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Thread: Kabuki Transformer Bar

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Posts
    133

    Default Kabuki Transformer Bar

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    With permission of Coach, I'd like to post a review of the Kabuki Transformer Bar. As a preface, if I could, I would squat with a regular barbell. I've seen several coaches and used many grips to try to squat without arm pain over several years. I have also used squat bars, bent bars, a yoke bar, and a duffalo bar, all more or less unsuccessfully. So I'll get to it.

    The bar is built well. I keep it outside, in the rain. The sleeves have surface rust, but the rest of the bar has no blemishes. The foam padding is really nice and holds up well outside (it has a thick cover). A few other things I like are that it weighs 45 pounds, and you can partially disassemble it. The bar has a bunch of settings, but I only use the "low bar." Something annoying about it is that if I hold the handles on the knurled part, my arms will hit my legs at the bottom.

    As far as squatting, this piece of equipment is great if you are in a desperate arm/shoulder situation. My arm pain is totally and completely gone. There is definitely a cost though. Due to the weird shape, the bar is less stable than a normal barbell or even a duffalo bar. I have trouble setting my back angle, especially on the first rep, even more so on the warm up weights. I get wobble at the bottom. You also have to to push on the handles when you are going up because the bar rotates/moves on your back. But I am able to squat and not worry about having a dead arm after.

    Conclusion, if you have severe shoulder/arm problems, this is a great tool to keep pretty close as you can to a low-bar squat. I really had no idea how loose my back musculature was squatting until I used this bar. However, unless you have seen a coach, tried different grip variations, and tried a duffalo type bar (less awkwardly shaped), I would not use this bar.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2021
    Posts
    50

    Default

    Would you be willing to post a video squatting with the Kabuki bar in the low bar position? I tried a SSB a while back but it wasn't worth the extra strain on the knees, can everything besides bar position mimic a low bar squat or else get pretty close?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2021
    Location
    Winter Springs, FL
    Posts
    159

    Default

    I'd be very curious to hear more about this bar and specifically about where the padding on the actual bar contacts your body. I have a cheap SSB and it's fine for doing what are essentially front squats. Similar to the original poster here, if I hold the handles, my elbows hit my knees but that happens *well* below parallel and kind of acts as a tactile cue for the range of motion.

    Most SSBs have straight handles. It appears that the transformer bar has curve handles. This would be a huge improvement because I have to be *very* careful that I don't end up with weight on my cervical spine. Looking at what few pictures are on the website, it seems that the handles are curved in a way that the bar sits lower on your back than an SSB and the issue of stress on your neck would be eliminated.

    Also for $600+ you really should bring it inside when you're done lifting!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Posts
    133

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by RMiller1991 View Post
    Would you be willing to post a video squatting with the Kabuki bar in the low bar position? I tried a SSB a while back but it wasn't worth the extra strain on the knees, can everything besides bar position mimic a low bar squat or else get pretty close?
    There is minor knee discomfort during squatting, but I mitigated it by light sleeves. Definitely worth the trade-off from arm pain. You are using your hips significantly more with this compared to an SSB.


    Quote Originally Posted by EdTice View Post
    I'd be very curious to hear more about this bar and specifically about where the padding on the actual bar contacts your body. I have a cheap SSB and it's fine for doing what are essentially front squats. Similar to the original poster here, if I hold the handles, my elbows hit my knees but that happens *well* below parallel and kind of acts as a tactile cue for the range of motion.

    Most SSBs have straight handles. It appears that the transformer bar has curve handles. This would be a huge improvement because I have to be *very* careful that I don't end up with weight on my cervical spine. Looking at what few pictures are on the website, it seems that the handles are curved in a way that the bar sits lower on your back than an SSB and the issue of stress on your neck would be eliminated.

    Also for $600+ you really should bring it inside when you're done lifting!
    The padding sits pretty much around high bar area and middle of delts and the inner pecs. It sits lower than an SSB. It is significantly more comfortable than an SSB because of the padding, the better distribution of the load, and where it sits.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Posts
    272

    Default

    69 years old, shoulder mobility issues due to previous surgery and fractured glenoid, tried all the Paul Horn stretches but could never get in solid low bar position. Did high bar squats early in NLP but didn't like it. Decided to try this and it worked immediately. Bar is solid in low bar position and my squat is now up to 300#. I use 8mm static climbing rope which is perfect for this application. You can play with the length to get it adjusted to your degree of mobility/immobility. I've tried some novelty squat type bars but it was not as solid as the handles for me.

    squat shoulder pain - solution - DIY bar handles

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