How to get the freaking barbell over my head????

wookiemouse
wookiemouse Posts: 290 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Can anyone recommend some good strength exercises that will enable me to lift the barbell up and over for squats and lunges? I can easily do 40+ lbs on squats, but can't lift anything over 25 lbs over my head! Is there a trick I'm missing? If I go heavier, I've been resorting to dumbbells or a weight vest, but it just doesn't feel like I'm getting the results I want.
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Replies

  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    Is there a rack that you can rest the bar on thats about chest height? If so, then set the bar on there, squat under it, and stand up with it resting on your shoulders.

    Another trick is use your legs as momentum to power the bar up and over... like get up to chin level, squat down a little bit, and thrust the bar up and back.. and to remove the bar is the same thing.
  • amyindm
    amyindm Posts: 93 Member
    I rely on the squat rack at the gym so I can get under it like the pp said. Do you have access to one?
  • wookiemouse
    wookiemouse Posts: 290 Member
    I do have a squat rack, but was working on a DVD with the entire female cast squatting 35+ and doing a power clean to get the bar up. If THEY can do it, why can't I?
  • gpstrucker
    gpstrucker Posts: 930 Member
    If THEY can do it, why can't I?

    Because they have been doing it longer and are conditioned for it. You have not. It takes time.
  • rextcat
    rextcat Posts: 1,408 Member
    push?
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    I do have a squat rack, but was working on a DVD with the entire female cast squatting 35+ and doing a power clean to get the bar up. If THEY can do it, why can't I?

    Because videos are edited and for all you know it may look like they are doing a power clean to get over, when in reality it could have been spliced and someone was helping them get the bar on and then just edited out.

    My second tip should help you get it over without a rack if thats your goal.. but becareful not to injure yourself or drop the bar.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    gain more upper body strength or use a squats rack
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
    Are you saying you are having trouble with the power clean or going to overhead?

    A power clean doesn't get the bar overhead. A power clean only gets the bar to the front rack position, (your shoulders/collar bones).

    Are you talking about a clean and press?
  • chuckyp
    chuckyp Posts: 693 Member
    A rack is probably the best safest idea if you can't lift the weight over yet. If the barbell is heavy enough to where you can't press it and have to clean it, it might also be too heavy for you to lower behind your head in a controlled way or press back up when you are done. If you don't have access to a rack (or something that you can use as one), then maybe add overhead presses to your routine so you can get to the point of being able to do that.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    I do have a squat rack, but was working on a DVD with the entire female cast squatting 35+ and doing a power clean to get the bar up. If THEY can do it, why can't I?

    great wasy to totally injure yourself.

    all these people here on this site telling you to LIFT HEAVY seem to forget the part about getting in shape enough to lift anything.
  • wookiemouse
    wookiemouse Posts: 290 Member
    A rack is probably the best safest idea if you can't lift the weight over yet. If the barbell is heavy enough to where you can't press it and have to clean it, it might also be too heavy for you to lower behind your head in a controlled way or press back up when you are done. If you don't have access to a rack (or something that you can use as one), then maybe add overhead presses to your routine so you can get to the point of being able to do that.

    That's what I was looking for - overhead presses. Thanks! Now, I can easily do 12 reps with 25lb dumbbells on overhead presses....why can't I barely lift 25lbs on a barbell?
  • victoria4321
    victoria4321 Posts: 1,719 Member
    You can do a clean and a push jerk to get it over head. Its probably easier to use a squat rack though. I can squat way more than I can clean.
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
    Practice your power cleans with a lighter weight to get to the point where you can lift the barbell over your head. Progress no more then 10% per week in increasing your weight or volume. Eventually, you will get there for the lighter weight you are using for the video, but will probably have to use a squat rack for really heavy squats. If I'm doing a video and there are a lot of squats, I'll just use a 45 pound bar and clean and press it overhead, but when I'm actually lifting heavy and doing my 300 pound squats, I use a squat rack for safety. Unless you plan on being an Olympic lifter or are doing power exercises for sport specific training, there isn't really any reason to do heavy power exercises to be able to clean and press your squat weight.
    16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
    9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
    Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
    ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
    NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    A rack is probably the best safest idea if you can't lift the weight over yet. If the barbell is heavy enough to where you can't press it and have to clean it, it might also be too heavy for you to lower behind your head in a controlled way or press back up when you are done. If you don't have access to a rack (or something that you can use as one), then maybe add overhead presses to your routine so you can get to the point of being able to do that.

    That's what I was looking for - overhead presses. Thanks! Now, I can easily do 12 reps with 25lb dumbbells on overhead presses....why can't I barely lift 25lbs on a barbell?

    A barbell weighs 45 pounds on it's own.. and if you add 25 pounds to that, is lifting 70 pounds over your head... which is way different from two 25 pound dumbbells.
  • chuckyp
    chuckyp Posts: 693 Member
    A rack is probably the best safest idea if you can't lift the weight over yet. If the barbell is heavy enough to where you can't press it and have to clean it, it might also be too heavy for you to lower behind your head in a controlled way or press back up when you are done. If you don't have access to a rack (or something that you can use as one), then maybe add overhead presses to your routine so you can get to the point of being able to do that.

    That's what I was looking for - overhead presses. Thanks! Now, I can easily do 12 reps with 25lb dumbbells on overhead presses....why can't I barely lift 25lbs on a barbell?

    Not sure why this would be. The barbell should be easier to stabilize than the dumbbells. Unless you are not including the weight of the bar. If you're using an Olympic bar with 25lbs of plates on it, you're really lifting 70lbs. Even a solid standard bar is around 15 pounds. And the collars can add a couple pounds too.
  • chuckyp
    chuckyp Posts: 693 Member
    Oh an as Karincakes mentioned, a "clean" is really only to your chest. Using momentum to get the weight overhead would be a "jerk". But again, that would be for more weight than you would want to try to lower behind your head.
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
    A rack is probably the best safest idea if you can't lift the weight over yet. If the barbell is heavy enough to where you can't press it and have to clean it, it might also be too heavy for you to lower behind your head in a controlled way or press back up when you are done. If you don't have access to a rack (or something that you can use as one), then maybe add overhead presses to your routine so you can get to the point of being able to do that.

    That's what I was looking for - overhead presses. Thanks! Now, I can easily do 12 reps with 25lb dumbbells on overhead presses....why can't I barely lift 25lbs on a barbell?

    Not sure why this would be. The barbell should be easier to stabilize than the dumbbells. Unless you are not including the weight of the bar. If you're using an Olympic bar with 25lbs of plates on it, you're really lifting 70lbs. Even a solid standard bar is around 15 pounds. And the collars can add a couple pounds too.

    This is what I was thinking too. This whole thread is confusing me.

    I'm not sure if everyone here knows what a clean is or how it's different from a press.
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
    Oh an as Karincakes mentioned, a "clean" is really only to your chest. Using momentum to get the weight overhead would be a "jerk". But again, that would be for more weight than you would want to try to lower behind your head.

    Thank you. I didn't see this before I posted.

    There is also a push press.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0gEsMc1JZ4
  • jetscreaminagain
    jetscreaminagain Posts: 1,130 Member
    No matter what the ladies on the DVD are doing, I would not attempt to clean and press the weight that would challenge me on a squat. And I certainly wouldn't try to lower it from the pressed-overhead position down behind my head onto my shoulders and into a proper back squat position. That is just asking for a horrifying injury. Perhaps maybe front squats, but, even then cleaning from the floor to the collarbone would be harder than the squat.

    this is an instance in which it probably is best to either not do barbell squats or to find a rack or gym with a rack.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    I'm confused. Why do you need to be lifting it over your head in order to do squats and lunges? Why don't you just use a squat rack? And use a lighter weight to do overhead presses or whatever it is you want to do.
  • Jersey_Devil
    Jersey_Devil Posts: 4,142 Member
    i use the squat rack to help get that "lift" when i do military presses.
  • wookiemouse
    wookiemouse Posts: 290 Member
    I'm confused. Why do you need to be lifting it over your head in order to do squats and lunges? Why don't you just use a squat rack? And use a lighter weight to do overhead presses or whatever it is you want to do.

    Squat rack is one method. The other is a clean and press to get the bar up and over and then rest it on your upper back. Not everyone has a squat rack in their home gym. :)

    I will be trying the squat rack method next week, I know my limitations and am not going to be stupid about it. If I can't even do a power clean with the weights, then I'm not going to attempt a clean and press, even with momentum. I'm using a Les Mills Pump bar, which is 5 lbs at most, so I may be able to work my way up to heavier weights at some point. It's just confusing and frustrating right now. I'm able to keep up with the DVD weight-wise on UB, and the actual squat portions, but just not getting the actual weight situated to do the LB exercises!
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    That's what I was looking for - overhead presses. Thanks! Now, I can easily do 12 reps with 25lb dumbbells on overhead presses....why can't I barely lift 25lbs on a barbell?
    I'm assuming you mean 25 lbs on each side. If you can't do that then drop down to 20 on each side and try pressing the barbell. If that's too hard then do 15 per side, etc. Heavy weight means whatever is heavy to you.

    In the mean time there's no shame in doing squats with dumbbells. Your legs don't know if your holding the weight in your hands or if it's sitting on your shoulders. At any rate your arms are connected to your shoulder so the weight load is nearly in the same place either way. The benefit of having a bar on your shoulder is that you don't need to expend the effort to hold the weight and can just focus on legs. Do half an overhead press with dumbbells and just sit them on your shoulders. Same difference really.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    I do have a squat rack, but was working on a DVD with the entire female cast squatting 35+ and doing a power clean to get the bar up. If THEY can do it, why can't I?

    No shame in using the power rack but if you want to learn how to do a good power clean just do a Google search and I believe the website is something like, www.olympiclifts.com. It's pretty solid for showing technique.

    A good power clean is one of the more technical lifts to perform but with practice you can get it. Heck doing sets of 2 to 3 reps while slowing increasing the weight is a good workout in itself.
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
    I use the squat rack at home.
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    Practice your power cleans with a lighter weight to get to the point where you can lift the barbell over your head. Progress no more then 10% per week in increasing your weight or volume. Eventually, you will get there for the lighter weight you are using for the video, but will probably have to use a squat rack for really heavy squats. If I'm doing a video and there are a lot of squats, I'll just use a 45 pound bar and clean and press it overhead, but when I'm actually lifting heavy and doing my 300 pound squats, I use a squat rack for safety. Unless you plan on being an Olympic lifter or are doing power exercises for sport specific training, there isn't really any reason to do heavy power exercises to be able to clean and press your squat weight.
    16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
    9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
    Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
    ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
    NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

    thanks, I will never be able to clean and press my squat weight!
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I use the squat rack or the power rack. If the weight is light enough for your to overhead press it, it's probably too light to squat. I overhead press 70lbs and squat 130lbs.
  • wookiemouse
    wookiemouse Posts: 290 Member
    I have done dumbbells as well, gone lighter (20 lbs) while wearing a 20 lb weight vest. It definitely feels different tho, like I can't get as deep in the squats. And there is a limitation - 20-25 lbs I can handle, but when I start getting up to 30s, my grip fatigues. The rotation I'm doing is pyramids (12 light/10 moderate/8 heavy/10 moderate/12 light), with my lightest being 25 lbs. Into the downhill pyramid, I just can't grip the dumbbells anymore. :(
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    I use the squat rack or the power rack. If the weight is light enough for your to overhead press it, it's probably too light to squat. I overhead press 70lbs and squat 130lbs.

    That's really a good point. If you're getting full benefit from doing squats you're not likely going to be cleaning your weight, let alone a clean and partial Bradley press.
  • DaveRCF
    DaveRCF Posts: 266
    Can anyone recommend some good strength exercises that will enable me to lift the barbell up and over for squats and lunges? I can easily do 40+ lbs on squats, but can't lift anything over 25 lbs over my head! Is there a trick I'm missing? If I go heavier, I've been resorting to dumbbells or a weight vest, but it just doesn't feel like I'm getting the results I want.

    How about working out with a partner if that is possible? Said partner could help you get the barbell in place on your back.

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