Its not really pain, more just uncomfortable. I’m short, and I feel like my arms are extra short. Getting my arms behind me like that feels weird. I’ve been doing goblet squats for over a year, I feel like my body is used to compensating for the weight in front. Having the weight in back, with my arms bent all crazy is just too much!

My shoulders are more sore today than they were yesterday, not sure if it’s from the bar, or the rows. If I can add at least one rep with the bar each time, Ill be a happy camper. Might be months before I get to put any weight on for squats, but I’ll get there.

I like the idea of shrugs, I’ll give that a try. Thanks!

Originally Posted by Sand Blaster

Squats and Arm/Shoulder Pain

It is a common phenonemon that the bigger you get and the more you squat, that you will eventually develop arm or shoulder pain. There are roughly three main causes of this: 1) having too narrow of a grip; 2) holding the bar too low on the back; and 3) overusage.

I have had bicep tendonitis so bad that I couldn’t raise my arms and any movement almost reduced me to tears. For those of you who have never had it, I pray that you never do. Image a sharp pain anytime you move your arm, that in its most extreme form, takes your breath. Shoulder pain usually results from the same three causes. A lot of times the only thing that can truly help you is rest, let it heal, and start over not making the same mistakes again. Here are few things that I have learned to keep it to a minimum.

1) Widen your grip when you squat. Learn to ‘balance’ the bar on your back and not ‘hold’ it with your hands. Widening your grip takes time in order to feel comfortable.

2) If you learn to do #1 properly, you can use the lower powerlifting bar placement without too much trouble. Many of us use the lower placement to improve leverage. You can always hold the bar higher on the back but it is likely your poundages will suffer. For some this is not an option.

3) Here’s one of the secrets. Cut the rep work out. Do no more than triples on any set. A lot of the abuse comes from the higher rep sets. Think about it. The bar moves around more, you get tired and have to stabilize it and your biceps and shoulders take the brunt of it. If you have these problems, lower your reps.

4) Use some neoprene sleeves to give extra support for you arms ONLY IF your shoulders are fine. Otherwise, you are just transferring the stress to your shoulders. I like to use them on my heavier sets. A good liniment helps too.

5) Bicep and Shoulder scheduling. You have to plan your training such that after squatting, your shoulders and arms have enough recuperation time. This is usually the easiest way to stay healthy. If you are doing 15 sets of shoulders and arms on Tuesday and then trying to squat heavily on Wednesday, you can understand why eventually it catches up with you. Try to include at least a day or two after a heavy squat session as a rule. You can also substitute a leg press and/or a safety squat bar for your leg work as neither stress the area.

6) Bicep and Shoulder training. Be sure to include work for your Brachialis and Brachioradialis. These include reverse curls, hammer curls, and incline dumbell curls. Don’t go crazy with volume as that will only make your problem worse.

7) Lastly, don’t be afraid to take some time off. I found that at some point, rest is the only thing that helps.