With features that make powerlifting or Olympic weightlifting routines more productive and pleasurable, the Progression Xplode Apollo Men’s CT Bar is a great choice for general strength training or your cross-training workout of the day. Rated at 190,000 PSI tensile strength, the Apollo provides excellent “whip.” Its solid steel inner bar is crafted to strike the optimum balance between rigidity and flexibility, so the bar bends slightly as you bring it up then snaps back to straight, adding momentum to your lift. At the same time, one bushing with five needlepoint bearings is working inside each of the Apollo’s two chrome sleeves. This gives you the advantage of rotational mechanics, with free-spinning sleeves and weight plates giving your lift yet another boost. You don’t have to worry about all that momentum getting out of hand, thanks to non-slip, aggressive 1.2 mm diamond knurling on either end of the bar. You'll have no trouble feeling your way to those marks, thanks to a black oxide coating that protects your bar from sweat, abrasion and corrosion but still leaves it with the outstanding grip and feel you'd otherwise only get with a naked bar. The inner marks guide you to the optimum grip width for powerlifting exercises like bench presses, squats and deadlifts, while the outer marks put your hands in the right place for Olympic snatches and clean and jerk lifts.