14/08/2026
Episode 5. Bamboo bar press - weight plates threaded through the holes and hanging free.
Saw this and immediately knew why it exists.
The instability isn’t the gimmick - it’s the point. When the plates are hanging and moving independently your stabilisers have to work overtime just to control the bar path. For someone who struggles with pressing stability specifically, that’s not a novelty. That’s a targeted skill.
Chest felt it. Stabilisers felt it more.
The constraint worth knowing before you try it: most commercial gyms won’t have weight plates with holes large enough to thread onto the bar. I could only load 25kg plates which kept me well below my working weight. The instability makes it feel heavier than it is — but if you’re used to pressing at 80-90kg, the load available may not be enough to make it a serious training stimulus yet.
Verdict: real value as a variation. Not a staple - exercises are tools, not identities. But if stability is a weak link in your pressing, this one finds it immediately.
Cheers to
