Use a high bar placement during squats? Why. Why would they do this?
What is more real life applicable, a high or a low bar squat?
I'd argue low bar. Are they trying to "place the bar higher" as if they are above power lifters?
I'm not sure I understand- olympic lifters probably don't care much about 'real life' applicability, but instead olympic lifting applicability. I can only assume they feel high bar placement helps with that.
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I'm pretty sure it's not an ego thing - you typically lift less with a high bar position.
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And major action will certainly make you feel a bit uncomfortable, which is absolutely fine. You've gotta get excited about feeling uncomfortable, you've gotta love feeling slightly uncomfortable, because you know that you're stepping outside the boundaries that you used to create.
Zach Even-Esh
I've made some huge mistakes, but they were necessary, because without them I wouldn't have learned anything.
-Dave Tate
Use a high bar placement during squats? Why. Why would they do this?
Because it helps maintain the torso positions needed for OL and stresses the musculature in proper ways for the sport.
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What is more real life applicable, a high or a low bar squat?
I'd argue low bar.
mkay........
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Are they trying to "place the bar higher" as if they are above power lifters?
Yup, thats exactly it
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Oh my gosh that is the coolest article ever; it was exactly what I wanted. Hey so DUH i didnt realize that "First, Olympic lifters don't compete in the squat. They use it as an assistance exercise to aid in their competition lifts: the snatch and the clean & jerk."
"First, Olympic lifters don't compete in the squat. They use it as an assistance exercise to aid in their competition lifts: the snatch and the clean & jerk."
that's a great quote, I wish more folks realized that. PL is one thing, OLY is another, they have little to do with each other in competitive means, and absolutely nothing similar in technique...
Exactly. Saw that article a while ago and it explained why I have to place the bar higher now. Another difference between what I need to do now versus how I used to do it, is to explicitly use the bounce effect. This means I'm generally using less weight than before.
I squat high bar, always. low bar bugs my elbows to much. lots of powerlifters are using a high bar position these days to stay more upright in the hole.
It's harder to keep your arch with a high bar I find. I was planning on going high bar once I got in the suit because of my elbows, just like you said, but I cave over pretty easily with a high bar once the weight gets heavy (>my raw 1RM).
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And major action will certainly make you feel a bit uncomfortable, which is absolutely fine. You've gotta get excited about feeling uncomfortable, you've gotta love feeling slightly uncomfortable, because you know that you're stepping outside the boundaries that you used to create.
Zach Even-Esh
I've made some huge mistakes, but they were necessary, because without them I wouldn't have learned anything.
-Dave Tate
I started low bar squatting after reading Starting Strength. I'm sure my form was pretty good (I also referred to an Elite DVD on squatting and spend time working through a "checklist"). But, it aggravated my thorasic spine. I stopped for a bit, got some chiropractic, and it cleared up. Then I started up again; same thing. I'm back to largely front squat and separate work to complement it.
With a low bar squat you are "arching" your thorasic vertebrae, which can cause a bit of discomfort if done over periods of time. Some people have more of a problem with it than others.
As far as the elbows go (and the shoulders for that matter) the low bar squat forces you to pull your arms back behind you pretty far. This can put a lot of stress on the biceps tendon and elbows. The benefit is that the bar is set quite a bit tighter. The drawback is that you can become more prone to tendinitis in the shoulders and elbows.
Half the reason so many low bar squatting powerlifters rotate in the use of safety bar squats, cambered bar squats, and buffalo bar squats is that these bars help keep stress off of the shoulder girdle. I have heard a lot of guys talking about how shoulder problems came from the squat more often than the bench press.
Lets face it, for guys who have the bench press to compete in, shoulder health is a big deal.
I think the decision has to be made on a person to person basis. Some people will have a harder time with the low bar squat than others.
I haven't been doing the low bar squats for a while because Cressey's program had me doing mostly front squats this month, but I did them again starting phase three and i definitely felt it in the elbows. I'm glad he had me doing the zottman curls to strength my elbows before hand.
Question. Should the wrists be straight while holding the bar? It kind of hurts if I let them bend back.
Use a high bar placement during squats? Why. Why would they do this?
What is more real life applicable, a high or a low bar squat?
I'd argue low bar. Are they trying to "place the bar higher" as if they are above power lifters?
Well, I use both with my lifters as well as my collegiate athletes. The high bar tends to stress the quadriceps muscles more and the hip extensors less, while the low bar works the back/hip extensors more than the quads. I find both have their place in training.
Adam - you should not feel pain in the wrists when back squatting. The weight should be loaded all on the traps. The hands are there to prevent the bar from moving back and forth. You do not attempt to push the weight up with the hands at all.
Squatting low bar is not going to help you squat high bar. Just start squatting high bar and try to get deeper gradually. Get more flexible and mobile. Ankle mobility, hip mobility, thoracic mobility. Stretch those quads, calves, hamstring, glutes and adductors..
In the Clean & Jerk and front squat, the bar is placed across the shoulders and clavicle, just in front of the neck right. The front squat is the main exercise used for squatting for weightlifters because in the clean recovery, you are front squatting the weight up.
Olympic Weightlifters squat with a high bar placement because the bar is closer to the front than a low bar placement. This means it mimics a front squat much more than a low bar squat = more training effect and specific.
The high bar squat and low bar squat are two totally different creatures. However, it is known that the high bar squat requires more flexibility and mobility to squat ATG. This means you will be more flexible and mobile. More practical eh? Then again, it depends what is your goal? Olympic Weightlifting - high bar. Powerlifting - low bar.
Like what coachdavidh said, the high bar squat stresses more on the quads and less hamstrings. More anterior than posterior. That's why Olympic Weightlifters have big quads as compared to the rest of their body
A very large portion of powerlifters are squatting high bar now, its more upright in the hole. And some oly lifters are using a low bar position these days, it depends where you are weak. I heard rippetoe is having oly lifters squat only low bar - mind you, i dont think he is a real oly coach? could be wrong.
As for the pain in the wrists, some guys just need wrist wraps when they squat low-bar. There is alot of tension in your hands because you need to death grip that bar to make sure it doesnt roll around.
I hardly ever do low-bar squat anymore. The ROM for me in a low back squat is a hell of a lot bigger as in the hole I am going to have more forward lean. Wider stance squat with a higer bar position for me, are by far the strongest.
I don't agree with Rippetoe's method of low bar for OLers. Strength and range of motion has to be specific, isn't it? I am on Greg Everett's side.. Besides, every OLer I have seen in real life or on youtube squats high bar.. only seen one guy squat low bar and guess what? Rippetoe is his coach!
I can't squat high bar with a wide stance.
I can't sit back at all, if I do (and lean forward to keep the bar where it should be) I can't hold the position and it's everything I can do not to fall forward or round over completely.
Do you just not sit back when you squat high bar?
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And major action will certainly make you feel a bit uncomfortable, which is absolutely fine. You've gotta get excited about feeling uncomfortable, you've gotta love feeling slightly uncomfortable, because you know that you're stepping outside the boundaries that you used to create.
Zach Even-Esh
I've made some huge mistakes, but they were necessary, because without them I wouldn't have learned anything.
-Dave Tate
But then how are you getting as much from the suit?
I find the more I sit back, the more help I get.
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And major action will certainly make you feel a bit uncomfortable, which is absolutely fine. You've gotta get excited about feeling uncomfortable, you've gotta love feeling slightly uncomfortable, because you know that you're stepping outside the boundaries that you used to create.
Zach Even-Esh
I've made some huge mistakes, but they were necessary, because without them I wouldn't have learned anything.
-Dave Tate
Tell me again why olympic lifters...
Then again, it depends what is your goal? Olympic Weightlifting - high bar. Powerlifting - low bar.
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