Marrs Bar - Safety Squat Bar

This is a cool specialty bar. I use this thing quite a bit, but not as much as a traditional safety bar. I do high bar as my comp squat so this bar is good to add in on my posterior chain accessory movements to get some more lower bar style training. I also really enjoy good mornings with it. The coating isn't awesome. This bar is also REALLY expensive.

Goodness this bar is expensive! If you’re a competitive powerlifter and need some relief on your shoulders for squat then maybe I could see the price behind justified, but even then I think most people are going to have to rationalize this price tag. Price aside, this bar is one of my favorites and may be my favorite way to squat. In my opinion any good barbell strength gym for squats needs… a barbell, SSB, and then a MARRS bar in that order. The transformer bar gets brought up in this debate and in my opinion the transformer bar doesn’t do any of these as good as each of these does their own thing. There is enough difference that I make the room for each bar and I recommend you do the same. The MARRS bar sits right where you want it to on your back for a low bar squat feel. It’s comfortable and sturdy. It’s longer than I thought and that does lead to some awkward maneuvering in the gym. It’s also hard to store and I have to use a vertical plate tree. My version is the original heavy duty. The weight of the bar itself can be challenging to manage at times and near impossible for some. For most I do think their lighter version will be a better fit since it’s got a lower empty weight and is shorter. If you need to upgrade because everyone in your gym is maxing out the weight capacity then I think that deserves the celebration of buying a new bar.

I love this bar. It allows me to replicate a low bar squat while keeping my upper body joints fresh. It’s definitely different enough from a traditional SSB that I’d recommend it for your squat bar rotation if you have any upper body joint limitations. purchased used in 2025 for $400

I really like the Marrs Bar as an option amongst all my specialty squat bars. The idea is it feels more like a back squat than some other SSB options - I think it achieves that pretty well. Not a cheap option, but a well made bar.