--it debuted in 1994--but the best known and most widely used thick bar in top-tier strongman and grip competitions, the one that has more world records set on it than all the others combined. While the Apollon's Axle excels in strongman and grip, it's also perfect for anyone interested in functional strength.

Mikhail Koklyaev, attacking the Apollon's Axle as a weightlifter, cleaning the bar rather than using the conventional style, and then jerking it overhead, at the 2009 Giants Live! Mohegan Sun. Randall Strossen photo. Strongman competitor Mikhail Koklyaev attacks the Apollon's Axle as a weightlifter, cleaning the bar rather than using the continental style, and then jerking it overhead, at the 2009 Giants Live! Mohegan Sun. Randall Strossen photo.
Caring for IronMind’s Natural Finish Products

All IronMind Bars and some grip tools – Apollon’s Axle, Buffalo Bar, S-Cubed Bar, Big Boy Dumbbell Bars, Olympic Husky Handle DB Bars, Wrist Reinforcer, and Little Big Horn – are made from a natural finish steel. If you live in a humid place, you will want to keep the surface covered with something to block moisture or they will rust. We don’t know of a lifting bar ever oxidizing to the point of creating a structural risk, so the chief concern has always been cosmetic.


To restore a rusty bar to its original shiny look:

1. Use a light abrasive like steel wool or a Scotch Brite pad (made by 3M) to remove the surface rust. To prevent scratch marks, use a twisting motion around the circumference of the bar, rather than sliding up and down the length of the bar.

2. Block moisture from the surface by wiping down the bar with a rag covered with a light oil (WD-40, 3-IN-ONE, or even car wax), making sure to wipe off any excess before you lift.

3. Some people leave the knurling untreated, only cleaning the smooth sections of the bar.

Sentry Tuf-ClothIf you prefer a durable protectant with a dry finish (unlike oil), you might want to give the Sentry Tuf-Cloth a try; it is available in the IronMind e-store.

S-Cubed Bar: extra-long, extra-strong, extra-stiff
 
S-Cubed Bar™: Straight, Strong, Stiff

An extra-long, extra-strong, extra-stiff bar for things like squats and deadlifts—good for 1,500-pound quarter squats if you can do them and WSM-level deadlifts.

Zydrunas Savickas lay into the Giant Barbell, an extra-long IronMind S-Cubed bar with huge globes for a total weight of 790 lb.—and pulled an event-winning 8 reps at World's Strongest Man 2012. Randall Strossen photo. Zydrunas Savickas laid into the Giant Barbell, an extra-long IronMind S-Cubed bar with huge globes for a total weight of 790 lb., and deadlifted it for an event-winning 8 reps at World's Strongest Man 2012. Randall Strossen photo.
IronMind's Buffalo Bar
The Buffalo Bar™: Squat Like Paul Anderson

Designed to accommodate the kinds of weights Paul Anderson squatted in his prime—with ease, the IronMind Buffalo Bar is 92" long overall, which means you don’t have to be a yoga star to get under it for squats, good mornings, lunges, Hise shrugs, and all the other get-big-and-strong movements you do with a heavy bar on your shoulders.

The Buffalo Bar and SUPER SQUATS Hip Belt . . . when you’re ready to quit making excuses and decide to start squatting.

Make sure you're hanging around the right bars: visit our on-line store for more information about IronMind's Buffalo Bar, S-Cubed Bar, Apollon's Axle and more.

Team your IronMind bars with a proven winner in training information, MILO: Strength.

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