SideSteel wrote: »

Regarding the neck issue if you post a video of your squats I'd be interested to see what's going on. If you're not familiar with how to properly retract the scapula and set the bar then it could be pain caused from improper bar placement. It SOUNDS like you squat high bar (not sure it's possible to squat low bar with the bar pad) so alternatively you could look into low bar squatting which may avoid the neck issue and allow you to squat without the pad. Really a good idea to learn to squat without it if at all possible.

Regarding your grip, try using a mixed grip (typically strong hand pulls overhand and the weak hand pulls underhand). When you pick up the barbell it will have a tendency to spin/roll. Using a mixed grip counteracts that and makes it easier to hold onto the bar.

I'll try to get a video of where the bar is (tomorrow or Sunday) - it's one of those squat sponge pads, so it has a cut-out area that basically fits into the groove of your neck. When I first started 5x5 in Janaury, I didn't use it and the heavier the weights got is when I started feeling pain from the pressure of the load. In the beginning, pre-pad, I was squatting high-bar for sure. I watched loads of how-to videos before I started because I was really nervous about injuries...high-bar felt the most comfortable to me with the lighter weights. There is a part of my spine up high that pokes out further than most people (that's where the curve should start) and the high bar squatting with heavier weights on that bone was bad, so I dropped the bar to the low bar position. That was also without the pad, and while it was better in terms of not crushing my bones, it applied pressure to some nerve on the right, upper side of my spine that would cause kind of a dull ache to start from that spot and go up to the top of my head (this nerve is elusive, though, I only seem to hit it sporadically). As soon as I get the bar off of me, the pain goes away. So I started looking for a way around both pains to avoid ditching the lift. I bought the squat sponge and most often I have no pain issues with my neck when I used it. I would have to say that the bulkiness of the sponge makes it nearly impossible to be fully in a low bar position. Once or twice I've managed to still hit a bad nerve zone, though. I hate my neck for being "special" - but I can't do anything about it aspect besides work with it. I appreciate your willingness to help. If it's something about this retracting of the scapula you speak of, I would definitely like to know how to correct it and stop the pains!

As for the grip - my next dead lift work out is tomorrow, so I'm going to try the mixed grip then. I can feel the bar rolling when I lift with both hands over...it slides down into my fingers to where my palm is only barely touching the bar anymore.