UClips Back Bar Review

The UClips Back Bar is one of those attachments that replaces several pieces of equipment in a home gym.

It works as a barbell jack, multi-grip cable attachment, landmine row handle, and flat triceps push dow bar.

Made out of steel and a weight capacity of up to 800 lbs, it can handle a lot.

Let’s check it out!

Unboxing

The Back Bar came bubble wrapped with no damages or scratches to report.

Here it is out of the box and aesthetically it’s a beauty.

No assembly required and it comes with two carabiners to attach handles to it.

I’ll give you all the details later on but first here are the specs…

Specs

• Material: Steel

• Weight: 8 lbs

• Width: 21.65″

• Rowing weight capacity: 400 lbs

• Barbell jack weight capacity: 800 lbs

• Handle holes: 10 per side (used to clip on handles at different widths)

What Is The UClips Back Bar?

The Back Bar is a 4-in-1 attachment (from the makers of the UClips) made specifically for back workouts.

I can connect it to a cable machine like I show above and I can use the notch in the middle of the bar for landmine barbell rows and as a barbell jack.

On each end of the bar there’s a neutral grip handle but it also has 10 holes between the outer handles and the center so I can clip on handles at different widths.

It serves many purposes which is great because versatility is king in home gyms.

Top Benefits Of The UClips Back Bar

Multiple Uses

Barbell Jack

First function I’ll show you is the barbell jack feature.

I can stand the bar vertically on either neutral grip handle and use it as a deadlift jack.

With the center notch, I can insert my barbell into it and jack one end up.

This lifts one end of the bar about an inch off my floor and makes it way easier to slide weight plates on and off.

Love this function but the center UHMW center sits flush to the bar and this creates metal on metal contact with barbells so this can cause scratches.

Later on I’ll show you what UClips can do to improve this…

Landmine Row Handle

The center notch not only works as a barbell jack but also cradles the barbell to use as a handle for landmine rows.

I’m using bumper plates here so I have to attach handles to the bar so I can get full range of motion when doing rows.

I don’t have smaller diameter 25 lbs weight plates so I’m not sure if I can get full range of motion just using the built-in outer handles.

Here’s what the landmine row looks like with the Back Bar.

I’m using Angles 90 grips in this picture but any set of handles with carabiner works.

Keep reading and I’ll show you the handle holes that let me vary my grip to 10 different widths.

Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown Attachment

I love most cable attachments where I can use a neutral grip because they’re easier on my joints.

And the built-in flat grips on this bar feel great.

I clip it on to my Voltra cable machine and the range of motion on the pulldowns feels perfect.

Because the handles are flat, I can’t make a full fist so it reduces the load on my grip and forearms.

ALSO CHECKOUT: Beyond Power Voltra Review

Multi-Grip Cable Attachment

Using handles, I can turn the Back Bar into a multi-grip attachment.

You see those between the center notch and the outer handles?

I just clip any handle with a carabiner into them and now I have multi widths to work with.

In the pic above, I inserted handles in the fifth hole where I can get a more narrow grip than the built-in handles.

This eliminates the need to have multiple cable attachments and lets me hit muscles from different angles.

Flat Pushdown Bar

One feature about this product I didn’t know about, is that it can flip sideways to recreate a flat bar for tricep pushdowns.

To set this up, I have to attach the bar upside down and it automatically goes on its side.

This lets me set my hands on the flat part of the bar without my grip being involved in the exercise.

So all my focus is on my triceps.

Here’s what that looks like when doing triceps pushdowns.

This is not a back exercise (since this is a back workout attachment), but it’s nice to have that versatility.

But using a similar setup, I can take a couple steps back and do straight arm pulldown to hit my lats.

Best Features Of The UClips Back Bar

Handle Holes

The 10 handle holes on this bar make it versatile and eliminate the need for multiple cable attachments.

All I have to do is clip any handle I own and I have reduced the clutter in my garage gym with one piece of equipment.

I’m sure you’ve seen or heard about MAG grips (see picture above).

They work great for back workouts but you gotta figure out how to store each piece to keep them off the floor.

That requires extra wall or shelf space that most home and garage gyms don’t have.

With the Back Bar, I just clip on my handle at the width that I want and I’m done.

Genius design that saves a ton of space and still functions like if I had multiple attachments.

Here’s what it looks like when I set it up for lat pulldowns.

Having the ability to add my own handles also lets me have free rotation during the exercise which feels better and natural on my joints.

I can use the same handle holes for different exercises.

They work great for landmine rows.

In the previous pic, I showed you clip on handles but this also works with other handles like Angles90.

I can insert the strap through the holes or wrap it around the chrome bar.

Then I go under the bar and insert it into the center notch.

The weight of the bar and plates keeps the Back Bar from sliding so it feels stable while I’m doing landmine barbell rows.

And it works the same for seated cable rows or any other rowing variation.

So whether I’m doing landmine or cable exercises, I have 10 grip widths to choose from aside from the built-in handles.

RELATED: See how I do seated cable rows using this NordBench hack

Flat Grip Handles

The flat grip handles are made of PVC and have a diamond pattern that gives it passive knurling.

To me the knurling type on this doesn’t matter because my palm is just gonna sit on top of this flat handle, I can’t wrap my hands around it and grip it.

My hooked fingers are the ones doing all the work at the top of the handle.

I do like the feeling of the flat grip because I have a history of elbow tendonitis.

This flat handle reduces the tension on my grip and forearms so I don’t feel as much elbow pain.

And it works the same when doing seated cable rows.

I’m able to keep a hooked fingers grip so I can do some middle back work without the elbow pain.

And aside from the grip part, the flat handle also keeps the Back Bar upright so I can use it in combination with the center notch as a barbell jack.

Barbell Notch

The center notch on the Back Bar is where the barbell sits and you can see it’s lined with UHMW plastic.

Good idea to use UHMW here but there’s a minor design flaw that should be easy to correct (more on that in a second).

You can see there’s 3 notches in total: 2 when used vertically as a barbell jack and 1 when used horizontally for barbell landmine rows.

Here’s how the center notch works when used as a barbell jack.

I can use either end of the attachment to lift one end of my bar and making loading/unloading plates easier.

The design flaw is that the UHMW plastic sits flush with the metal on the attachment.

This means the metal part between the UHMW comes in contact with my barbell and can scratch both pieces.

Not a huge deal to me but there’s people who don’t want a single scratch on their equipment so here’s the solution…

What UClips should do, is extend the UHMW plastic further out so there’s no metal on metal contact.

In the picture above, you can see how Griffin Fitness did this well on their monolift attachment.

This simple fix protects both the Back Bar and my barbells from scratches.

I talked to UClips about it and it’s something they’re working on improving.

UClips Back Bar Pros & Cons

Pros

• Versatile: I get 4 attachments in 1 piece of equipment

• Build: Feels solid and looks great

• Stable: Feels just as stable as a barbell jack when I load/unload a barbell

• Grip widths: 10 handle holes give me plenty of grip widths to choose from

• Weight capacity: With a rowing capacity of 400 lbs and a barbell jack capacity of 800 lbs, this can hold plenty of weight

• Flat neutral grip: Easy on my grip and elbows so grip strength and injuries don’t restrict my pull days

Cons

• Center notch: UHMW plastic on the center notch should stick out further so there’s no metal on metal contact when using a barbell

UClips Back Bar Price

Current price on the Back Bar is $149.99, which is fairly priced considering it replaces several attachments.

When comparing it to similar attachments in the market, some have similar functions but not as many.

And the one product that has just as many functions is double the price, so this is priced well.

UClips Discount Code

Even though the Back Bar is fairly priced, you know I try to hook you up with a coupon whenever possible.

So I twisted UClips’ arm and talked them into giving my readers an exclusive 5% discount.

Click the red button below to reveal the discount code to use at checkout.

UClips Back Bar Alternatives

Flex Wheeler Back Widow

The Back Widow is a transformer when it comes to cable attachments.

It can replace a bunch of attachments and gives you more than 15 different grip options.

With 4 pop pins, I can change the angles of the bar and handles so there’s lots of versatility in this one.

At $299 though, this one is double the price of UClips’ version.

Back Jack

The Back Jack attachment (aka Back Widow Jr) is similar to the original Back Widow, except it’s not adjustable.

It works as a barbell jack, neutral grip cable attachment, V-bar for tricep pushdowns, and landmine row handle.

If you just want a fixed neutral grip attachment, this works well.

But if you prefer to have multiple grip options, the Back Bar has that over this one.

Major Fitness Multifunctional Handle Bar

The Major Fitness multifunctional handle bar is another back day cable attachment that serves many purposes.

It has adjustable built-in handles and works as a landmine row handle and cable attachment.

What I like about this one, is that the handle widths and angles are adjustable in many ways via pop pins.

I can also set the handles to rotate freely.

When comparing this to the Back Bar though, I can’t use this one as a barbell jack.

Ironmaster Ultimate Row Handle

The Ironmaster Ultimate Row Handle is one of the original modular back attachments.

It uses pop pins to change to 8 different grip widths and can be used as a cable attachment and as a landmine row handle.

Like Major Fitness’ attachment though, it does not have the ability to be used as a barbell jack.

My Experience Using The UClips Back Bar

The Back Bar is a legit addition for any home gym owner that uses cable attachments and does landmine work.

I replace multiple attachments with a one piece so I get versatility while reducing the clutter in my garage.

It’s built well and has a weight capacity that’s way higher than I can handle so it’s gonna last me forever.

Should You Buy The UClips Back Bar?

If you love using multiple grips for cable workouts, this attachment covers any grip width you can think of by clipping on handles you already own.

Not only will it work with cable machines but also with landmine attachments to do variable grip landmine rows.

On top of that, you’ll be to use it as a flat tricep pushdown bar and barbell jack.

Lots of versatility in one attachment.