[cheepin]

A few more observations based on my experience with heavy squats.

1.) If the weight gets misplaced, a simple straight bar can be rolled back up to a more "comfortable" position. A curved (C shaped) bar under load finds an equillibrium point and you can't really move it out of that point without deloading.

2.) You can take a really wide hand stance for extra balance if needed. Really nice if the weight is uneven.

3.) Damage control. There are much worse things than bruising across the shoulders. The posture of walking with a pole across your back is really not very bad provided you have adequate core strength. A few of their solutions look like they could cause bad back problems over the long term.