Dr. Ken’s Log Bar Question and Answer Page
Question #1: “How many exercises can I do with Dr. Ken’s Log Bar?”
Answer: A variety of upper and lower body exercises can be done with Dr. Ken’s Log Bar. Full workouts and exercise instructions are included with the complimentary training guide which comes with each log bar ordered from Functionalhandstrength.com. Our favorite exercises for the include the overhead press, bench press and hammer curl all of which we feel are superior to their “straight bar” counterparts.”
Question #2: “Can I use Dr. Ken’s Log Bar in a Power Rack?”
Answer: Not only can you, but it is highly recommended. At 7-feet long (the same as a normal-sized Olympic Barbell), the Dr. Ken Log Bar is idea for power rack training. You can use it for partials, heavy lockouts or supports for a variety of important exercises.
Question #3: “Will my barbell plates fit on Dr. Ken’s Log Bar?”
Answer: You can use bumper plates, iron plates, expensive plates or cheap plates because the bar ends of Dr. Ken’s Log Bar are milled down to the Olympic Standard of 1.95 inches so they will fit your barbell plates without issue.
Question #4: “Can I get a custom Log Bar made?”
Answer: Absolutely, the specs listed in the Q&A section are for our default Log Bar size and will fit just about anybody. Log Bars with the listed specs are currently being used by several top college football teams as well as high school teams so athletes of a range of sizes have had no problem fitting it. However, we can make a change if there is a particular option that you need to fit your body size.
Our friend Doug Scott, a high school strength coach in New Jersey regularly trains many high school age female athletes and found that an empty log bar was still too heavy for many of his athletes to lift. He let us know what he needed and we had our manufacturer chop down the loading area which reduced the weight to the desired level without affecting the functionality. If you would like a custom long bar in terms of weight, length, handle diameter or handle spacing, contact us and we can see what we can do.
Our friend Doug Scott, a high school strength coach in New Jersey regularly trains many high school age female athletes and found that an empty log bar was still too heavy for many of his athletes to lift. He let us know what he needed and we had our manufacturer chop down the loading area which reduced the weight to the desired level without affecting the functionality. If you would like a custom long bar in terms of weight, length, handle diameter or handle spacing, contact us and we can see what we can do.
Question #5: “How much does Dr. Ken’s Log Bar weigh?”
Answer: The 7-foot Dr. Ken Log Bar weighs approximately 50 lbs.
Question #6: “Can I get a Dr. Ken’s Log Bar for standard plates?”
Answer: We do not have a “Standard” plate version of Dr. Ken’s Log Bar as an ongoing product but our manufacturer can do them. If a standard-plate log bar is something that you are interested in ordering, please contact us with your shipping address and we can provide the details.
Question #7: “How much weight will Dr. Ken’s Log Bar hold? ”
Answer: Loading capacity will depend on the width of your barbell plates. That being said, the loading area of Dr. Ken’s Log Bar is just over 15 inches long so you are definitely not in any danger of running out of room.
Question #8: ” How is Dr. Ken’s Log Bar different than the actual steel or wooden “logs” that I see used in the Strongman contests on TV?”
Answer: Versions of Parallel grip pressing bars have been in use for well over 50 years but the “Log Bar” as we know it, got its name from actual logs with handles cut into them that were used on televised Strongman contests. While Log Bars certainly made for interesting events to watch on TV, they were not very effective when it came to training athletes. This was due to the fact that they were often unbalanced and even while “empty” were usually too heavy for many athletes to use.
Later, steal logs were created in the same style to allow weight to be added. While this was an improvement upon wooden logs, the fact of the matter is that with this design; the resistance is farther out from the body due to the great circumference of the log — which places unnecessary strain on the elbows and upper arms. Dr. Ken’s Log Bar has both a slim profile, and plate-loaded capability so that you are getting all of the benefits of log bar training without any of the unnecessary risks of using a traditional wood or steal log. Many trainees have reported that they parallel grips enable them to perform a variety of pressing movements that they could not perform with a barbell.
Later, steal logs were created in the same style to allow weight to be added. While this was an improvement upon wooden logs, the fact of the matter is that with this design; the resistance is farther out from the body due to the great circumference of the log — which places unnecessary strain on the elbows and upper arms. Dr. Ken’s Log Bar has both a slim profile, and plate-loaded capability so that you are getting all of the benefits of log bar training without any of the unnecessary risks of using a traditional wood or steal log. Many trainees have reported that they parallel grips enable them to perform a variety of pressing movements that they could not perform with a barbell.
Question #9: “What is the diameter and width of the handles on Dr. Ken’s Log Bar? ”
Answer:The handles of Dr. Ken’s Log Bar are 5 inches long, 1-3/8 inches thick and knurled in a precision diamond pattern for a sure grip every time. The width between the handles themselves is 19 inches with the length between the handle “guards” measuring 13 inches. Thus far these dimensions have not been an issue with some of the biggest, strongest athletes on the planet but other custom lengths, widths and diameters are available upon request, as previously noted.