Advanced Fitness

Manta Ray and Sting Ray Combo

You are purchasing a Manta Ray and a Sting Ray ...please look in related items tab above should you only want one of the items or more information on the Sting Ray offered here . You save £9.99 compared to buying the items individually. 

 WARNING - FAKE MANTARAYS ON E-BAY and Amazon!

A new outlet for fake MantaRay Squat pads has popped up in the UK. Being sold on Amazon and e-bay through a website and trader called "GUNSMITH FITNESS" - Any squat pad claiming to be a "Mantaray" that doesn't bear all the TradeMarked and  patented attributes of the original MantaRay Squatpad including any colour other than the blue pictured here is 100% fake and isn't made to the original shape, design and specification as a genuine MANTARAY made personally by Mark Pittroff at his factory "Advanced Fitness Inc. " in Ohio U.S.A.  Any trader selling fake items should be avoided as the products will fail to meet the design and performance specification and could potentially give rise to personal injury from product failure.   

How to identify a fake Manta Ray Squat Pad

• Fake MantaRay didn't have the MantaRay logo in the oval on the rear of the device, (See picture above) well it didn't but now they've been imprinting a rough copy of the logo onto the non-logo counterfit Mantarays with a hot stamp. The result is poor to say the least but if you hadn't seen an original which has the logo and text formed as part of the moulding process you'd be forgiven for thinking it now has the official oval logo.
• On the Fake MantaRayThe lettering in the bar groove has the letters "A" on a slant to the left.
• There didn't used to be a yellow warning triangle on the underside but it appears that to try and look more "authentic" they have now added a yellow warning triangle (Identical wording to the genuine one) but to make up for incorrect sizing and appalling discomfort they have crudely stuck a thin layer of foam on the underneath!  How anyone would believe this is original is beyond me and if you buy one of the fakes remember the GENUINE product has remained unchanged for nearly 20 years whereas the e-bay fake keeps evolving trying to make up for it's failings.
• The Fake Manta-Ray squat pad is smaller than the genuine one and therefore very uncomfortable in use
• Fake MantaRay is significantly lighter (lowed density) and probabaly made of an inferior material.
• Just look at the trimming - This is where the excess material is trimmed by hand when it comes out of the mould. The genuine Manta Ray is trimmed by one man with pride, care and passion whereas the fake MantaRay pads are hacked about leaving rough and mis-shaped edges if it was a good fake you might justify saving 25% on a genuine one but saving £10 or less on a vastly inferior product that would nomally last a lifetime... Just saying.  :)

Look at the negative reviews for the seller. One advises the MantaRay is too small and therefore uncomfortable which is to be expected as we already know it's smaller from the sample seen.

We advise contacting e-bay to confirm the counterfeit product and getting your money back from paypal through their counterfeit items policy

The Manta Ray squat device is the king of barbell pads. It's not  a barbell pad but a masterpiece of engineering. The MantaRay is so brilliant we ALWAYS keep plenty on stock for next day delivery: (1st Class Recorded Post)  Read more below: 

What makes the Manta Ray so special?

With nothing more than pipe lagging being the norm when it comes to barbell pads, the Manta Ray Squat Device is unique in so much as it's been designed and manufactured with one thing in mind and that's doing what it's meant to do and doing it without compromise.

Review: Manta Ray Squat Pad

The Manta Ray device is truly an innovation and remarkable piece of engineering. From everyone I have spoken to regarding Manta Ray use, I only get praise for it's comfort and ease of use. Myself (Pete) started using one after we first decided to add the Manta Ray to our product line-up (back in 1999). Needless to say, I am still using my Manta Ray (the very same one) every time I squat, and apart  from my dodgy scrawly written name by permanent marker pen, it still looks as good today after more than a decade of abuse and being kicked around in my gym bag as it did that day we opened the very first shipment! What else costing less than a tub of protein can you say that about?

If like me, you have endured years of wrapping towels, belts, pipe-lagging and anything else you can find, around the bar before squats, the MantaRay will come as a breath of fresh air. On the odd occasion I have forgotten to take my Manta Ray to the gym, I have suffered a bruised and painful spine for the following 2 weeks.

If you find you don't have the trap. development to keep the bar off your bony bits, do your self a huge favour. Get a Manta Ray (or get one for your partner as a present) you'll be very glad you did. I am and can't imagine ever squatting without it now, it's the best training partner you'll ever find !

By Pete Walker

SPECIAL NOTES ON USE:
Over the years I've had a few customers that come back after using the MantaRay the first time saying it still digs into the neck. Either they didn't receive the packaged instructions or they didn't read them but my advice as the same as given by the manufacturer so I'll re-write Mark's (the inventor and creator) actual words:

QUICK START CARD

The Manta Ray Squat is a little different from the regular squat, so we encourage everyone to treat it like a new movement...

If you have been squatting for some time your body will have become familiar with your current posture. That is often more bent over than you might like because our bodies compensate for the bar's tendency to roll by bending us forward. This is particularly true if you use a towel or roll pad. The arms have to keep the bar from rolling and your body often bends you forward to protect your wrists, elbows and shoulders.

Our front projections (on the Manta Ray Pad) keep that from happening. Your arms won't feel like they're about to be pulled out of the sockets so most people find they can use the more upright posture that protects the lower back from possible injury.

For most people the Manta Ray "clicks" instantly, for others there is an adjustment (adaptation) period. In the latter group it might just take a couple of workouts  or it might take a month. The effort is definitely worth it.

GETTING STARTED:
The key to finding your "groove" is not getting the bar too close to your neck. If the bar hurts your neck or the front projections hit your collar bone just roll the bar (and the device) rearward a little with your hands or re-rack the bar and re-lift further "down" your back. (Don't go extremely far back as the Manta Ray is for "high bar squats".

Keeping your head up and imagine the force travelling through your heels also makes it easier to adjust to the more upright posture.

What Advanced Fitness Inc. say about their Manta Ray Squat Pad:

"Manta Ray"

"Our patented load distribution device for the back squat exercise. Made from a hi-tech polyurethane polymer, it is virtually indestructible. Instead of the force concentrating in one small area, the Manta Ray increases the surface area by more than 1600% finally making it possible to focus on the movement. The front projections help keep the bar from trying to roll off your back. This allows most people use a more erect posture because it stops the bodies tendency to bend the lifter forward in an attempt to take the stress off the shoulders."

Manta Ray Barbell Pad Back Protector  Buy yours TODAY from GymRatZ the UK's largest MantaRay distributor since 2000.

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