Okay, maybe we’ll start with just 10, but these handles are so versatile that I’m confident lifters will eventually think of at least 101 ways to incorporate them into their training.
After years of powerlifting, my shoulders have become increasingly tight. At Orlando Barbell, we have the option of using specialty bars to train with to reduce the stress that accompanies using a straight bar for squatting. However, I realize that not everyone has this luxury, especially if they’re training on a budget or are training at a home or commercial gym.
I developed the OBB Power Handles (patent pending) specifically with these lifters in mind, just as I developed the Home GHR and the M2 Method ebook. I'm trying to give lifters the opportunity to excel while working with limited equipment and financing. I have to admit that I’m not the most social guy, so public speaking isn’t my forte. But designing equipment is a fun and rewarding way for me to Live, Learn and Pass on. I hope these handles will help me to do just that.
Here are some of the potential exercise options:
1. Use the handles to perform a motion similar to that of a SS or yoke bar squat. I realize that this motion isn’t the same as with the use of an SS bar. The SS bar distributes the weight so that you have to stay more upright or you’ll move in the direction the bar is going, thus increasing the recruitment of your erector spinae and rectus abdominis. However, the OBB Power Handles give lifters the option of performing a similar motion.
2. Use the handles to perform a motion similar to that of a cambered bar squat. Once again, I realize that this isn’t the same movement as with a cambered bar because the weight on a cambered bar is distributed lower to require more stability, but it does give lifters yet another option.
3. Use them for front squats. Due to the size of my massive biceps (this is a joke; it’s actually just because my shoulder mobility sucks), the only way that I can do front squats is to use the SS bar turned around so that it pushes the weight back into me. Many lifters use straps to hold the bar. The handles give lifters a much more stable option.
4. Use them for Zercher squats/deadlifts. This is actually one that I hadn’t originally thought of. I also wasn’t sure if the handles would be able to hold weight like this because that wasn’t the point of the original design, but the manufacturer assured me that they would. This gives lifters the option of performing Zerchers off the floor instead of dealing with walking them out of a rack. The handles also have padding, which makes the movement more comfortable. Well, at least more comfortable than a Zercher would normally be.
5. Use them for farmer’s walk handles. Farmer’s walk handles can be expensive, and dumbbells that are heavy enough for this movement can be awkward to pick up from the ground. The handles can be used for this purpose with much more ease.
6. Use them for stability benching. This is another one that I hadn’t originally thought of. This allows for the instability of a chaos press, which would normally be performed with kettlebells, while allowing for a full deload at the bottom similar to the accommodating resistance you would get with the use of chains.
7. Use them for chest supported rows. A chest supported row is one machine that we don’t have at OBB. The OBB Power Handles allow for this movement while forcing you to maintain proper technique and allowing you to use each arm individually. They’re also much easier to grab and allow for a greater range of motion than dumbbells.
8. Use them for stability overhead pressing. If you’ve ever performed upside down presses with kettlebells, you know how difficult this motion can be. The long arms of the handles add an even greater degree of difficulty, making 10 pounds feel like 50.
9. Use them for limited range triceps floor presses. These are great for variety and require a good amount of stability as well. We used the elite squat pads to lie on to allow for enough range of motion, but lifters at commercial gyms could easily use different heights of aerobic steps to achieve different levels of difficulty.
10. Use them for neutral grip forearm flexion and extension. The longer lever arm of the handles allows for great forearm leverage work to increase forearm and grip strength (similar to using a sledgehammer) while allowing for increases in weight for greater difficulty.
Next to a bar or dumbbell, I honestly feel that these handles are the most versatile piece of equipment. Any exercise performed with dumbbells can be made more effective through the use of the OBB Power Handles. The OBB Power Handles are now available on elitefts™ for the introductory price of $198 plus shipping and handling.
Here are other promo videos for the OBB Power Handles:
The OBB Power Handles
Stay tuned to my training log for more OBB Power Handle exercise options!
Thank you to elitefts™ for giving me the opportunity to promote and market my equipment. Thank you again to April Harper for always helping to promote my products and to my buddy and producer Tyler Marino of Nebula Productions for using his expertise to put together quality videos and photos to promote them. I would be nothing without the help of my friends. Lastly, thanks goes to you in the lifting community for purchasing my products. I hope they will benefit you as much as I have intended them to.
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