Regular 2-leg tib bar vs. solo tib bar, a unilateral tibialis trainer – which one should you get?
The Knees-Over-Toes community raised awareness of the importance of the tibialis anterior muscle – and the tib bar appeared to be one of the best ways to train it.
Now, it used to be all regular tib bars, working both of your shins simultaneously. The solo tib bar was the next natural step, since it offered other features.
Let’s talk about the differences between the regular tib bar and the solo version.
Table of Contents
Why train the Tibialis Anterior muscle?
As it turns out, the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle plays a key role in keeping your ankles, shins, and knees healthy and resilient.
Firstly, the TA is the main (most powerful) dorsiflexor of the foot. Because it connects the knee with the first metatarsal bone in the foot, the tibialis anterior participates in more than a few movements:
- Foot inversion
- Foot adduction
- Ankle stabilization during running and jumping
- Supports a more controlled plantar flexion of the foot
- Helps with medial arch activation and stabilization
For runners, a strong tibialis helps with foot and knee stabilization, and above all, helps absorb the stress exerted on your shins. Lifters, on the other hand, benefit from better leg stabilization, and power transfer throughout compound movements. Basketball and volleyball train their TAs for higher (and safer) jumping performance.
All in all, a good tibialis anterior routine should be a part of every athlete’s program. This leads us to one of the best tibialis anterior training tools – the tib bar and its unilateral version, the solo tib.
Tib Bar vs Solo Tib Bar - Key Differences and Benefits
At first glance, the tib bar vs solo tib bar debate looks like just a unilateral vs. bilateral question. But there is more to it. Both of these tibialis training tools come with their own benefits.
First, the original tib bar…
Tib Bar - The Bilateral Tibialis Anterior and Shin Training Tool
The standard Hybrid Athlete Tib Bar is used with both of your legs simultaneously. It uses standard gym plates, so you can load it up to 70kg of weight. This gives you the option of progressive overload, which is not as easy to do with bodyweight tib raises.
With this tib bar version, you get to work on your:
- Running gait
- Power transfer through the lower-body kinetic chain
- Ankle strength and mobility
- Dorsiflexion
- Shin splint prevention
The standard tib bar also offers a few other exercises. Thanks to its sturdy industrial build, you can use it as a makeshift kettlebell as well, which is great for home gyms.
Solo Tib Bar - The Unilateral Tibialis Trainer With A Lot More To Offer
The Hybrid Athlete Solo Tib Bar delivers a different training experience, and to a degree, different benefits. It’s used unilaterally (one leg at a time), and you can load it with standard-size weight plates (50mm diameter).
When it comes to training your tibialis, expect the same as if you were using the standard tib bar, with a couple of added benefits:
- Stronger Internal and external ankle rotation
- The ability to train your hip flexor (similar to using ankle straps for dumbbells)
- The ability to perform hamstring curls
Albeit, you can’t load the solo tib as much as the standard tib bar, you get to train in multiple dimensions and do ankle rotations. And on top of that, you can use it to perform other knees over toes exercises.
Tib Bar vs. Solo Tib - Which one is better?
The truth is, there is no debate here – both the standard and the solo tib bar are a great option for tibialis anterior training. If tib training is something you’re after, both options are more than enough to get you there.
But, due to subtle differences in the design of these tib bars, the ideal scenario is to use them both.
- The standard tib bar offers you a higher weight capacity and the option to work on both your legs simultaneously.
- The solo tib bar brings ankle rotations (internal and external), and it gives you options in terms of other exercises.
No matter where you are in your athletic journey, the best time to start working on your tibialis anterior is right now.
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