Manta Ray

Sold in stores and through distributors on many web sites - comparison shop. The Manta Ray has become fairly well known, despite inventor Mark Pittroff's shunning of the spotlight. Pittroff's device may have been the first to address shoulder issues in squats. This 12.5" lightweight blue polyurethane attachment with its graceful lines easily slips into your gym bag, to be snapped directly onto a straight bar. "It transfers the load to the traps exclusively and doesn't involve the shoulder caps. It's a simple load distribution principle where the load is spread over as much as 1600% more surface area than the raw bar. It's like comparing a bed of nails to a single nail," says Pittroff. He claims that since it sits just on the traps, it doesn't involve the delts. This can pay off in your squat for three reasons: one, you still reap the benefits of stabilizer work; two, the decreased discomfort increases your work potential; three, "since the crush injury is eliminated from the upper body, all your bodies ability to build new tissue goes right to the stimulated muscle fibers rather than wasting that effort on damage control" (Pittroff). Pittroff invented, developed and markets his invention, out of belief in its value.

(around $40.00)

Get it at Advanced Fitness or here: