If your mobility is great, it could be that you're using the wrong cues. One of the absolute biggest benefits of the safety squat bar is that it's so flippin' versatile. how to squat with bar. If you don't know how to recruit your glutes and hamstrings though, or how to activate them, then yes, low bar will be more challenging. Now that I have some muscle in my upper back I squat low bar and dont even think about it. At first, low bar squatting feels tighter and stronger. As mentioned above, we have to consider overall stress. Creaking and cracking joints can prevent you from squatting altogether, but that’s an extreme. The low bar rack loads the elbows, wrists and shoulders in a manner that most lifters are unaccustomed too and everyone’s experience is different based on limb lengths and mobility. Is this the only difference in the three movements? Once the pain is gone, I will return to squatting but a most likely stick with my high bar squats unless someone has a better suggestion. The Low Bar Squat has a higher demand for mobility and overall stimulus on the nervous system, making it harder to train as frequently or with other movements such as Deadlifts and Bench Press. It is important to recognize that the squatting technique tends to vary from person to person due to a number of factors. Just like the high-bar back squat and front squat, the bar should be set at around chest height. The Low Bar Squat, usually having less carry over to athletic sport has its time and place but should not be prioritised as much due to the demand it has on the lower back, wrist and elbows which can make it harder to train other exercises by over stimulating the joints or nervous system. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, We're a community for female and gender non binary/gender non conforming redditors to discuss fitness, Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. The front squat puts the most demand on the spinal extensors. Squat Vs Deadlift: Muscles Worked. The interesting thing is that when we copied that squat the first day we tried it, we both put the bar on top of our traps when we took it out of the rack. Posting a form check would allow us to diagnose. Further, even accomplished low bar squatters will develop mobility and … And that’s true: most people can high-bar squat about 25% more weight than they can front squat, and can low-bar squat roughly 35% more weight than they can front squat. now it is all good. For example if I have really long legs, squatting High Bar might be more difficult as I’d still be leant over and using Low Bar could make it easier for me to shift the weight due to similar loading positions. Low Bar Squat. I struggled a bit when I first switched from high to low bar but I couldn't go back now! The bar sits low on the traps. It feels way more comfortable and stable, and like the weight gets distributed better. For all inquiries contact (+61) 435 925 694, Nutrition, Health, Fitness, Diet, Fat Loss, Weight Gain, MMA, BJJ, Fighter, Combat, Boxing, Wrestling, Muay Thai. I've been practicing low bar squat and it seems harder than high bar squat. This is the traditional version of the squat that is mostly taught to beginners when first starting off. A low bar squat requires an athlete to have a more horizontal position in regards to their torso, which produces a more acute hip angle so that the hamstrings will be under tension at the bottom of the squat. I'd like to get the most bang for my squat but don't want to come out with … This discussion covers … Sometimes the combination of both using a low bar squat position AND having a narrow grip can cause too much stress for the tissues and ligament surrounding the shoulder, especially under a max load. High bar tends to hit more of your quads, low bar more glutes and hamstrings. Even though the low bar squat is harder on our lower back because it requires us to lean over more, we benefit from more use of the posterior chain. According to Greg Nuckols (who knows what he's talking about) the hypertrophy differences betweeen low bar and high bar are pretty small. Closer to a Powerlifting meet I’d then swap over to Low Bar Squats for specificity and reduce overall volume on other exercises. The squat and deadlift are both compound movements that utilize multiple muscles in the body. When this happens, you need to address it immediately and aim to get back into a pain-free zone as soon as possible. save hide report. For shifting overall load though in Powerlifting, it could be beneficial as that is the outcome of the sport, to move as much weight as possible for a 1 rep max. Low bar is easier for me but it really just depends on the person. You can keep your grip close or wide; your legs can be close or wide as well. Think about holding a dumbbell straight out to your side, like at the top of a lateral raise. It puts people with strong hamstrings, glutes, and hips at an advantage, since hip extension provides much of the drive. The 8 strategies to fix elbow pain while low bar squatting are: Widen Your … My biggest problem with high-bar is that if i'm doing a heavy weight, sometimes I start to collapse out of the hole, so I end folding forward and relying more on my back than my legs. My personal trainer has told me that once you're accustomed to low-bar normally you'll notice being able to squat more - I'm not sure yet as i'm still practicing but I do notice better control. We also need to realise that leverages and preferences, a person with severely long limbs will have a greater moment arm from their centre of gravity which does not give them the best leverage to move overall load. Doing so allows for the hamstrings to contribute as much as possible to the extension of the hip during the ascent. A year ago I was having trouble with the bar. The differences between the squat variations are small, and if you want to target the posterior chain, there are far more effective ways to do so: https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/nice_butt. The stretch reflex is one of the most important qualities of a low bar squat. So how do you fix elbow pain while low bar squatting? For myself personally, being a Powerlifting and Olympic Weightlifter I train both. For the majority of the year I train High Bar Squats which allows me to Snatch and Clean more often while working on my Bench Press as my Bench is quite shit. More vertical shins also reduce knee joint stress. I'm a powerlifter so low bar allows me to squat heavier and it puts me in a better position. It just seems more challenging. It's Incredibly Functional. I've found the same that low-bar allows me to hit depth more consistently and also takes some of the pressure off my shoulders, as for low-bar I need a wider grip than I do for high-bar. However because the lever or moment arm created by the upright torso position, it makes it slightly harder for many individuals (NOT ALL) to shift overall load which could also hinder progress for athletic development as load is king and we want to try to create the most force against external resistance. The low bar squat uses more of the … It feels like the safest option to perform your free weight squats. Slowly descend by curving your knees and pushing your hips back until the bottom of squat and then keep this posture for 3-5 seconds. The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. 6 comments . Big big question that a lot of people starting off Powerlifting often ask. The Low Bar Squat has a higher demand for mobility and overall stimulus on the nervous system, making it harder to train as frequently or with other movements such as Deadlifts and Bench Press. The big downside to this bar is that it always seemed uncomfortable on my back. It just seems more challenging. In most cases, the low bar squat will allow you to lift heavier loads compared to high bar. For BJJ I use both to train all levers as a lot of funky shit can happen in BJJ and there are really no optimal positions you can be in especially No Gi, which is so fast paced. I was wondering if others experienced this as well. Without further adieu, lets get into it! Low bar squats are best done in flat shoes, such as Converse All-Stars or minimalist running shoes. The technique however places more emphasis on the lower back, elbows and wrist and stresses the nervous system much more due to the position it places the body in. 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