Burn Machine LLC Universal Barbell

I ordered the Ultimate Barbell yesterday evening and received it the following day, thanks to Amazon Prime's "Saturday Delivery" flat rate option it cost less than $10 to have it the next day. I noticed immediately there was some damage to the box that contained the barbell but when I opened the box there was no damage to the barbell. It comes with 4 clamps, not sure why. My initial thought was that they must break easily, but they seem sturdy. I don't have standard plates yet (you have to purchase an attachment for Olympic plates to fit) so we'll see. I have found that the clamps are good to put on if you're doing pushups if you don't have plates and they function as a "stand" for the barbell when not in use. Otherwise it would be easy for someone to stub a toe on.I just finished up a short workout and found all 22 lbs of it to work sufficiently for a quick sweat. I did a couple of short circuits: (1) barbell curls to lunges with curls to arnold presses (2) Front squats which I transitioned to dead lifts then I took it up for a shoulder press then reversed the motions so that I ended finishing out the front squat. I also did a set of split squats, holding the barbell at the top on one side and then switching hands. I found it more comfortable to wear my lifting gloves because that plastic is kinda hard. Finally, (3) I did a set of chest presses on my exercise ball and then some overhead pullovers on the ball. I tried some other exercises with it when I got it like a kneeling squats to see what it felt like and it wasn't bad so I could probably do a crab walk squat with it too.I mention my workout and other exercises I was able to complete with it only to suggest that I quickly found that there were a lot of different moves I could do that I would never be able to switch between so easily with dumbbells or a barbell alone, and I look forward to figuring out what else I could do. It makes working out at home a little fun because you're working out with what looks like such a high-tech piece of equipment.The reason I've given it 4 stars is because I wish there was a way to keep the counterweight in the middle. It's benefit, so Burn Machine tells us is that it keeps you from cheating to one side or the other and it gives you "counterweight" for your exercises so that your core and muscles compensate for the added weight. Fine and dandy, however, for exercises where you're using it with one hand, as might be the case for a one handed row, it's annoying and feels a bit awkward.If you're a muscle junkie like me and know that the winter months are going to make it hard to get out of bed and get in the gym for that 5 day split, it's worth a shot. And if your in the market to build yourself a home gym, this could potentially be a great alternative to dumbbells.

I actually like this device reasonably well so maybe 3 stars is low but 4 doesn't seem right - more like 3.5ish.The basic rotation idea is the best part - in some moves like overhead press, particularly if you have a combination of hand, carpal tunnel, and shoulder issues, it's a pretty good way to work on rehabbing the overhead press motion because you can rotate to the least injurious wrist position in each part of the motion. This would work better if the handles also rotated along their long axis but at low weights you can deal with it (better at least than at heavier) by sliding your hands around the grips as you rotate.The spring clips are tacky and while they will probably work, I'd suggest throwing them away immediately in favor of something like 1" lockjaws. To my eye, these cheap the appearance of the product as does the semi-gloss black and chrome finish. They make a green model with less chrome that looks better, more like a 50s toaster, but for some reason they are in short supply and way overpriced.As to the price of this you will have to decide - for the quality of the construction it's overpriced but the hand motion is unique as far as I know for an adjustable-weight bar and does indeed relieve some unnecessary stress in certain moves. And you can do quite a few barbell-type moves with it if you want to make it a large part of your workout. So far I think the best uses are for rowing and overhead press so if you think out where your stress points are in those moves it may help you decide about this.The sliding thing gives the impression of a gimmick - it's almost not noticeable where it is but it does threaten to slide and possibly destabilize you during some move in a way that could exacerbate an existing injury. I'm undecided whether to leave it sliding around freely yet but think you could probably lock it out with a pair of OPEN-ENDED spring clips from a hardware store - not the pair that come with it because there is no way to put them on. Or you could put some duct tape around the chromed bar on both sides of the sliding weight to fix it in place. They ought to give you a lockout for this weight but don't and that's at least a star off.You can't load this very heavy for rows because there is not room for many plates and you'd exceed the bar's maximum weight rating, but there are other bars available if you want to load it heavier - just without the free-in-one-plane grip rotation.Finally, and because overhead press is where I need the rotation the most: it loses a star here, roughly, because it is not designed to clear your face so you can't move in the optimal path. Instead, the sliding gimmick occupies the spaces there the single connecting bar should go, then it's got those rounded bars on either side of the central slide...and those bars interfere with your face in the overhead press.Oh, one more thing...it's shaped in such a way so that when you pick it up while it's standing vertically, hard edges inside the rotating grip area can significantly bruise the backs of your hands so you have to be careful how you pick it up, or maybe wear padded gloves.I guess that all makes it about a 3, come to think of it. If all that was addressed and at around eighty bucks or so it would be a five.

I've only used the barbell for a week, (I've used the Burn machine speed bag for about 2 months), but already I can tell it will become part of my regular fitness regimen. I love the free-floating center weight that acts as a level to visually maintain proper balance and form, as well you can easily tilt it to one side or the other for some increased weight and focus on one arm or the other. The action is smooth, and non-restricting, and already my wrists feel better than after a dumbbell workout. Using both arms/hands/wrists/shoulders in unison, in support of one another and load balancing, is a great and safer way to get a well rounded burn.Wow, the overhead triceps curls with this barbell are outstanding, and fluid. Having your wrists naturally turn with the rotating handle is both novel and accommodating, and opens up more flexible options for positions, posture, etc. Well done. I'll try to make some videos if I can.

Great Product. There are some excellent "Youtube" videos that demonstrate the variety of the exercises. It's 24 pounds as is. But of course, you can add weights to it. They have the cool crescent weights that are four pounds each, but they're expensive. But this is a great exercise tool because of the hand grips that rotate 360 degrees. So basically you can do a curl with a wrist twist followed by an overhead raise followed by a tricep extension and then reverse back to starting position. And because it's two handed barbell, it's very safe. The weight in the center is a bit gimmicky in that it doesn't really do anything except if it moves it tells you you're not keeping the barbell level. You can do assymetric exercises if you're so inclined. You can do a lot of exercises with it. And you will get stronger using it. It's very well made.