Question about Squats

acorsaut89
acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
When I hold the squat bar (I do back squats) I have this odd pain in my upper arm and shoulder. Usually it's only my left arm/shoulder, and it goes away as soon as I put the bar down. Rarely has it ever been in my right, or both sides at once.

I am not sure if there's an exercise I could be doing to help with this - I am pretty sure it's from putting my arm in that position as it only happens when I have the bar on and need to hold it in place. I think it might have to do with flexibility but just looking to see if anyone has had this issue as well and anything that helped them with it.

Replies

  • Mandylou19912014
    Mandylou19912014 Posts: 208 Member
    It could be that your holding all of your tension in that area when you have the bar on your back? When you next place the bar on your back, try to relax your arms and shoulders, rest the bar just a little bit past the base of your neck until it’s comfortably placed .. see if this help
  • h1udd
    h1udd Posts: 623 Member
    It could well be a form of shoulder impingement.

    Whats your mobility like, can you do an over head squat ? .... lift your arms directly above your head, do the funky chicken ???

    if its similar to the impingement I had, the only way I solved it was to stop doing overhead lifts and for a while benchpressing with a barbell and move to kettlebells in order for the one scapular not to be locked in to the other

    basically from having a desk job and doing too much chest dependant lifts my chest muscles were pulling my shoulder forward which inturn was causing inflammation and rubbing .. I needed to do more back work to pull everything back and stretch the chest muscles
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    A mobility issue, perhaps? If you keep your hands in/narrower vs out wider, does the pain change? What about if the bars is higher on your back vs lower?
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    h1udd wrote: »
    It could well be a form of shoulder impingement.

    Whats your mobility like, can you do an over head squat ? .... lift your arms directly above your head, do the funky chicken ???

    if its similar to the impingement I had, the only way I solved it was to stop doing overhead lifts and for a while benchpressing with a barbell and move to kettlebells in order for the one scapular not to be locked in to the other

    basically from having a desk job and doing too much chest dependant lifts my chest muscles were pulling my shoulder forward which inturn was causing inflammation and rubbing .. I needed to do more back work to pull everything back and stretch the chest muscles

    Yes I can do all of these without issue - I have tried to hold my arms in that position without a bar on and I can still feel the twinge/pain but it's definitely worse when there's a bar on. It almost feels like muscles are seizing up - think like your foot during a charlie horse and you have to try to extend it . . . not to that extreme, but it's the feeling of muscles seizing up.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    A mobility issue, perhaps? If you keep your hands in/narrower vs out wider, does the pain change? What about if the bars is higher on your back vs lower?

    It doesn't seem to change with where my hands are placed, but rather it's rotating my arm/shoulder back into that position to hold the bar there if that makes sense.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    Mandylou19912014 wrote: »
    It could be that your holding all of your tension in that area when you have the bar on your back? When you next place the bar on your back, try to relax your arms and shoulders, rest the bar just a little bit past the base of your neck until it’s comfortably placed .. see if this help

    I will give it a go and try. The gym I used to work out at had a neck pillow - well that's what I call it but one of those things to put around the bar as I am a heavy lifter. When I had it on I didn't seem to have this issue, at least it wasn't noticeable to me. Unfortunately I had to change gyms and this gym doesn't have those. I could look at getting my own and just bringing it with me.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    I think it might have to do with flexibility

    Probably. Try this stretch a few times a day, and before squatting. Post an update. :+1:

  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
    From your picture. Are you setting up in a squat rack or having the weight placed on your back?
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    a lot of people have shoulder issues which makes it hard for them to hold a conventional squat bar. Does your gym have a safety bar or cambered bar? they aren't as hard on your shoulders.
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
    Have you tried adjusting the bar position? High bar vs. low bar? That might change the position/angle of you arm/shoulder?
  • VUA21
    VUA21 Posts: 2,072 Member
    Try switching to front squats. I have a similar issue doing back squats as well, I switched to front and my shoulder pain magically disappeared.
  • shor0814
    shor0814 Posts: 559 Member
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    When I hold the squat bar (I do back squats) I have this odd pain in my upper arm and shoulder. Usually it's only my left arm/shoulder, and it goes away as soon as I put the bar down. Rarely has it ever been in my right, or both sides at once.

    I am not sure if there's an exercise I could be doing to help with this - I am pretty sure it's from putting my arm in that position as it only happens when I have the bar on and need to hold it in place. I think it might have to do with flexibility but just looking to see if anyone has had this issue as well and anything that helped them with it.
    When I first started squatting my trainer never taught me about placing the bat on the traps so I ended up with the bar more on my neck. I got a shooting pain in the shoulder and arm until I took the bar off, then it mostly went away. I can only attribute it to a nerve being pinched since I no longer have the problem because I use my traps now when I high bar.

    Check bar position. The pad coild have been softening contact with the nerve. Good luck in finding the solution.
  • kaylee_henry
    kaylee_henry Posts: 3 Member
    Sounds like a rotator cuff issue. Coming from a clinical massage therapist, go see a clinical massage therapist :smile: They will definitely be able to help you out!
  • darreneatschicken
    darreneatschicken Posts: 669 Member
    edited May 2018
    It's time to see a shoulder specialist.

    You may have a winged scapula like me.

    What happens when you bench, row, or press? Does your left shoulder/arm feel messed up as well?
  • UKWildcatDave
    UKWildcatDave Posts: 15 Member
    What type of grip are you using? Thumbs under or thumbs over the bar? A thumbs under grip can cause pain if you lack flexibility.

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