Safety Squat Bars: Australia Buying Guide (2026)

Study figures from Vantrease et al., 2021 and Hecker et al., 2019, both in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Product specs from the VERVE product page, November 2026. Prices on this page update automatically.

What is a safety squat bar?

A safety squat bar has three features a straight barbell does not:

• A padded yoke that sits across your upper back and shoulders.
• Two handles that angle forward in front of you, so your arms stay in front instead of being pulled back to hold the bar.
• Cambered ends that drop the plates below the line of the bar, which moves the load slightly forward and lower.

The result is a squat that feels like a cross between a back squat and a front squat. You can also hold the handles with one hand, or not at all, which opens up lunges, step-ups and squats while holding the rack.

Who it suits

• Lifters with stiff or sore shoulders, elbows or wrists who cannot hold a straight bar in the back squat position comfortably.
• Lifters over 50 who want to keep squatting heavy without forcing the shoulders into a position they no longer like. Our over-50s home gym guide covers the rest of the set-up.
• Anyone coming back from an upper-body injury who still wants to train legs, under the guidance of their physio. See our rehab equipment guide.
• Strength athletes who want a squat variation that hammers the upper back and trunk.

What the research says

Two studies compared the safety squat bar with a straight bar.

• Upright torso. In the 2019 Hecker study of 12 competitive powerlifters, the safety squat bar reduced peak trunk lean by 7.3 degrees and peak hip bend by 5.7 degrees, and their three-rep max was 11.3% lower on it.
• Lower max, similar effort. In the 2021 Vantrease study of 32 trained men, one-rep max averaged 144.7kg on the straight bar and 128.8kg on the safety squat bar. When each bar was loaded to the same percentage of its own max, the study found no significant difference in leg and trunk muscle activation or bar speed between the two.

Neither study measured injury risk, so be wary of anyone claiming a safety squat bar is proven to protect your back. What the research does support is practical: it is a real squat that loads the legs well, it puts you in a more upright position, and you should set your working weights from your safety squat bar max, not your straight bar max.

The VERVE Elite Safety Squat Bar

The 27.5kg bar weight matters when you write your numbers down: add 27.5kg, not 20kg, to the plates on the bar. The removable hand grips also mean the bar can be used for exercises like the JM press.

How to start using one

1. Check your rack. The bar is 2300mm long and is made for racks with 108cm between the uprights. Set the J-hooks a little lower than for a straight bar, as the yoke sits on top of your shoulders.
2. Find your new max. Work up to a heavy set of three to five on the safety squat bar rather than converting your straight bar numbers. Most lifters will be noticeably lighter.
3. Hold the handles lightly. Keep your elbows down and pull the handles gently towards you to stop the bar tipping forward. The bar will try to pitch you forward; staying tall is the skill.
4. Use it as a main lift or a variation. It works as your main squat, or alongside a straight bar for a second squat day, good mornings, split squats and lunges.

Frequently Asked Questions