The Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 – 2024 Review

Last updated on September 21st, 2024 at 08:27 pm

I get a monthly recap of my most read articles. Cable Attachments and then anything posterior chain related are always at the top of the list. So here I am, with The Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 to add to the list of posterior chain machines I have reviewed.

For a quick primer, I’ve reviewed the Booty Sprout, the HOIST Back Extension, the Syedee Hip Thrust Machine, and a number of Nordic Combo Machines (more on that later). So I guess I’m “that guy” now.

The Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 isn’t the cheapest option out there, but it is also far from the most expensive. On the scale of budget to premium, it trends more towards budget. I can rock with budget equipment, and I can cut it some slack for shaving some dollars off the price tag, but it still has to perform well and stay in one piece.

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Transparency Note

Tib Bar Guy was nice enough to send me the Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 for sake of review. This is a V2 of their original design, I did not test out the V1.

Tib Bar Guy has provided an affiliate link for us and discount code. If you decide you’d like to buy it after this review, clicking that link and using my code helps support what I do at no additional cost to yourself. As always, I hope I can provide a clear and detailed review so you know what to do for YOUR home gym.

Additional Transparency Note Update

The unit I will be talking about today is actually the THIRD unit I have received (more on that later). If you have already purchased this, you might have a few different pieces to the puzzle, but I have been assured that what I currently have is what is standard moving forward.

Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 Specs

As I mentioned, this will be far from the first posterior chain machine added to the garage, but it definitely has an argument for the most feature rich budget option. The BaseBlocks Nordic Plus is cheaper by a bit, but the Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 offers hip thrusts, additional angle options, and more to the overall construction.

Exercises

I want to call this out, as a couple of the Nordic Combo Machines do a lot of exercises, and some do not. The Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 falls somewhere in the middle. They claim 3 in 1, meaning that it does Nordic Curls, Back Extensions, and Hip Thrusts. The Freak Athlete obviously claims more, and the Shogun and other Nordic Combo Machines claim less. Just an FYI as we proceed.

Assembly

The unit gets shipped in one big box, and is more or less the same as MOST gym equipment. Packed tight, foam inserts, you name it. The Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 came with a couple wrenches, and then this box of everything crammed into it. They wrapped the various assembly pieces in a tight package so nothing gets loose. This doesn’t compete with the likes of the Shogun NORD-EX or new Freak Athlete Hyper Pro with detailed baggies of each step of instructions. But it aligns to most budget equipment.

In the three models I have received, each has had this step improved. First was a bag of greasy nuts, washers, and parts with no sorting or labeling of any kind. Second had the pieces wrapped on the cardboard piece, but it fell apart and was scattered in the box. Small wins I guess?

The installation instructions are a blown out schematic that is MOSTLY straight forward, especially if you are familiar with assembling gym equipment. Once again, their first and second set of instructions has been improved on for the third go around. There are a few steps I’d like to see separated ideally, as I prefer each step to be ONE major action, but otherwise these are easy to follow.

I compared the NBE V2 assembly process to the likes of Shogun and Freak Athlete. I will say that I’m mixed on the idea of included tools and premium shipping and assembly. On one hand, you pay for them. And I already have a full set of wrenches, allen wrenches, an Impact Gun, multiple attachments, you name it. So I don’t need any of that. Considering that the Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 is aiming to be the budget option, I think they are mostly hitting that mark.

Overall, I didn’t hurt myself, break anything, or otherwise leave the garage screaming. So I’ve had much worse experiences.

What Else

The Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 is the longest Nordic Combo Machine on the market, but also the thinnest. So there are some potential drawbacks (or benefits) depending on your space. The unit takes some obvious influences from the Freak Athlete model, as they attempt to upgrade their V1 to compete with the competition.

Specs List

• Brand: Tib Bar Guy
• Made In USA: No
• Dimensions: 60 long x 17 tall x 20 wide (inches)
• Vertical Storage Dimensions: 26″ X 23″
• Weight: 100lbs
• Suitable Athletes: All ranges
• Finish: black with chrome posts
• Weight Limit: 550lbs
• Assembly: under 1 hour
• Additional Notes: 8 total incline adjustments for Nordic Regressions, 12 Back Ext level adjustments, and 6 hip thrust adjustments
• Return Window: 90 days to give it a shot, and return if it doesn’t work for you
• Military Discount: check it out

Quick note here, the original NBE V2 had 9 adjustment levels. That proved to be a problem for larger athletes, so they have recently dropped one angle and moved to 8 total adjustment options.

Build and Construction

The Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2, while on the surface resembles the Freak Athlete Nordic Hyper, is different in a number of ways. Because it doesn’t have the decline options or go fully horizontal in a raised position, it can have significantly less pop pins. In fact it uses only one to go from flat to 45 degrees for Nordics and Back Extensions.

Because it has less going on, it can make a few design choices that are more static. Like the carved out man gap. This has to be adjusted on the Nordic Hyper, where it is permanently in place here. They both have similar padding choices, going with the grippy vinyl. Freak Athlete has a little more give where Tib Bar Guy is stiffer. They both use dual ankle rollers with a number of adjustments.

The Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 is a little more cohesive in the aesthetics, with black pop pins, chrome adjustment posts, black powder coat, and dark grey padding. It fits in seamlessly with a typical black gym equipment aesthetic. The nuts and bolts throughout all use one socket size at varying lengths, and everything just kind of blends together. It isn’t as contrasty and gorgeous as the Shogun NORD-EX, but it does feel and look like gym equipment.

The adjustment posts on the Freak Athlete are laser engraved, where the Tib Bar Guy are laser cut-outs. There are a number of nuanced small differences between the various Nordic Combo machines and the Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2.

Ultimately, the out of the box build quality of the Tib Bar Guy unit is passable, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. Between the first and second models and their newest version, the team has made continuous improvements. Both performance wise and aesthetically. Some of the pop-pins are small and in hard to reach places, the padding is fairly stiff, and some of the stitching isn’t fantastic.

But in the end, we are talking about a budget machine. None of the above is a deal breaker, just items that tend to show up when companies cut corners to shave a price tag down. I can give that all a pass in the name of saving a couple hundred bucks.

Storage and Mobility

The Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 has vertical storage, along with wheels. This is something that I think is crucial for MOST home gym athletes. It stores fine vertically, with no issues. And the wheels do their job.

Where we run into some issues is around the unit not “locking” in place. When the unit goes completely flat, as in how it would be set up for a Flat Nordic Curl, or in this case, moving it around and storing it away, the adjustment post does not lock into place. It is essentially free floating until you hit the 20 degree mark where the pop-pin activates.

This creates a bit of a hazard in transit. When you go to move it it tries to come apart, forcing you to hold the base and the frame together, otherwise it will slide apart and lock into the 20 degree angle. The same happens if you try and move it from the ground without using the handle itself.

Freak Athlete solved this with an additional locking pin, I think you could solve it a few different ways. I honestly don’t care how you do it, but this is NOT my favorite piece to move around my gym.

Again, it stores away fine once you get there, the vertical storage works, the wheels work, but that one hiccup is a little rough.

Nordics

The Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 has 8 total Nordic Curl regressions, ranging from 45 degrees to flat. It does NOT have the decline options that the Freak Athlete Nordic Hyper GHD has, but the regressions work in almost the exact same fashion. You pull a pop pin, adjust to the desired level, lock it in, and get to work. I’ve shared before that I prefer this method of Nordic Regressions over the Shogun. So I’m happy to see it implemented here.

We have dual pads for the ankles that have plenty of adjustment options, and the footplate also has an extension on the bottom side, which allows your entire foot to be pressed into it. This is a big win over the BaseBlocks Nord Plus, and aligns well with the other machines. These allow us to get locked in and get full strength out of our lower extremities.

Because the Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 is fairly long, it remains fairly stable on the ground throughout all regression angles. I don’t have the same struggles I had with the BaseBlocks and having it tilt and tip over. This makes sense, as one of their main guys behind the scenes is well over 6ft tall. The unit is fairly stable in the bottom position, and in the top several positions, but we get a LOT of bounce in the 8 and 15 degree angles.

Update – Based on my feedback, the team has made adjustments to the lower angles. We now have flat, 10 degrees, and then we jump to 20 degrees up through 45 degrees. So the only angle that has some bounce to it, is the final 8 degree angle when using the ladder adjustment.

Because the unit is long enough, firm enough, and has the better ankle pads and footplate, I’m able to do Nordics at all angles successfully.

I mentioned in the vertical storage section that the unit doesn’t lock when flat. Well we have another issue when going all the way up the regression angles.

When you hit 45 degrees there is only a SMALL amount of the adjustment post left inside of the frame. If you happen to go just slightly too far in adjusting, the entire thing comes out. This is a pain in the ass and happened multiple times to me while simply taking pictures for this article, let alone in actual use. There needs to be a hard stop that keeps it from doing this.

Overall, Nordic Curls are more than doable here. You have adequate regression angles to progress from wherever you are today, to finally getting your first flat Nordic Curl. The pads are comfortable enough, we have a good lock in set up for the feet and adequate footplate. But ideally they address the adjustment post from sliding out.

Back Extensions

The Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2, like the Freak Athlete, uses the same Nordic Curl regression angles to perform Back Extensions. In the first version they sent me, to get the back extension pad off you had to unscrew a pin for a solid minute. I’m not joking, I timed it. It took me a full minute twisting a knob to get the back extension pad off. I told them in my feedback, I am NEVER doing back extensions like this. Luckily they fixed this, and created a new pop-pin style system to get the pad on and off. It works well, holds tight, and is easy to use. Great upgrade.

The hip pad has a ton of adjustment options, which means athletes of a lot of different sizes can use this effectively. The Shogun and Freak Athlete both did this correctly as well, where the BaseBlocks unit had NO adjustments. Win for the budget option here.

Overall, back extensions are solid. We have plenty of room for full range of motion, the unit is stable, set up is easy enough, and at the 45 degree angle we are smashing the posterior chain. We still have the same limitations of the other Nordic Combo Machines in that we do not have enough space for full barbell back extensions from the floor, no room for a cable set up, etc. But we can easily use a weighted vest, dumbbells, medicine balls, you name it. Back extensions are just as good on the Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 as any other Nordic Combo machine.

Hip Thrusts

The Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 took a LOT of inspiration from Freak Athlete here, and removed the ankle roller pad, dropped it in the front of the unit, and opened up the door for Hip Thrusts, Bulgarian split squats, and other options. The execution is a little different as Freak Athlete has the flip up post and Tib Bar Guy has a pull out post that you flip around, but the general set-up is essentially the same.

I was able to Hip Thrust over 500lbs on the Freak Athlete Nordic Hyper GHD. I believe I could get a similar result here. I easily handled about 275lbs on a weekend off day to film this quick shot, and it didn’t budge at all. Set-up is stable, and it will likely let you perform Hip Thrusts to whatever strength level you have, assuming you aren’t exceeding their maximum weight limit.

Other Options On The Market

There are currently five Nordic Combo Machines on the market targeted at home gym owners.

First up is the Freak Athlete Nordic Hyper GHD. This was the first one that showed up in our gym and started the entire process of reviewing all of them. It is about double what The BaseBlocks The Nordic Plus costs, depending on what sales they have going on, but comes in a few hundred bucks shy of the Shogun NORD-EX. It also includes multiple additional exercises.

Check out the review here.

Update – Freak Athlete recently launched the Hyper Pro. We are currently testing that, with a full review coming soon.

You can check out the initial details here.

The BaseBlocks The Nord Plus

The next one is the BaseBlocks The Nordic Plus. This is the least expensive offering between the main offerings out there. You could buy two of these and have some change leftover compared to the Shogun. It is far from my favorite, but if you are on a VERY tight budget and fit a VERY specific set of characteristics, I could see this fitting into your routine.

Check out the review here.

The Shogun Nord-EX

The next one is the Shogun Nord-EX. This is the most expensive and premium offering between the main offerings out there. You could buy two The BaseBlocks The Nordic Plus and have some change leftover. That said, it is arguably the most aesthetic of the options. On top of that, they really thought through the finer details of the laser engraving, stainless steel pieces, even the instructions are FANTASTICALLY done.

Check out the review here.

Nordstick The Nordbench

New to the scene in late 2024, actually not even fully released to the market yet, is the Nordstick The Nordbench. I just saw this a couple of weeks ago. I contacted the team, they were excited to see my thoughts on the other three units including The BaseBlocks The Nordic Plus, and wanted theirs included in the conversation.

Save 10% on the new NordBench and all NordStick products w/ Code: GML10S

The Nordstick Nordbench clocks in REALLY close to the Tib Bar Guy price, and depending on discount codes and details might end up being THE budget option, even besting The BaseBlocks The Nordic Plus in price. They have some unique features including a wall mount, squat wedge, and more.

When I receive mine, I’ll update with picture and details.

Will one be better than the other?

This will come down to the features, build, price, and performance. And ultimately the one you pick will take YOUR needs into consideration, and choose the right Nordic Combo Machine for YOUR home gym.

Overall Thoughts On The Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2

The Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 is currently on sale on their website for $449. Add my 10% discount code and you are sitting at $404 plus tax and shipping. This is just barely above the price of the BaseBlocks Nord Plus, and the unit is better in basically every way possible.

For the budget option, it moves, adjusts, and does most things fairly well. Certainly better than its closest counterpart. I mentioned a couple times in this article that I have received multiple units. The first was sent to me in the early part of April 2024. I used it for about a week and then this happened.

Take a look at how the back part of the machine folded on itself as well. I had to scrap this thing for parts and toss a bunch in the garbage. When I did this, the bolts and the metal on the back part of the frame were so badly warped I couldn’t get them apart.

Tib Bar Guy took a bunch of my notes I sent them, including this clip, and made changes to improve their design that they have confirmed with me is standard for all orders moving forward. They made the pin stronger and improved functionality in multiple areas.

I received the second Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 on August 21st, 2024. I assembled it the following day and began testing. On August 24th, 2024 this happened.

Once again, the pin collapsed in on itself. This took about 48 hours from when I installed it, to when it broke.

Third Times A Charm!

The team took all of my notes and went to work. They changed a bunch of small things, assembly items, powdercoating, and more. And the biggest piece is addressing the safety problems of the 15 degree incline angle. In that 15 degree regression for Nordic Curls, the machine bounced like a diving board. That is a LOT of movement and compression for one pop pin to handle.

The team made an executive decision to remove the 15 degree angle adjustment for Nordic Curls. This addresses the primary safety concern and the key failure piece of the previous models. From there, they decided to adjust the 8 degree to 10 degree. This doesn’t improve safety, but instead simply makes the jumps a little more straightforward. They also improved the pop-pin, removing the plastic and replacing with a full metal option.

And the good news is, the third model I received has so far passed my tests. I am now happy to be able to say that the Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 is no longer a safety concern!

What If I Already Bought a Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2

I’ve talked to the team, they’ve told me that they have not received any other complaints like mine. But I managed to break TWO machines in a very short amount of time. I know that dudes doing Nordic Curls at 250+lbs is far from common. So I might be one of the only people putting this much stress on the machine.

I would personally reach out to the team and ask for any updated pins, bolts, and accessories they have. I can’t confirm whether they will do this or not, or if they even have the stock for it, but I’d try. Then I would avoid doing Nordic Curl regressions at anything around that 15 degree mark. Flat, 20 degrees and above, are all good.

Wrap Up

The specs and pricing of the Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 were very appealing. You had a more simplistic Nordic Hyper GHD, shaving about $200, and keeping 3 of the 4 core exercise options. Now with Freak Athlete launching the Hyper Pro and adding some extra cash to that final bill, the Tib Bar Guy Nordic Back Extension Machine V2 currently holds a spot that makes perfect sense for a lot of home gyms.

The first two models I received were a flat out no go. If you watched my Nordic Combo Showdown video, you know I wouldn’t even provide a link to their product due to safety concerns. But the third version, has fixed that safety issue. I wish the team would be able to have the same 5 degree adjustments throughout for Nordics, but I’ll take safety over an extra couple of angles any day.

$400 for an adjustable Nordic Bench, Back Extension Machine, and Hip Thrust Bench, is pretty damn good. It might not be the best Nordic Combo Machine on the market, but I have no hesitation calling it the current budget champion.

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