Squats with bar pad

[Backlash]

Is it bad to do squats with the foam bad on the bar to cushion your traps?

I realize it's probably not legal for powerlifting competitions, but I have no plans to enter one, ever, so I'm not worried about that.

I can use the bar by itself for light weights in warmups, but it's extremely uncomfortable for me at higher weights, so much that I can't get a good leg workout on squats without the pad.

Is there any real reason not to use one other than "it's manlier"?

 

[makedah]

It was my experience that it threw me off balance and made the bar even more slippery! I guess you haven't had that problem.

 

[molnii]

I don't think there is any problem with it....it just doesn't work for me cuz I really can't feel the bar....but that's just me!

 

[MsBeverlyHills]

I agree w/the other posters...dont use it. Also- is the bar resting on your traps or neck??? that could be your problem.

 

[pwr_machine]

I agree w/the other posters...dont use it. Also- is the bar resting on your traps or neck??? that could be your problem.

Yeah, God gave us this nifty little groove for the bar to sit on. Find that groove near your rear delts, not up towards your neck.

 

[SofaGeorge]

Don't use it. Once you get up to some serious poundage you won't want that small imbalance.

 

[fastgain]

I used to use that thing when I first started because the bar hurt. Then I started doing heavy ass deads and my traps exploded, so now I have a nice cushion for the bar (I do high-bar squats). I like it sitting on the traps more than the rear delts personally.

 

[Backlash]

It's not on my neck, I think it's just that my traps and rear delts aren't very big (along with the rest of me... )

I will work on transitioning to not using it as my traps grow. I have been doing power shrugs recently so hopefully that will help.

 

[JollyRogers]

I use a foam pad and I dont care what anyone else says...

 

[blinddeafmute]

I was wondering this also Backlash. The bar kills my shoulders and spine, as I have a bony spine anyway because there isnt much meat covering it up. I use the pad sometimes, most of the time I try to bear it though, just because once I get up to squatting 400 lbs, I dont want it rolling down my back any.

I cant imagine squatting 1000lbs + like some PLers do. Cant imagine how that feels.

 

[cheesecake]

My wife has a pinched nerve in her neck. So she uses the Manta Ray.

Personally, I like the feel of the bar in that grove that pwr_machine mentioned above.
...chad...

 

[Becoming]

Yeah- I would just quit cold turkey and get used to it.... after a while it is comfortable not using the pad and you would not have it any other way.... ( I maybe used one my first year of squatting back when I was 15)

 

[JOKER47]

I used to use a pad. I had no problems. But then, my weights are not very impressive, either.

I actually found just the bar is more comfortable, sitting in "the groove". If it's not in "the groove", it hurts like hell.


Joker

 

[gymtime]

I use a foam pad and I dont care what anyone else says...

Exactamundo.

Once you've been in the gym long enough to where ego becomes less of a factor, you realize that a pad can reduce pressure on the shoulders, and should not affect balance or gains.

 

[Backlash]

Becoming: This is my first year squatting Been a couple of months now

Joker: I will try to find this groove next time I go...but I might not even have one yet? My rear delts are lagging even more than my traps.

gymtime: Ego is not a problem. I just wanted to know if there were any real disadvantages to using the pad.

Thanks everyone for the input!

 

[IronLion]

blah blah blah

I have never seen someone who knows what they're doing use the pad..........use a manta ray if you are going to do high bar squats

 

[bignate73]

Shrugs and Farmer Walks!









hehe, "thats all i have to say about that..."

 

[Becoming]

blah blah blah

I have never seen someone who knows what they're doing use the pad..........use a manta ray if you are going to do high bar squats

Nice IL!

Backlash- right on dude. Just work toward eliminating it over time.... I did not really have any muscle back there when I started either... maybe just start using the pad only on the heavier sets... after a while, you will feel like the pad is just in the way and messes up your "feel"....

 

[JollyRogers]

blah blah blah

I have never seen someone who knows what they're doing use the pad..........use a manta ray if you are going to do high bar squats

I know what im doing and I use the pad, what does that mean?

 

[Tagio]

I used it in the beginning, I don't use it anymore. The bar hurt before, now it doesn't ( I guess my traps grew). I didn't make an effort to switch, I just found that it didn't hurt my back anymore after a few months.

I don't know if it affects the exercise or not. my poundages are still really low . But I feel better with no pad (more stable).

 

[bigguns15]

If I can find the groove on my back, I'm sure most guys would not have a problem finding theirs. I get these cool little scrathes on my back from the bar after squat day.

 

[Mike_Rojas]

I don't like the pad at all. It just doesn't feel right, and it doesn't feel stable.

 

[IronLion]

I know what im doing and I use the pad, what does that mean?

the point is that if you knew how to position the bar (hence knew what you were doing) you wouldn't need a pad

 

[louden_swain]

build up the meat in the upper back. . .

This is natural padding. .

I never ever use a pad or a manta ray. . doesn't feel natural.

 

[pwr_machine]

the point is that if you knew how to position the bar (hence knew what you were doing) you wouldn't need a pad

I just couldn't bring myself to say it in such a way.

JollyRogers, squeeze those shoulders blades and find a platform to rest the bar on.

 

[makedah]

It's not on my neck, I think it's just that my traps and rear delts aren't very big (along with the rest of me... )

Mine aren't either. Welcome to the shelf-building club!

 

[c3ntrifug3]

I love using bar pads. I'll go right up to 405 with it on without any balance problems.

 

[gymtime]

the point is that if you knew how to position the bar (hence knew what you were doing) you wouldn't need a pad

Uh....knowing where to position a bar on your shoulders for a squat is not exactly rocket science. I know exactly where to put it and the pad simply makes it more comfortable, for some of us anyway. If you don't like it, don't use it.

 

[IronLion]

Uh....knowing where to position a bar on your shoulders for a squat is not exactly rocket science. I know exactly where to put it and the pad simply makes it more comfortable, for some of us anyway. If you don't like it, don't use it.

ok then you go right ahead with your padded squats, don't forget to turn it in when your done in case any senior citizens want to bang out some padded squats too

 

[gymtime]

ok then you go right ahead with your padded squats, don't forget to turn it in when your done in case any senior citizens want to bang out some padded squats too

Wow. Good comeback. What a tough guy you are using just the bar! I bet your parents coudln't be more proud!

I bet you're one of those guys who loads up the bar with some ridiculous weight, lowers it about six inches for two reps, and braggs to your little friends about how much you "squat."

Well done peanut.

 

[Zander1983]

Wow. Good comeback. What a tough guy you are using just the bar! I bet your parents coudln't be more proud!

I bet you're one of those guys who loads up the bar with some ridiculous weight, lowers it about six inches for two reps, and braggs to your little friends about how much you "squat."

Well done peanut.

IronLion can back up everything he says, and more

 

[IronLion]

Wow. Good comeback. What a tough guy you are using just the bar! I bet your parents coudln't be more proud!

I bet you're one of those guys who loads up the bar with some ridiculous weight, lowers it about six inches for two reps, and braggs to your little friends about how much you "squat."

Well done peanut.

yeah you got me gymturd, please go back to the chat boards


for all the people who actually want to know, this is the ridge and placement of a low bar squat, above the rear delts and at the bottom of the traps

 

[gymtime]

yeah you got me gymturd, please go back to the chat boards


for all the people who actually want to know, this is the ridge and placement of a low bar squat, above the rear delts and at the bottom of the traps

Impressive. If you're teaching newbies how to lift with their backs and not their legs.

Now, in your infinite wisdom, what possible difference would a pad make? Doesn't change the fact that you're bent over like you're waiting for your boyfriend to come home.

 

[revexrevex]

Gymtime you keep on embarassing yourself with attacks on one of the strongest people out there. Bar pad can cause the bar to slide off your back, which would not be a pleasent experience for you. Even with squeezing my rear deltoids hard together I had to keep it there with my arms.

 

[gymtime]

Gymtime you keep on embarassing yourself with attacks on one of the strongest people out there. Bar pad can cause the bar to slide off your back, which would not be a pleasent experience for you. Even with squeezing my rear deltoids hard together I had to keep it there with my arms.

Read back rev. Pretty boy here started getting snippy, not me. And I've NEVER had a bar slide of my back or had balance issues with a pad. It's a simple preference. It doesn't make this guy any tougher or stronger.

Plus he has yet to answer my simple question. I'd like to hear this.

 

[revexrevex]

Well its an issue of personal preference, which is unique based on goals and attitude, so lets not fight over this.

 

[gymtime]

Well its an issue of personal preference, which is unique based on goals and attitude, so lets not fight over this.

Which is what I've been saying all along. But your mentor here seems to disagree and I'd simply like to know why.

My contention, as in my original post, is that it's purely an ego thing and makes absolutely no difference in terms of goals, results, etc.

Prove me wrong.

 

[IronLion]

Gymtime you really are embarrasing yourself, no one who knows how to squat uses a pad, it is unstable, useless and prevents the bar from resting where it should.....come on big guy you know that


As for lifting with my back and not my legs, wtf is that....i must have a strong back to be doing 500 pound squats with no belt and no wraps, atf.

Seriously guy what are you talking about...enlighten me

 

[gymtime]

Gymtime you really are embarrasing yourself, no one who knows how to squat uses a pad, it is unstable, useless and prevents the bar from resting where it should.....come on big guy you know that


As for lifting with my back and not my legs, wtf is that....i must have a strong back to be doing 500 pound squats with no belt and no wraps, atf.

Seriously guy what are you talking about...enlighten me

How am I embarrassing myself? Because I disagree with the great IronLion? I've been squatting at least as long as you have, ten years, and sometimes I use a pad. I've had no instability problems, and the idea that a quarter inch thick piece of foam placed between my shoulders and the bar somehow keeps it from "resting where it should" is ludicrous.

As for your squat, that's a lot of weight, no doubt. But I don't exactly see textbook form there. Got a side view? My money says a side view would show you leaning too far forward. But that's beside the point.

You suggested that I'm a pussy for using a pad. Why? Because real men like you don't use them? Nonsense. That's exactly the kind of egomeniacal crap that gets tossed around this board all the time. Oh, and I was giving advice on the Training board long before you showed up big man, so uh, I'll just go ahead and post whereever the hell I want.

 

[IronLion]

Uh....knowing where to position a bar on your shoulders for a squat is not exactly rocket science. I know exactly where to put it and the pad simply makes it more comfortable, for some of us anyway. If you don't like it, don't use it.

i started this?

sorry for trying to help people understand that a pad is useless and prevents one from finding the right groove for the bar and the proprer forward lean to support it.

gymtime you should really just write this off as a learning experience, you obviously haven't figured out how to squat yet...I'm sure you would add a lot of weight to your squats if you lost the pad.....but hey what do I know

 

[IronLion]

You suggested that I'm a pussy for using a pad. Why? Because real men like you don't use them? Nonsense. That's exactly the kind of egomeniacal crap that gets tossed around this board all the time. Oh, and I was giving advice on the Training board long before you showed up big man, so uh, I'll just go ahead and post whereever the hell I want.

ok then have fun




btw ironic how you put egomaniacal before the sentence that follows

 

[gymtime]

the point is that if you knew how to position the bar (hence knew what you were doing) you wouldn't need a pad

Actually, I was referring to posts like this one.

"....finding the right groove for the bar and the proprer forward lean to support it."

This is ridiculous. Guys like you always think that someone who does things a little differently are complete idiots. You and your egos are a dime a dozen in any gym.

I've been saying all along that it's a personal preference that has no more bearing on reaching one's goals than wearing gloves, which I have no doubt you are also far too cool for.

 

[JollyRogers]

Well its an issue of personal preference, which is unique based on goals and attitude, so lets not fight over this.

I agree

blah blah blah

I have never seen someone who knows what they're doing use the pad..........use a manta ray if you are going to do high bar squats

No ...allot of people know what there doing even with a pad, why so biased against it? Everyone’s different....

 

[gymtime]

...no one who knows how to squat uses a pad, it is unstable, useless and prevents the bar from resting where it should.....come on big guy you know that...

I know nothing of the sort. This statement has ZERO physiological basis and is only your opinion. You want to preach it as gospel? Be my guest. But don't get your bloomers in a twist when someone else has a different opinion. Then maybe even the great IronLion could, if not keep an open mind, at least be respectful to those with differing opinions.

 

[gymtime]

I am done, you guys have showed me the light....I am a much better person for it....any other rude arrogant comments can be made to my face gymtime...other than that I am done with your ridiculous bullshit.

I think this pretty much makes my point.

Temper temper IL. Dish it out but can't take it huh? Now who saw that coming?

 

[IronLion]

I am done, you guys have showed me the light....I am a much better person for it....any other rude arrogant comments can be made to my face gymtime...other than that I am done with your ridiculous bullshit.

 

[bignate73]

physiologically:
the bar pad has no bearing...but it does change your lever advantage by placing the bar higher out on the moment arm (torso).

another unsettling difference is the fact that the pad itself is "squishy" and doesnt bite into the back, which can put a lifter into a precarious position.

other that, the pressure is still the same on the shoulders, it just is diffused over the traps a bit more by the pad.

i usually dont let my clients use it, unless they buy a very thin one. the ones some gyms have are HUUUUUGE!

 

[louden_swain]

Those who need pads need to build up extra beef on the upper back and reat delts. Something tells me that those that use pads are not using a collar to collar grip. A collar to collar grip builds a stronger base for placing the bar.

None of the top powerlifters use pads and they use 700 to 1000lbs.

I don't want to hear this nonsense: "well I am not a powerlifter". My point is that heavy weights can be shifted around without the pad. . .those with 200 or 300lb squats. . . build up the muscle (your natural padding).

 

[overhead]

I do not use a pad for one reason. Even a thin pad may let the bar *roll* down my back without the actual bar having to spin. If the bar is in the correct place on my back it is unlikely to slide, but if the pad is there it can act like a wheel on an axle and roll. I would rather have the slight discomfort of the bar, then the serious pain of having my shoulders ripped out of the socket.

 

[Exodus]

Those who need pads need to build up extra beef on the upper back and reat delts. Something tells me that those that use pads are not using a collar to collar grip. A collar to collar grip builds a stronger base for placing the bar.

i disagree louden. i bet that the people who use the pad due use a collar to collar grip. and thats the problem. if you lack suffcient trap/reardelt development for a collar to collar grip will hurt. bring your arms in closer and squeeze your traps to make that shelf. as your traps and reardelts get bigger, you can move your hands out.

and the bar does cause a difference. if you are going for a max squat and you legs travel a half an inch in the wrong direction can throw your whole lift off. its that simple, your body has a plain of movement that will allow you individually squat your potentional. a pad moving the bar a quater inch in a different direction will cause you to now squat to your potention.

so despite the fact that a couple of people here have posted that they "Know how to squat". yet they arent at their max potential. just like dave tate says "how much more do you know now that you squat 400lbs compared to when you squatted 200lbs. how much more will you need to know to squat 600lbs???"

Ironlion is not a macho egomanic. he has been there and he was trying to spread some wisdom. and to be blunt......... i will put up with ironlion no matter what his attitude, becuase i know he squats big. so that fact that he knows how to squat over 500lbs with no equipment, means i value his opinion more than any300-400lb squatter, just becuase he's been there and done that. experience is often the best teacher, and you guys are just pissing in the face of wisdom

X

 

[bigguns15]

Those who need pads need to build up extra beef on the upper back and reat delts. Something tells me that those that use pads are not using a collar to collar grip. A collar to collar grip builds a stronger base for placing the bar.

None of the top powerlifters use pads and they use 700 to 1000lbs.

I don't want to hear this nonsense: "well I am not a powerlifter". My point is that heavy weights can be shifted around without the pad. . .those with 200 or 300lb squats. . . build up the muscle (your natural padding).

I have to disagree too. If I try to go collar to collar, I have nothing for the bar to sit on. The closer my hands get, the better I can squeeze my traps and rear delts so the bar will have that "shelf" to rest on.

I do agree though, that when you build up enough muscle back there, there is not a need for a pad.

 

[Mike_Rojas]

I think he can squat 750, so he must know what he's talking about.

 

[Exodus]

I think he can squat 750, so he must know what he's talking about.

thats exactly what i was saying........... experince speaks for itself. what you think you know.......... and what you can do are 2 different things!!!!

X

 

[louden_swain]

Maybe it depends on a persons structure. . .my back and shoulders are pretty wide, so a collar to collar hand placement works for me.

I wouldn't feel comfortable working with heavy weights with a close grip. . .I need the bar to dig into the traps and rear delts. I experience no pain at all. . it feels really comfortable.

 

[pwr_machine]

It just looks gay.

 

[makedah]

I do not use a pad for one reason. Even a thin pad may let the bar *roll* down my back without the actual bar having to spin. If the bar is in the correct place on my back it is unlikely to slide, but if the pad is there it can act like a wheel on an axle and roll.

Exactly what my experience was. I don't care if other people use the pad or not, but it made me nervous!

 

[Becoming]

It just looks gay.

LOL
What is that? Collar to collar? Or with a pad?

Or both??

 

[pwr_machine]

LOL
What is that? Collar to collar? Or with a pad?

Or both??

Pad...guy squatting...same sentence.

 

[bigguns15]

It just looks gay.

 

[Backlash]

Well, I did squats over the weekend. I was able to use just the bar (no pad) for up to 135 (so for my warmups, pretty much), but when I went to 185 (for my 5 RM) it was so uncomfortable I had to use the pad. Hopefully over time I can just phase it out. Here's a pic of me trying to squeeze my traps. Maybe if I get some rear delts I'll have a groove for the bar?

 

[Toozee]

I started out using a pad, just because it was there.
Then the pad disappeared for awhile. When it showed up again, I didn't want it. Using the pad just didn't feel natural.
It just seemed more stable sitting in that little groove back there.