Okay got the thing assembled this morning.
The fact that Oppen is rackable is awesome.
Horsing around with the empty bar before lunch:
TB Floor Press:
Really interesting. The neutral grip changes the feel radically from a barbell floor press.
It feels much closer to a chest flye. I barefly felt my triceps or shoulders working at all.
Flipping the open end from feet to head changes the stabilization work a little bit. I preferred the open end at my head.
Plus it means you can't crush your windpipe and kill yourself.
Reducing death risk is nice.
TB Shoulder Press:
The open bar means I don't have to worry about timing my "head through the window" to avoid smacking myself in the face with a barbell.
The rack position feels a bit lower than a KB press, and *much* lower than a barbell OHP, which made it feel like the start position had more upper chest involvement than either.
I suspect this would have superior carry-over to KB pressing than a standard BB OHP due to a more similar range of motion.
Plus you can micro-load it easier than a KB.
TB Cambered Bar Squat:
This felt completely weird to me.
Wrapping arms around this big thick yoke forced me into a hunchy position, which is the exact opposite of the thoracic extension with upright torso I use in my primary squat patterns (BB FSQ, BB HBSQ).
Maybe it's more comfortable for people with limited shoulder mobility and limited thoracic extension.
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Overall, this is a fun device.
I need to figure out how to work the TB Floor Press and TB Shoulder Press into my regular rotation.
I'll play with the deadlift, squat, and carry stuff later.