Low Bar Squats
Images are sometimes not shown due to bandwidth/network limitations. Refreshing the page usually helps.
You are currently reading a thread in /fit/ - Fitness
You are currently reading a thread in /fit/ - Fitness
I was stopped at the gym yesterday by another patron who wanted to inform me my squat technique was wrong and dangerous. He advised me to change my form to what is normally described as a high bar squat: head higher, back more vertical, bar on my traps, etc. This isn't the first time someone explained to me how I can squat better if I change my form to high bar either.
Anyway, I have two requests: can someone explain if low bar squats really are a meme since no one in the real world knows what I'm doing despite them being relatively big guys.
And second, I don't want to act like my own low bar squat form is absolutely flawless, so can someone judge my depth and back in case I am messing up somewhere? Will post picture soon.
>>36876418
It's not a meme, low bar squats are suppoused to keep your back in a more natural position, similar to what it does when you deadlift and powerclean.
They aren't a meme, but it's not what the high school football coach taught, so most people are not familiar. Low bar is a much more technical lift, so it's never going to be taught as widely.
>>36876485
How is this? Okay?
>it's more technical
autism squats
>>36876544
Perfect depth, imo
>>36876418
If by meme you mean useless, it's not a meme. It's a different lift from the high bar squat. It uses more muscles and different muscles. I find that if someone tells you you're doing something wrong, giving the thing you're doing a name they haven't heard before shuts them up.
>No man, it's a "low bar squat, it's supposed to look like that, thanks for looking out for me though"
>>36876544
Post in /plg/ to get more informed opinions.
>>36876544
depth and back posture seem ok.
for the record don't keep your hands like the guy in OP does, your wrists will die once you start putting weight to it
>>36876576
Exactly what I did. Thanked him for the concern and explained that it was a different style and even showed him a video on my phone.
>>36876603
Rippetoe mentioned that in a later video. His explanation was "can only fix one thing at a time."
>>36876603
Good call. That's fucking awful.
>>36876567
Thank you.
>>36876588
Will do. Thank you.
>>36876596
Thank you.
Who else middle of low and high bar squats master race here?
>>36876801
I think I'm not as low as some. It's a balance between placement on my back and keeping healthy shoulder and elbow joints.
>>36876801
You mean you put the entire weight of the bar on the spine of the scapula? That's not going to end well.
>>36876544
Seems good.
If someone really wants to be pedantic they would say you shouldn't hyperextend your back so much - but honestly without a video it's hard to judge that, and it doesn't seem that bad.
>>36876896
What can I do to avoid hyper-extension of the back?
>>36876801
Front Squat is the true masterrace
>>36876544
Looks fine, keep in mind that it's pretty easy to control the bar perfectly on the way down but on the way up it's much harder especially as you get tired. Personally if I feel my form is being significantly compromised I stop doing reps
>>36877023
You find a middle ground in how far your hands are out on the bar, to where you still have a good shelf with your posterior delts and can flex your lats because they help stabilize your spine. Also it helps going through the queues and squatting and filming yourself to see where you hyperextend.
>>36877023
I think it's hard to do if you are squeezing your abs hard enough.
>>36877070
Also forgot to mention, brace with your core. Breathe into your belly and push out while flexing your abs, obliques, and spinal erectors.
>>36876603
Any good stretches to be able to put the bar back while keeping good wrist position? That's one reason I don't low bar squat is my arms can't really get that far back.
>>36877317
Widen your grip
>>36877317
Doing a thumbless grip helps to I find. Just grip the bar like normal, but place the thumb on top. Less stress on your wrists that way.
>>36877317
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT3C96ojEuA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2tyOLvArw0
>>36877394
You're supposed to have your thumbs on top of the bar
Doing it otherwise is wrong
regardless of low/high bar technique debate, a good rule is to not listen to any asshole who gives you advice in a gym. Unless its a trainer you paid for, and youve done your homework about lifting people dont know fuck all about lifting. I remember a few years ago i was deadlifting, myabe 365-405, i dont remember exactly, but some dickhead 40 yr old who had bitch tits tried to correct my form, (and to date, ive never hurt myself deadlifting) i said, without being angry, i know what im doing. i later saw him deadlifting the bar. just do your research and if youre in doubt ask someone qualified.
>>36877023
It's just mental senpai, you have to learn what your back should feel like in a squat. Don't think "chest up", think tight core, tight lats.
I've taught about 10 ppl how to low bar squat but can't figure out how to do it myself. Feels bad man.
>>36876801
535 highbar squatter here
JOIN THE MASTER RACE
>>36876544
Great form. Unless you're lifting at a powerlifting/oly specific gym, I would take any advice people throw at you with a grain of salt. Even at those places the only people who should give advice are proven trainers.
>>36876418
"Stay in your ass"
-Rip
>>36877422
It says so in the book but i dont see anyone that does it on youtube. Even in the clip in the OP rip does not mention it
>>36877422
As long as you keep a strong wrist throughout, it doesn't matter. Thumb over the bar just makes it easier and more consistent throughout the rep
>>36877469
Preach! OP has already done more research than 95% of people at the gym. High and low bar are fine, listen to your body.
>>36876836
Its actually on my lower trap though
>>36876896
S U I C I D E
U
I
C
I
D
E
>>36876544
NCSU?
>>36877060
Agreed.
>>36876801
BASED HAACK
>>36877730
I know that feel, m8.
I'm the master technician, the biomechanics expert, even the gym monsters ask me for minor corrections in form.
My bench press is horrendous, uneven and I'm pretty much sure the bar path strains my delts.
My squat is a shitshow on everything except depth and weight lifted.
My deadlift is uneven and I'm almost positive that I fuck up my starting position somehow, because of the bar speed changes i feel.
And I have nobody to correct me, because nobody knows shit about biomechanics or even how to properly operate a camera to catch all the levers at work.
My fucking wife's technique is immaculate and instinctive by now and I lift like a fucking hack, but nobody says anything because I outsquat and out pull everybody.
>>36876418
This person is being a douche because you're lifting more than them and you should ignore them.
>>36882640
That's a high bar squat. The spine of the scapula is the dividing line between high and low bar.
>>36882073
thx
>>36882640
Your lower traps are lower than your posterior delts. So you're going lower than lowbar.
>>36883193
depends
IMO the real difference between high and low bar placement is that it's high bar if you can keep the bar on your back without having to do anything with your arms
>>36884798
Show me this armless high bar squat.
>>36885234
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JovXdX9kHmM
the key here is that he's keeping his chest 'open' rather than forcing lumbar extension like a lot of low bar squatters
>>36885267
huh
>>36885305
if you puff out your chest you fuck up high bar squats. Not using hands teaches you the right way to hold your posture
What are some good form cues for highbar?
My main problems in terms of form are knee collapse at the start of the push (not a weight issue, I went down to 100kg for a deload, and now on the way back up it's happening) and slight good morning-ing.
>>36887370
dont let your butt shoot up too fast, you still want to drive the ascent from the legs too.
for the knees you just need to make a mental cue of pushing them outwards during the ascent. this might also help stop the good morning squats
>>36887370
>>36887397
I kinda find trying to keep the weight on the outside of the foot helps with knees, which in turn helps with back as well.
>>36887370
depends how much collapse there is. If there's very little, it doesn't actually matter. Do you have a video
>>36887397
Yeah it seems to be one or the other.
I had the form fine before the deload, somehow it's gone funny.
If I focus on using my quads, I stop good morning but get a bit of collapse (only slight, and it's back to normal once I reach parralel); if I don't, then my bar path goes slightly in front of my feet.
>>36887431
No unfortunately. It's nothing dramatic, and I can push them back to normal before I get back up. It happens worse when I try pause squatting though.
>>36887444
make sure to keep your chest up by having your upper back tight. try to stay upright but, not so much that you're basically doing a behind the neck front squat
>>36887444
ye m8 I don't think you need to worry too much if it looks something like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_e6bFRKi0M
maybe be more concerned if it's more dramatic, e.g.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vBvxf90LUU
people overthink this shit as more americans get involved
>>36884759
Trappy I want you beside me in my bed, I want to hold you tight and snuggle you and kiss you on the neck while lightly fondling your tits and grinding my semi-hard dick on your 10/10 butt. Please be mine.
>>36887464
I'll keep that in mind. I guess why the knee collapse happens worse on pause squats is due to the loss of tightness
>>36887477
Yeah it's like the first vid.
They go inwards when I'm coming out of the bottom, but I get em back on the way up.
Also, does highbar mean resting on top of the shoulders blades?
I have the bar resting just below where Xiajun had it, but higher than the OP pic.
>>36887604
high bar just means somewhere on the traps, where you have it is purely a matter of personal preference so long as it's not so low that it's on rear delts. Experiment with where you feel suits.
like this guy, who has it pretty low for example
https://www.instagram.com/p/7Yw8bLnojh/?taken-by=smyth_phil
>>36887646
Aight, sweet, cheers.
How would you say his form is?
I lift nowhere near that amount, but I have a similar sort of slight good morning to him (I'm starting to think I'm probably worrying too much about my Squat lol)
>>36887672
In WL the goal is to squat for strength, how you do it so long as it's in line with your snatch torso angle is fine
if you're not a weightlifter and you squat like him then that's fine too, he and bodorio in plg both have more torso lean than you would see in "perfect" form but they squat more than virtually everyone else on this board
>>36887646
Nice hip drive there. I'd almost call that a hybrid squat. Bar placement IS going to dictate the back angle to a degree, just to keep the weight over mid foot.
>>36887712
yeah I'd agree with that
depends what you're squatting for really, anything other than weightlifting just means squat however is comfiest
>>36887701
Aight sweet man.
Cheers for all the help. I'll get some sleep now, hopefully I'll hit the 110kgx5 I've been aiming for tommorow.
>>36887750
yeah if it's any consolation you're probs just overthinking things, it'll work itself out
>>36887222
Silly me I thought "high bar" had to do with, you know, the height of the bar.
repostan from plg:
squat form check
pls no bully
315, about 77% of my max: https://youtu.be/mWac2m_83d0?t=11 [Embed]
very rough 385 triple to see some more severe form breakdown: https://youtu.be/jwtsH8Lnzes?t=10 [Embed]
Easy 285, about 70% of my max: https://youtu.be/3kCMDqG1FVU?t=12 [Embed]
Any tips to avoid pic related?
