Maxing out on squats (because the bar hurts me)

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  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Hard to diagnose without seeing you squat, but I would guess improper bar placement and/or not making a "base" with your shoulder blades.

    Yep

    It takes a bit of getting used to but the soreness should go away, so something with the placement is probably off.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Since when is a pad frowned upon? Never heard that before. I always use one.

    A pad is not good for stability of the bar.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Should not feel pain from a padded bar at relatively light weights. Video and post wherever. Might even figure out the problem for yourself just by looking at the video.

    I should mention that my "pad" is an old baby blanket wrapped around the center of the bar. I realized it is not all that padded. I just beefed it up a bit and it was a little better.

    I will try to get some video though as well.

    Wrapping a blanket around the bar is not a good idea. It will impact the stability or the bar on your back and therefore the safety of the lift.
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
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    Hard to say without seeing a video, but it is possibly a bar placement or setup issue. Your shoulder blades should be pinched tightly and the bar resting across your traps (for high bar) or scapula shelf (low bar).

    At 120lbs, there should be no pain. A bit of discomfort perhaps, but that is it.
  • Rayman79
    Rayman79 Posts: 2,009 Member
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    The best bet is time and practice. Get used to the feeling of the bar on your back and it will get better. There is nothing wrong with working at a slightly higher rep range with the same weight so you feel more comfortable.

    The other point is 'tightness'. Make sure you are in the best position and tightly bracing from the second you are under the bar. There are several videos on good squat setup out there. This will differ depending on whether you are squatting low bar or high bar, but find what works for you with your grip distance etc as well.

    With a bit of time the bar will feel fine and you will get used to the feeling of having it on your back.
  • harryw73002
    harryw73002 Posts: 3
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    Listen to OverDolt, he was right. The bar should be lower down, resting on your traps, never on your neck or even high up on the shoulders. I have to get a wider grip on the bar to get the bar that low on my back but your neck/spine will thank you for it. Hope that helped :)
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
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    I started doing stronglifts 5x5 in January and my latest squat weight is 120. I can squat this weight and I am sure I can squat more, but I am getting worried about how much more my shoulders can actually hold. My arms and shoulder/back area feel it more than my legs/butt. It hurts.. and it's not a good hurt either!

    I am already doing something that I think is frowned upon, and that is padding the bar. If I wasn't doing that I would've been posting weeks ago about this issue.

    I am sure I am not the only person to have experienced this. What do you do when you just can't put any more weight on your shoulders?
    It also sounds like you are using your arms to push the bar up to support it? You should be supporting the bar by pulling your elbows way back to bunch up the flesh on your upper back. It takes some practice to get that to be a habit.

    I had to use a pad for a long time because I had a nerve or vessel on one side that got pinched and would shut off my whole arm on that side within seconds. The pads are expensive but I found that a pool noodle works just as well and costs a fraction of the price. (Just cut off a section and then cut a line along the length of it so you can put it on/off the bar. Then make sure the 'hole' is not where the bar is going to just slide down through it.)

    ETA: do try without the pad here and there because, all other things being equal, you are better off without it.
  • dinosnopro
    dinosnopro Posts: 2,179 Member
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    The picture below is about the best I could find for bar position (high vs. low bar). Not only will the pad mess with stability, it also will change angles of the lift. You wouldn't think a 1/2 an inch would make a difference but it does.

    You also may simply need to build up your traps a bit also.


    article_590_hivslow.jpg
  • GummyHuman
    GummyHuman Posts: 193 Member
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    The picture below is about the best I could find for bar position (high vs. low bar). Not only will the pad mess with stability, it also will change angles of the lift. You wouldn't think a 1/2 an inch would make a difference but it does.

    You also may simply need to build up your traps a bit also.


    article_590_hivslow.jpg

    I am (I believe) holding it like the picture on the right. I need to get some vid, so I can be sure. I started out like the pic on the left but as the weight got heavier, that started hurting my neck.

    When I beefed up my pad, I did notice that the bar felt "wobbly" and I didn't like that.
  • Operation_Shred
    Operation_Shred Posts: 173
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    Sounds like a bar placement problem to me. I would suggest working on your traps and making sure you're creating a base to support the bar (i.e. bar on the traps, shoulders pulled back, elbows down). Think you may see some improvement then. If not, try squatting with a hoodie on & using the hood as a buffer between the bar & your back.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    The picture below is about the best I could find for bar position (high vs. low bar). Not only will the pad mess with stability, it also will change angles of the lift. You wouldn't think a 1/2 an inch would make a difference but it does.

    You also may simply need to build up your traps a bit also.


    article_590_hivslow.jpg

    this.

    Sounds like bad bar placement- and odds are you don't have any back mass. Ladies- WORK YOUR BACKS!!!!!

    And FYI- neither of those pictures are wrong- it's high vs low bar- not that one is right one is wrong.
    The ultimate goal is to have the bar path travel straight up and straight down- doing high vs low makes a difference on torso angle. But if you not the high bar (left) it's still not on the shoulders and neck itself.

    I also wouldn't' use anything more than a thing towel/t-shirt between the bar if I had to use anything.

    Because at 120- you aren't anywhere near a place where you should be uncomfortable.

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