Today, we will review the Rep Fitness Hades deadlift bar and why you should consider purchasing it if you want a deadlift-specific bar.
Let’s start with the differences between this barbell and other powerlifting or general strength. First will be the diameter of the barbell. The Rep Fitness Hades Bar is a 27mm diameter versus most multi-purpose barbells, which will be 28.5mm. That one-and-a-half millimeter difference will give you a stronger grip on the bar. For many people, their deadlift will be limited by grip strength if they’re not deadlifting with straps. And so that thinner diameter is going to help improve your maximal strength.
The other thing that you have here is the length of the bar. The Rep Fitness Hades deadlift bar is 91 inches wide compared to other barbells, typically around 63 inches.
And that long, thin bar will give you more whip, which is a slight flexion of the barbell as you start pulling the weight off the ground. That’s also a massive advantage in the deadlift because it will make it a little bit easier for you to pull the slack out of the barbell.
If you’re using a stiff barbell and you have four plates on the bar, you have to lift all four plates at once.
When you use a deadlift bar, as that bar starts to flex, some of those plates will unload while some of them stay on the ground, helping you build up a little bit of speed and get into better positioning.
Hades Deadlift Bar Knurling
The next feature of this bar to discuss is the knurling. First, there is no center knurling, as that isn’t needed with a deadlift bar. Second, the knurling starts wider than most standard bars to get a little more leg clearance to reduce tearing on your shins as you lift. The knurling itself is very aggressive, which combined with the small diameter of the bar, will let you lock in a strong grip.
Sleeve Length
The next thing to consider with the Rep Fitness Hades deadlift bar will be the length of the sleeve. The sleeve is 15.5 inches long compared to a standard lifting bar like the Ohio bar, which has a 16.4-inch long sleeve. The Rep shorter sleeve could be the difference between putting another plate on. So, you really need to consider that depending on your weight-lifting plate type. If you’ve got powerlifting competition plates or competition plates, you’ll probably not run into any issues here. But if you are lifting with hi-temp bumper plates, this could limit how much you can load on the bar.
Rep Fitness Hades Bar Price
And then, finally, when we’re talking about the Rep Fitness Hades bar, let’s talk about pricing. This bar was $370 when this article was written, with Rep always offering free shipping. When we compare that to the Rogue Ohio bar’s deadlift version, it costs $375 plus shipping costs. So that will make the Rep bar considerably cheaper for a specialty bar.
Overall, I really like my Rep Fitness Hades bar here in the first two months or so that I’ve had it. I think it’s definitely worth considering buying if you want a deadlift-specific specialty bar.
