Straight and revolving cable bars: length, grip and connection

Short answer

A straight cable bar is chosen on three things: its length, its grip diameter and how it connects to your cable. A revolving bar can turn relative to its connector. Connections differ: an eye-bolt for one carabiner, two hooks for two cable ends, or a row of holes for clip-on handles. Match the connection to your machine first.

Picks that fitAll picks and how to choose

Yes4All Revolving Straight Bar with Non-Slip Handle (A. Straight Bar - Chrome)Check price on Amazon
Synergee Pro-Style Lat Bar Cable Attachment (Straight 24")Check price on Amazon
Bells of Steel 30" D-Handle Bar Cable AttachmentCheck price on Amazon

Revolving bars

A revolving bar has a joint between the bar and the connector, so the bar can turn as your wrists move rather than twisting the cable.

American Barbell's Revolving Straight Bar (AT-RSB-E) is listed as 21 inches long with a 25.4 mm grip, in solid steel with a hard chrome finish, attaching by an eye-bolt fastener.^[1] The page calls it a multi-axis revolving swivel design but does not say which part rotates. It also gives two different grip lengths in two places, so we leave that figure out.

Bars with carabiner holes

Bells of Steel's "30 D-Handle Bar Cable Attachment with Carabiners" is a powder-coated bar with 25 carabiner holes on each side, and it includes two carabiners.^[2] You clip handles into the holes at the spacing you want. The handles are not included, the page gives no length (the "30" is only in the product name) and it states no load rating.

Dual-hook bars

Inspire includes a dual-hook curl bar with its FTX functional trainer.^[3] A dual-hook bar connects at two points rather than one, which suits a machine with two cables side by side. Follow your machine maker's manual for where the hooks go; do not hang a dual-hook bar from a single carabiner unless the maker says it is designed for that.

Bars in sets

Yes4All's four-piece set listing includes a straight bar with a rope, a double D handle and a V bar.^[4] It claims an 880 lb capacity for the set without saying which component or test conditions the figure covers.^[4] Read it as the seller's claim about the bundle, not a rating for the bar.

Connection types at a glance

Connection	How it attaches	What to check
Eye-bolt or center loop	One carabiner or snap hook	The carabiner fits the eye and the cable end
Dual hook	Two cable ends or a yoke	Your machine has two attachment points at the right spacing
Carabiner holes	Handles clip into holes; bar hangs from one carabiner	Handles are bought separately

Length and grip

A short straight bar, around 20 inches, suits curls and pushdowns. A longer bar suits wide-grip pulldowns and rows, but it must clear your machine's frame. For the difference between overall length and grip spacing, see lat bar length vs grip spacing.

The grip diameters makers list for bars sit around 25 to 28 mm, with American Barbell at 25.4 mm. We found no study that ranks one diameter above another.

Picks that fit3 products

Short revolving bar: on Yes4All's listing choose 'A. Straight Bar - Chrome' or 'B. Straight Bar - Black'.