Bar position on squat

[edgecrusher]

I'm having trouble holding the bar low on my traps, when squating. It just feel slike it won't stay. Any suggestions, on what I can do to correc this?

 

[1-dawg]

This may help. The bar should be placed on your rear delts. If you are not very developed back there you will have problems. If this is your case then you need some upper back/rear delt work.

 

[edgecrusher]

My back and rear delts are pretty well developed. I'm wondering, if it may be a shoulder flexibility issue. I used to be able to do it, then I stopped. Now it feels like the thing is gonna slide right off my back.

 

[cheesePuss]

I used to squat with the bar on top of my traps....but I was told by an experienced lifter in my gym that is not correct and will cause you to lean forward too far......so he said to lower it, and rest it on my rear delts.....I was sure the bar was going to slip....but it didn't. My hands beared alot of the weight...so now I also use wrist wraps when I squat.

Just start out using 135 or 225 with new form...and then squat how you normally do. Every week try a heavier weight with the new bar posistion.....alot of it also has to do with flexibility like you said.

hope this helps

 

[edgecrusher]

Thanks Guys

I guess you all are right. I'm just gonna have to train myself back to doing it the right way.

 

[Scotsman]

I open my hands and only put the base of my palms against the bar. That way I can push it forward into that rear delt/trap groove. This is in part due to flexibility and comfort in wrists.

 

[flex-mb]

OK. There is no right or wrong bar position on the squat. If you want to crush your ego, place the bar high on the traps, take a narrow, shoulder-width stance and go below parallel. This will place the emphasis on the quads, glutes and hamstrings and take the pressure off the low back. If you place the bar high on the traps and you tend to lean forward then your quads are weak realtive to your low back. Most lifters who try this the first will only be able to use 1/3 to 1/2 of the weight they can normally hadle. Try buying a video from www.ironmind.com. There you will see olympic lifters from various countries on any given 'training hall' tape squatting 3 (and sometimes 4 times)times their body weight with NO belt, NO super suit, NO knee wraps. These guys are THE REAL sqautters. THese guys are squatting max attempts at the end of their workouts too! They squat high bar, narrow stance and go below parallel (some go so low their their butt is just a few inches off the ground. Their range of motin is roughly 1.5 times that of a powerlifters squat. One guy named Dursin Sevinc (83 kg lifter) from Turkey weighs 183 lbs and FRONT sqautted just below parallel 616 lbs and all he had on were a pair of bike shorts and and a leather weight belt. Imagine if he wore a super suit, wrapped his knees 10 times and placed the bar low on his back. He could probably squat close to 850 - 900 lbs. Even Anthony Clark admitted that without all of the support gear and squatting like an olympic lifter he could probably only do around 700 lbs. That goes to show you what exactly all the equipment can do for one. Olypic lifters are the REAL squatters!

 

[edgecrusher]

OK. There is no right or wrong bar position on the squat. If you want to crush your ego, place the bar high on the traps, take a narrow, shoulder-width stance and go below parallel. This will place the emphasis on the quads, glutes and hamstrings and take the pressure off the low back. If you place the bar high on the traps and you tend to lean forward then your quads are weak realtive to your low back. Most lifters who try this the first will only be able to use 1/3 to 1/2 of the weight they can normally hadle. Try buying a video from www.ironmind.com. There you will see olympic lifters from various countries on any given 'training hall' tape squatting 3 (and sometimes 4 times)times their body weight with NO belt, NO super suit, NO knee wraps. These guys are THE REAL sqautters. THese guys are squatting max attempts at the end of their workouts too! They squat high bar, narrow stance and go below parallel (some go so low their their butt is just a few inches off the ground. Their range of motin is roughly 1.5 times that of a powerlifters squat. One guy named Dursin Sevinc (83 kg lifter) from Turkey weighs 183 lbs and FRONT sqautted just below parallel 616 lbs and all he had on were a pair of bike shorts and and a leather weight belt. Imagine if he wore a super suit, wrapped his knees 10 times and placed the bar low on his back. He could probably squat close to 850 - 900 lbs. Even Anthony Clark admitted that without all of the support gear and squatting like an olympic lifter he could probably only do around 700 lbs. That goes to show you what exactly all the equipment can do for one. Olypic lifters are the REAL squatters!

I use those techniques as well. However, no where near what Dursin does. I feel those are great techniques for increasing any type of leg strength. I simply wanted to switch back to the other posisition, because it is a technique I used to use and wanted to try again. But I agree olympic lifters are the strongest atheletes in the world pound for pound.

 

[natural-mike]

I had a pretty descent squat but never realized it was a high bar, way up on my traps. I was a bodybuilder recently converted into a powerlifter. It took some time to adjust to lowering the bar on my back, the pressure on my wrists and bicep tendon is frightening. Once I started wrapping my wrists it got much much better. I wrap my wrists with those thick ass INZER Z Knee wraps, makes my wrist look about 18 inches but it takes the pressure and the worrying of me and now my squats are moving up. Although on ME days I do rotate High Bar squats, its a good mix up exercise.

Just my 2 pennies

Mike

 

[doggpound]

Those squats are legit, but why dont you see oly lifters lifting elite level past early 30's? Joints cant take the pounding they give them for too long before they cant walk any more. Having done both oly and powerlifting I would have to say while oly's are "supposedly" the strongest men in the world, 85% of their style is technique. I PREDICT i predict Shane Hammond will return to the 3 lift platform soon