I'm trying to vary my weight training & I'm looking into these & have a few questions:

* What are your experiences with the toning bar?
* What starting weight would you recommend? I'm currently lifting 10-lb each free weights.
* Which toning bars (sissel?) should I buy?

Thank you.

I wasn't sure what a toning bar was but I did a search and it looks like it is those weighted bars? I used them some for physical therapy but not a lot. Overall, I always thought they were a bit overpriced and they aren't adjustable with the weights. They also don't go very heavy (heaviest I see on amazon is 15 lbs). I'd just looking into a barbell if you are interested in using a bar.

Hello!

I'm not sure if this is what you are talking about, but I do have two BodyBars. They are long, padded weight bars. I like them; I bought them when I first started so I could really pay close attention to good form. Now I use heavier at the gym, but there are lots of uses for 12 and 24 pound bars!

Hope this helps!

Ok I looked up toning bars because I didn't know what that referred to.

Get a real barbell and some plates. Those "toning bars" look like they are designed for people who are afraid to use real weights. Well, I really don't think you will get real results with it either. The maximum weight is 24lbs for a lot of them, I'm sure any child weighs much more than that. You will not increase strength and gain muscle ("toning") without challenging your body.

Body bars are much like light dumbells in that they are very useful for many beginners but there usefulness decreases rapidly. They never become totally useless but their utility definitely drastically diminishes. For the money they cost, they are definitely not worth it, IMO. I favor getting some PVC pipes and filling them with inexpensive materials, such as wood chips, sand, pebbles to create body bars of different weights. You can get different diameter pipe or expand the lengths a bit to help make heavier bars.