The Iron Tibialis Bar by Freak Athlete Essentials is all metal unlike other tib bars out there.
Before tib bars became popular you had to use bulky machines like Titan Fitness’ Tibia Dorsi Calf Machine.
Nowadays, tibialis bars make it easy to strengthen your tibialis anterior muscles from anywhere.
They’re plate loaded, portable, and super easy to set up and use.
Let’s check this one out!
UPDATE
Table of Contents
As of January 2023, Freak Athlete has upgraded the Iron Tib Bar and it looks a whole lot better!
They have added padding to the top and bottom bars and improved the quality on the padding.
Padding that goes on top of your foot is thicker (1″ in thickness)
And now it comes in two parts.
Making the loading sleeve detachable makes it easier to transport.
And they include the weight collar.
Much better than the original tib bar they first came up with for sure.
I’ll leave the rest of the old pics in this article so you can see how they’ve improved.
Click Here For The Most Recent Version
Unboxing (Original Post)
The Iron Tibialis Bar comes is one piece and is fully assembled right out of the box.
It is wrapped in bubble wrap to protect the foam padding.
You also get a weight clamp zip tied to it.
I had to give it the old stud finder test so you can see it’s all iron.
The loading bar on the Iron Tib Bar is 8 3/4″ long and is compatible with Olympic sized weight plates.
Foam padding is about 1″ in thickness.
Each foam pad is 4 1/4″ long.
The top of the loading bar has a hard plastic cover.
Specs
- Dimensions: 15″ x 9″ x 8″
- Loading bar length: 8 3/4″
- Weight: 5.5 lbs
- Iron frame: built to last a lifetime
- Plate compatibility: fits Olympic weight plates (2″ center hole)
- Thick foam padding: 1″ thick padding can be used comfortably with any shoes
- Clamp: 2″ clamp keeps weights secure
- Weight capacity: tested up to 70 lbs
Tibialis Anterior Muscle
The Tibialis Anterior muscle is responsible for deceleration and lifting your foot up (dorsiflexion) every time you step.
It also absorbs forces when your heel hits the ground.
So anytime you walk, jump, or run, the Tibialis Anterior is hard at work.
Shin Splints
People often neglect working out the Tibialis Anterior.
You always see people doing calf raises but never Anterior Tib raises.
So it’s often weak when it comes to absorbing forces.
With constant force and repetitive actions like running and jumping, this can lead to ankle pain, shin splints, and knee pain.
Benefits of a Tibialis Bar
Pretty straight forward… tib bars strengthen your Tibialis Anterior muscles.
The Anterior Tibs are responsible for deceleration on heel strike.
So when strong, they’ll reduce the amount of forces going through your ankle and knee joints, helping to protect them.
How to Use The Iron Tib Bar
Push the weight plates all the way against the collar
Lock them in place with the included clamp.
Sit with your legs and knees supported and feet hanging off a bench.
Place the top of your feet under the pads.
Bottom of your feet should be on the bar with no padding.
Tibialis Bar Exercises
Tib bar exercises have become popular recently because of the Knees Over Toes Guy, Ben Patrick.
Ben has a list of Knees Over Toes Guy equipment for his programs.
Freak Athlete sells bundles with all that equipment.
The bundles include the iron tib bar, Nordic mini, sled, slant blocks, slant board, step up box, and reverse squat straps.
Once your feet are all strapped in it’s time to work those tibialis anteriors.
Start with toes pointing down.
The weight will pull your feet down giving you a nice stretch on the front of your shins.
Now lift your feet towards you as much as you can to contract the tibialis anterior.
After you get the weight up, control the negative on the way down.
As you keep doing the exercise you’ll get a nice pump going on top of your shins.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Inexpensive: compared to other tib bars, this is the least expensive metal tib bar
- Solid build: made of iron not PVC
- Weight capacity: tested up to 70 lbs
- Portable: only weighs 5.5 lbs and doesn’t take up much space
- Comfortable: 1″ padding gives enough cushion so that it’s comfortable
Cons
- Padding: foam pads could be a bit wider but nothing major
Comparing Tibialis Bars
HGG Performance Tib Bar
HGG Performance (formerly known as the Home Gym Guys) is based out of Australia and sells a bar with a clamp.
The bar sells for $148 U.S. Dollars plus shipping.
Made of laser cut steel and has a 50mm stainless steel sleeve (7.5″ long) that fits Olympic weight plates.
It is without a doubt a beautiful tib bar and it has a detachable loading sleeve.
After applying my 10% coupon code SHREDDED, I was able to knock off almost $15.
The total after the 10% discount comes out to $133.
HGG Performance IsoTib Bar
HGG Performance also sells the IsoTib Bar that lets you work each ankle individually.
This gives you more freedom to train through a full ankle range of motion VS just plantar flexion and dorsiflexion.
The IsoTib is adjustable so it can fit any size shoe and can be tightened to your comfort.
You can strengthen your ankle through resisted inversion.
And resisted eversion as well as moving your ankle in circles.
The IsoTib sells for $197 AUD which is around $137 U.S. Dollars.
Use my coupon code SHREDDED for 10% off.
This bring the IsoTib from $197 AUD to $177 AUD which is about $122 U.S. Dollars
Click here to check out the IsoTib bar.
The Tib Bar Guy
The Tib Bar Guy sells two versions of tib bars.
One is The Tib Bar which is made of PVC and sells for $99 plus shipping.
Loading bar measure 7″ long and has been tested up to 50 lbs.
Their Tib Bar Pro is made of steel and sells for $149 plus shipping.
Loading bar measures 7″ and has been tested up to 100 lbs.
It sells for $149 plus shipping.
Click here to check out the Tib Bar Guy and use coupon code SHREDDED for a 10% discount.
Rogue Tib Bar
Rogue just recently came out with their own tibialis bar, the Rogue TF-1.
Their tib bar weighs almost 11 lbs on its own and has a loading pin similar to Rogue’s Monster plate storage pins.
The top foot-catch tube is covered in a neoprene foam sleeve.
Very nice looking tib bar in typical Rogue fashion that sells for $145 plus shipping.
Freak Athlete Essentials Tibialis Bar
Freak Athlete Essentials’ bar is made of iron.
I tested the 1″ thick pad with several weight ranges and feels comfy.
The loading bar is 8 3/4″ and has been tested up to 70 lbs.
Sells for $49.99 plus shipping.
Tib Bar Sale
As you can see I’ve done all the hard work for you.
Looked around at several tib bar prices, features, and quality.
Freak Athlete Essentials is the most affordable quality bar at $49.99.
But you know I’m always on the hunt for a way to hook you up.
To get the tib bar at a discounted price, click here and use coupon code SHREDDED at checkout for a discount.
Is The Iron Tibialis Bar Worth It?
On the hunt for Knees Over Toes Guy equipment for ATG training?
If you’re looking to strengthen your Tibialis Anterior and ankles, this is a great tool for it.
This is an inexpensive option when you compare it to other tibialis bars on the market of similar quality.
Built of solid iron so you know it’ll last a long time.
And thick padding so you get through your workouts comfortably.
Check Out The Iron Tibialis Bar
Iron Tib Bar
Garage gym athlete, gym hacks, DIY gym projects, and garage gym equipment reviews
I was surprised you also didn’t do a comparison of the kneesovertoesguy tib bar-which is what I was looking for.
This post was written before Knees Over Toes Guy started selling any equipment. May have to update it but there’s not much difference between tib bars. They’re all very similar.
What about Kensui Ankr Pro?
It’s another option, I just haven’t tried them.