The Original Texas Power Bar
Editor’s Conclusion
If your home gym is set up for modest weightlifting or bodybuilding, you can get away using the bar that comes included with your bench set. Eventually, you will need to move up to something like the Texas Power Bar.
When I first started lifting I used the bar that came with the Weider bench, and it worked really great for a while. However, once I graduated to powerlifting this bar was just lacking a certain something. During deadlifts, it started to bend permanently (which was something I was pretty proud of!), and I found that the weak knurling just wasn’t cutting it for bench presses.
Bars like the Texas Power Bar are designed for the big three lifts: squats, dead, and bench presses. It is composed of a very strong material that won’t bend no matter how much you load up the sleeve. I also love that this bar has really aggressive knurling that locks my hands in place but doesn't draw blood!
Below, I wanted to dive into all of the features of the Texas Power Bar that make it one of the ultimate powerlifting bars that are a must-have for any home powerlifting gym.
When I first started lifting I used the bar that came with the Weider bench, and it worked really great for a while. However, once I graduated to powerlifting this bar was just lacking a certain something. During deadlifts, it started to bend permanently (which was something I was pretty proud of!), and I found that the weak knurling just wasn’t cutting it for bench presses.
Bars like the Texas Power Bar are designed for the big three lifts: squats, dead, and bench presses. It is composed of a very strong material that won’t bend no matter how much you load up the sleeve. I also love that this bar has really aggressive knurling that locks my hands in place but doesn't draw blood!
Below, I wanted to dive into all of the features of the Texas Power Bar that make it one of the ultimate powerlifting bars that are a must-have for any home powerlifting gym.
The Original Texas Power Bar Review Facts
Editor's Pros & Cons
Pros
Central knurl is great for deadlifts
Affordable price point
186,000 psi tensile strength
1,500-pound overall weight capacity
Aggressive knurling
No whip - the bar will not bend even under very heavy weights
Cons
Sleeves are shorter than expected
Key Features
SIZE
This bar measures to be 86 inches long and 28.5 inches in diameter, which is standard for all powerlifting bars. What makes this bar a little different is that the sleeves are slightly shorter than other powerlifting bars out there on the market.
These sleeves measure to be just 17 inches long, which can become a problem in some cases. For me, the sleeve length is perfectly fine because I have standard Olympic plates, and I am not freakishly strong. However, if you are training professionally or only have bumper plates, you may find the sleeves of the bar to be just a tad short.
This bar weighs in at 44 pounds, which is standard for most powerlifting bars. If you are graduating from a standard bench press bar, it is important to note that this bar will be a little bit heavier.
Standard bars that come with benches often weigh around 25 pounds, so this bar will add an additional 20 pounds of weight to your lifts. Be sure to keep this in mind with loading up your plates!
STRENGTH
It doesn’t get much stronger than the Texas Power Bar. This bar offers users an impressive 186,000 psi of tensile strength. This means that you would need to exert 186,000 pounds of force in order to tear this bar apart. So yeah, it’s pretty strong. Good powerlifting bars usually fall within the 135,000-165,000 psi range, so the Texas bar goes above and beyond.
This higher level of tensile strength also means that this bar offers zero whip. Sometimes this can be a good thing, and other times it can be a bad thing. For deadlifting, some users like a little bit of whip to help keep the motion natural and fluid.
Personally, I don’t like my bar to have any whip during my deadlifts, which makes the bar perfect for me. If you are a fan of a modest whip, I suggest using this bar for benches and squats and using your old bar for deadlifts.
What is also super impressive about this bar is that it is able to accommodate up to 1,500 pounds of weight without the bar bending under the pressure. If you are worried that 1,500 pounds aren’t quite enough for your impressive deadlifts, I can assure you that it is enough.
In May of 2020, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson set the current world record for deadlifts with a PR of 1,104.5 pounds. He could have used the Texas bar to achieve this record, and still have around 400 pounds to improve!
KNURLING
Good knurling is the bread and butter of any powerlifting bar. This bar boasts some pretty aggressive knurling which will feel a little awkward at first. What I love most about this aggressive knurling is that it really helps lock my hands in place whether I’m bench pressing or deadlifting. I find that it really digs into the back when squatting, which can be a little uncomfortable. But the slight discomfort is well worth the feeling this bar gives me in my hands.
What I also really love about this bar is that it boasts a center knurl. I assumed that a center knurl was standard on all powerlifting bars, but that just isn’t the case. I always recommend a bar with a central grip for a variety of reasons.
First of all, it's great for close grip bench presses, and also provides a frame of reference when searching for the proper hand placement. A central knurl also helps to grip your back when engaging in squats. It may be a little uncomfortable, but when you are loading up the bar with plates for heavy squats, you want all of the stability and control that you can get.
PERFORMANCE
The title of the bar says it all. For dedicated powerlifters, this is one of the best bars that money can buy. So, what exactly makes the Texas Power Bar great for powerlifting? First of all, its overall strength is able to accommodate record-setting bench presses and power lifts. If you want something that is able to grow as you get stronger, this is a great bar. It has a weight capacity of up to 1,500 pounds, which is far more than the current record holder in deadlifts.
Overall strength isn’t just the only thing that makes this bar ideal for powerlifting. The aggressive knurling is also great for heavy and compound lifts. You need to have a good grip on the bar, and weak knurling just won’t cut it. All of the chalk in the world cannot compare to a bar that has deep grooves that helps to lock your hands in place. Plus, the addition of a central knurl makes this bar great for squats as well.
PRICE
To me, one of the best features of the Texas Power Bar is its affordable price point. It may come up a bit short when compared to the Ohio Bar, but these most likely won’t affect you unless you are freakishly strong. For me, the specifications of the bar meet my needs perfectly and allow for plenty of room to gain strength. There will likely be no point when I become too strong to use this bar.
When you compare the specifications and performance of this bar to other options out there on the market, the Texas Power Bar is hands down the better overall deal.
This bar measures to be 86 inches long and 28.5 inches in diameter, which is standard for all powerlifting bars. What makes this bar a little different is that the sleeves are slightly shorter than other powerlifting bars out there on the market.
These sleeves measure to be just 17 inches long, which can become a problem in some cases. For me, the sleeve length is perfectly fine because I have standard Olympic plates, and I am not freakishly strong. However, if you are training professionally or only have bumper plates, you may find the sleeves of the bar to be just a tad short.
This bar weighs in at 44 pounds, which is standard for most powerlifting bars. If you are graduating from a standard bench press bar, it is important to note that this bar will be a little bit heavier.
Standard bars that come with benches often weigh around 25 pounds, so this bar will add an additional 20 pounds of weight to your lifts. Be sure to keep this in mind with loading up your plates!
STRENGTH
It doesn’t get much stronger than the Texas Power Bar. This bar offers users an impressive 186,000 psi of tensile strength. This means that you would need to exert 186,000 pounds of force in order to tear this bar apart. So yeah, it’s pretty strong. Good powerlifting bars usually fall within the 135,000-165,000 psi range, so the Texas bar goes above and beyond.
This higher level of tensile strength also means that this bar offers zero whip. Sometimes this can be a good thing, and other times it can be a bad thing. For deadlifting, some users like a little bit of whip to help keep the motion natural and fluid.
Personally, I don’t like my bar to have any whip during my deadlifts, which makes the bar perfect for me. If you are a fan of a modest whip, I suggest using this bar for benches and squats and using your old bar for deadlifts.
What is also super impressive about this bar is that it is able to accommodate up to 1,500 pounds of weight without the bar bending under the pressure. If you are worried that 1,500 pounds aren’t quite enough for your impressive deadlifts, I can assure you that it is enough.
In May of 2020, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson set the current world record for deadlifts with a PR of 1,104.5 pounds. He could have used the Texas bar to achieve this record, and still have around 400 pounds to improve!
KNURLING
Good knurling is the bread and butter of any powerlifting bar. This bar boasts some pretty aggressive knurling which will feel a little awkward at first. What I love most about this aggressive knurling is that it really helps lock my hands in place whether I’m bench pressing or deadlifting. I find that it really digs into the back when squatting, which can be a little uncomfortable. But the slight discomfort is well worth the feeling this bar gives me in my hands.
What I also really love about this bar is that it boasts a center knurl. I assumed that a center knurl was standard on all powerlifting bars, but that just isn’t the case. I always recommend a bar with a central grip for a variety of reasons.
First of all, it's great for close grip bench presses, and also provides a frame of reference when searching for the proper hand placement. A central knurl also helps to grip your back when engaging in squats. It may be a little uncomfortable, but when you are loading up the bar with plates for heavy squats, you want all of the stability and control that you can get.
PERFORMANCE
The title of the bar says it all. For dedicated powerlifters, this is one of the best bars that money can buy. So, what exactly makes the Texas Power Bar great for powerlifting? First of all, its overall strength is able to accommodate record-setting bench presses and power lifts. If you want something that is able to grow as you get stronger, this is a great bar. It has a weight capacity of up to 1,500 pounds, which is far more than the current record holder in deadlifts.
Overall strength isn’t just the only thing that makes this bar ideal for powerlifting. The aggressive knurling is also great for heavy and compound lifts. You need to have a good grip on the bar, and weak knurling just won’t cut it. All of the chalk in the world cannot compare to a bar that has deep grooves that helps to lock your hands in place. Plus, the addition of a central knurl makes this bar great for squats as well.
PRICE
To me, one of the best features of the Texas Power Bar is its affordable price point. It may come up a bit short when compared to the Ohio Bar, but these most likely won’t affect you unless you are freakishly strong. For me, the specifications of the bar meet my needs perfectly and allow for plenty of room to gain strength. There will likely be no point when I become too strong to use this bar.
When you compare the specifications and performance of this bar to other options out there on the market, the Texas Power Bar is hands down the better overall deal.
Comparisons to Similar Bars
If you are shopping around for a new powerlifting bar, it often boils down to a battle of the states: Texas Vs Ohio. The Texas Power Bar and the Ohio Bar from Rogue are the two big contenders when you are shopping around for the best of the best. Both bars are built the same and offer the same level of strength (the Ohio bar just slightly edges out the Texas Power Bar in overall weight capacity), but there are a few key differences.
If you have no intentions of hosting any powerlifting competitions, the Texas Power Bar may be the better choice. It offers all of the same strong and durable features as the Ohio Bar, but it comes in at a slightly more affordable price point. Gym equipment is a notorious bank account drain, and I am a big proponent for saving money whenever you can.
Another key difference between the two bars is that the loading sleeve of the Texas Power bar is slightly shorter than the Ohio Bar. For most, this won’t be much of an issue unless you are an absolute beast that can deadlift a massive amount of plates, or your plate collection consists of nothing but bumper plates.
If you have no intentions of hosting any powerlifting competitions, the Texas Power Bar may be the better choice. It offers all of the same strong and durable features as the Ohio Bar, but it comes in at a slightly more affordable price point. Gym equipment is a notorious bank account drain, and I am a big proponent for saving money whenever you can.
Another key difference between the two bars is that the loading sleeve of the Texas Power bar is slightly shorter than the Ohio Bar. For most, this won’t be much of an issue unless you are an absolute beast that can deadlift a massive amount of plates, or your plate collection consists of nothing but bumper plates.
Verdict
If you are looking for the best of the best and want to keep the price tag relatively low, the Texas Power Bar is one of your best options. It is composed of super-strong materials that hold up quite well when deadlifting, squatting, or bench pressing.
It’s not quite as strong as the Ohio Bar, but there are not many professional powerlifters out there that have actually overloaded the Texas Power Bar. What I love most about this bar is that it offers excellent knurling for a strong and supportive grip, and it just feels great to wrap your chalked hands around. It comes in a few different color options in the sleeves that look sharp and expensive.
It’s not quite as strong as the Ohio Bar, but there are not many professional powerlifters out there that have actually overloaded the Texas Power Bar. What I love most about this bar is that it offers excellent knurling for a strong and supportive grip, and it just feels great to wrap your chalked hands around. It comes in a few different color options in the sleeves that look sharp and expensive.
