While some lifters might debate whether they’re good for squats, they’re undebatable regarding hip thrusts. Barbell pads help protect your body in many ways by providing comfort and support and reducing your risk of bruising or injury. Comfort and Support Many lifters might resort to using their gym towels or rolled-up yoga mats as supports or makeshift bar cushion for hip thrusts and squats. Also known as squat or hip thrust pads (they can also be used to make lunges more comfortable), a barbell pad is essentially foam cushioning to protect you from the barbell (and the barbell from you!) when you lift heavy weights. But the right pad can also help you train more efficiently, improve your technique and enable you to push yourself further. Most of these barbell pads are designed with a bit of slip resistance, thanks to the external material, whether it’s foam or leather.

Barbell Squat Pad - Pink Gymreapers Barbell Squat Pad - Pink

If you’re mainly looking for a decent barbell pad with velcro tape closure, this Cheeky hip thrust barbell pad should work best for you. Injury reduction: Lifting big weights is a risky game, so it pays to be prepared. 'Barbell bars can get slippery during a sweaty strength session. One wrong move and the bar can slip and cause harm,' says Campus. 'The added comfort and support from the barbell pad prevents this from happening and reduces your risk of injury.' This prevents the pad from rolling over during hip thrusts. The foam is also covered with a reinforced fabric that extends the pad's lifespan. This material also has decent traction, stabilizing the padded barbell on your hips. This barbell pad features full velcro coverage, making it quite easy to fit over a barbell, whether standard or Olympic. The full velcro coverage also makes it pretty stable and prevents the barbell from sliding off or moving side-to-side.The ProFitness barbell pad is specifically designed for hip thrust. It uses a combination of durable straps and heavily cushioned rubber foam to absorb the impact of the heavy barbell on your hip bones. The exterior is made of synthetic leather. This material offers excellent skin traction, stabilizing the barbell/padding for hip thrusts or squats combination and preventing the hip thrust pad from sliding over. Moreover, the leather is waterproof and won’t absorb moisture or make odors.

Best Barbell Pads, According to an Expert - Verywell Fit The 8 Best Barbell Pads, According to an Expert - Verywell Fit

Versatile: regularly switch up your strength training routine? 'Barbell pads can be used for exercises such as squats, lunges and good mornings.' If you don’t have a barbell hip thrusts pad on hand, you can use something soft and padded to place between your hips and the barbell. A rolled-up yoga mat or sweater are great alternatives to support your hips and reduce discomfort and the risk of bruising. Can Any Bar Pad Be Used for Hip Thrusts? As for functionality, the barbell pad is designed to fit both 2-inch Olympic barbells and Smith Machine barbells. This means that you can use them for alternative techniques for glute isolation training as well.

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One thing you need to always keep in mind while you’re in a gym is that the equipment there isn’t always clean. A lot of hands touch these barbells, and you land them on your body. This one uses quality synthetic leather to stabilize the barbell and prevent it from slipping out of the pads. It’s also durable and affordable, which makes it a great value for its price.

Barbell Pad (Black) For Squats, Hip Thrusts Fortitude Sports Barbell Pad (Black) For Squats, Hip Thrusts

When applying direct pressure to your body from your heavyweights, bruising can become a common occurrence. If you are battered and bruised from your previous workout sessions, it will be painful to do those exercises again. Although they’re a must-have when you are training your hips, barbell pads are usually quite versatile and can be used for different workout exercises. If you’ve been lifting for a while and your body starts to get a little sweaty, loaded barbells can be pretty slippery, which can be a huge risk of injuries if it slips and falls. A barbell pad will act as a soft barrier between the barbell and your body, reducing bruising and ensuring you can keep working out without taking time off for the bruises to heal. Although ProFitness might take a little longer to attach to barbells, the straps ensure an extreme level of barbell stability to reduce the risk of sliding off to a minimum.

They also have velcro or straps to secure the grip and prevent the barbell from sliding off the pads.

Barbell Hip Thrust Pads: Pros, Cons, Reviews 10 Best Barbell Hip Thrust Pads: Pros, Cons, Reviews

This comes down to a specific set of benefits that makes protection and padding necessary for such an exercise. Here are some of the benefits of barbell pads: 1. They Protect Your Hip Bone from Bruising The ergonomic design of a hip thrust barbell pad allows you to place the barbell comfortably while exercising.This problem is even more noticeable if you’re doing the hip thrusts with an Olympic size barbell, which is heavier than average barbells. By staying more comfortable during a lift you’ll be able to focus on improving your technique. 5. Offers Adequate Support Throughout the Hip Thrust Movement However, most of these solutions are technically inferior to a barbell hip thrust foam pad because they don’t offer the same level of comfort that these pads have, as they’re usually clumpy and much thinner when rolled around a barbell. If you don’t mind splurging a little more to invest in a serious bar pad that offers high quality in terms of materials and features, consider this one from Plan4U.