# High Bar Vs Low Bar squat positioning



## mark44 (Jun 22, 2011)

*Which do you prefer for bar position?*​
High bar position 233.33%Low bar position466.67%


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## mark44 (Jun 22, 2011)

Hi guys, just been watching a video over on the Starting Strength website with Mark Rippetoe explaining how this should be done.

He says you shouldn't actually grip the bar with your thumbs wrapped around allowing your wrists to sit under the bar as it puts a lot of stress on the wrists which travels down the arm in to the elbow. Personally I haven't tried this technique before. I'm not sure how confident I would be of having a heavy weight on my back but hot having a direct hold of the bar with my thumbs wrapping around it. Does anyone else use the this technique?


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## Wardy211436114751 (Jan 24, 2011)

I've recently started trying to get bar lower on my back through advice from some experienced lifters as its a better centre of gravity and easier to lift that way. I've not found a great deal of difference but time will tell.


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## mark44 (Jun 22, 2011)

Yeah a lot of people do say its better for handling more weight as it puts the load on the back in a better position. Mark says in the video how when you grip the bar, some of the load is on your wrists and forearms and this makes it harder to take a heavier weight.

I'm going to try it and see how I feel.

Do you find you can lift any more this way? Does it feel better as a position?


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## GreedyBen (Mar 8, 2011)

Depends how flexible you are. I find it harder to hold it the lower it sits on my back. Practice with an empty bar and see how you get on.


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## NovemberDelta (Apr 17, 2011)

Yes, moving the bar down the back made a big difference to me. It is a good tip and a form improvement.


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## jake87 (May 7, 2010)

i have the bar on top of the rear delts with my elbows pulled up to hold the bar in place. much more comfortable than on top of the traps


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## mark44 (Jun 22, 2011)

GreedyBen said:


> Depends how flexible you are. I find it harder to hold it the lower it sits on my back. Practice with an empty bar and see how you get on.


Mark says it should sit on top of the rear delts. The delts bunch up when you lift your elbows higher creating what is liek a tray for the bar to sit on to.

Are you holding it too lows on your back and not your shoulders? Just wondered why its harder? Each to their own i guess.


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## mark44 (Jun 22, 2011)

jake87 said:


> i have the bar on top of the rear delts with my elbows pulled up to hold the bar in place. much more comfortable than on top of the traps


Do you grip the bar and have your hands and thumb over the bar like in the vid?


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## GreedyBen (Mar 8, 2011)

I have it as low as I feel comfortable although my shoulders/wrists definitely

lack flexibility. I'm not one of those guys who uses a pad and has the bar on his neck though!


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## NovemberDelta (Apr 17, 2011)

I haven't watched the video today (have before) as don't have the time, but positioning the bar low on the back does not preclude gripping it.


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## Robbie (Dec 31, 2007)

Dont go too low though or your wrists get loads of pressure - this page helped me - squeeze the back and get your hands quite close to your shoulders

http://stronglifts.com/squat-bar-position/


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## mark44 (Jun 22, 2011)

niall01 said:


> I haven't watched the video today (have before) as don't have the time, but positioning the bar low on the back does not preclude gripping it.


In the video his point is that you don't grip the bar with the thumb wrapped around the bar as it puts stress on the wrists and elbows. This stress should be on the back as the back can handle more weight that your wrists. It makes sense in theory, but how it feels when on your back is another thing.


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## RoyRogers (Dec 12, 2010)

This is nothing but the classic powerlifting vs. Olympic lifting discussion.

A higher bar placement will force you to squat more up straight, hence limiting the maximum load for a majority of people performing it. It also requires greater flexibility in your ankles, hip and upper back. A high amount of stress will be put at your knees and quadrepcis. If you can manage it, I prefer the Olympic version.


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## martin brown (Dec 31, 2008)

Robbie said:


> Dont go too low though or your wrists get loads of pressure - this page helped me - squeeze the back and get your hands quite close to your shoulders
> 
> http://stronglifts.com/squat-bar-position/


This will just transfer the stress onto the shoulder joint.



mark44 said:


> In the video his point is that you don't grip the bar as it puts stress on the wrists and elbows. This stress should be on the back as the back can handle more weight that your wrists. It makes sense in theory, but how it feels when on your back is another thing.


I think you may be reading it wrong. You HAVE to grip the bar to squat heavy. The hands signal all the muscles in your upper back and arms to fire - you need to do this in order to support a heavy bar on your back.

Of course the weight has to sit on your back. There's no way you can hold the weight in your hands, but that shouldn't stop you gripping the barn hard.


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## mark44 (Jun 22, 2011)

martin brown said:


> This will just transfer the stress onto the shoulder joint.
> 
> I think you may be reading it wrong.


Have you watched the video? See 8:10 into the video. Just to clarify, when i said grip the bar, i mean the thumb wrapping around the bar.

He says the hands and thumb should sit on top of the bar. Similar to the image on the Stronglifts site...

Thumbs and hands above the bar.



I'm not saying this is right, just saying this is what he is suggesting if you watch the video.


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## mark44 (Jun 22, 2011)

martin brown said:


> This will just transfer the stress onto the shoulder joint.
> 
> .


So would you say its not a good idea to use a similar grip to the stronglifts image? How do you tend to do it?

From your profile pic you look like you know what you are doing


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## GreedyBen (Mar 8, 2011)

I don't think I would be comfortable like that! Looks like he's holiding 80% of the weight on his shoulders/elbows/wrists.


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## mark44 (Jun 22, 2011)

GreedyBen said:


> I don't think I would be comfortable like that! Looks like he's holiding 80% of the weight on his shoulders/elbows/wrists.


Yeah from the pic it does look awkward doesn't it.


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## digitalis (Sep 13, 2011)

I follow westside on squats, bar pretty low as possible, more hams and hips as I am very quad dominant on leg pressing/squats naturally.


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

I just use the standard recommended form depending on the squat variation I'm doing - high bar with olympic style squats, low bar with powerlifting style squats. This seems to work best in both cases.


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## jake87 (May 7, 2010)

mark44 said:


> Do you grip the bar and have your hands and thumb over the bar like in the vid?


normal grip with hands about a foot out from each delt


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## mark44 (Jun 22, 2011)

Well i gave it a try last night the way Mark descries in the video and it was surprisingly comfy to do. After a few practices with light weights i was able to up my max lift by 10kg. Which was good. for me the low bar approach made it feel less heavy, no idea why, but I'm pleased i tried it.

I think i'll alternate between high bar and a low bar.


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## Cythraul (Oct 5, 2011)

even with thumbs over the bar your still ment to pull in into your back to keep everything tight, and imo the high bar and low bar are two diffrent exercises, high been quad dominante and low been posterior chain.

though i much prefer lowbar, with thumbs wrapped around, if it hurts get some wrist wraps.


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## martin brown (Dec 31, 2008)

mark44 said:


> So would you say its not a good idea to use a similar grip to the stronglifts image? How do you tend to do it?
> 
> From your profile pic you look like you know what you are doing


I'm not saying you shouldn't but for many who lack flexibility it will cause things like bicep tendonitis over time. That style grip/position usually suits smaller and lighter lifters but there are some big guys who use it well. Personally I grip the bar quite wide with full grip and squeeze as hard as I can. This helps me keep my torso tight and stops my head falling down and forwards.

Like someone said above the idea is still to grip the bar as hard as possible even if not using your thumb in order to create a solid 'shelf' for the bar to sit on.


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## Mingster (Mar 25, 2011)

I was taught many years ago to have my fingers and thumbs on the same side of the bar when squatting. I have always gripped it this way in training and competition. I have quite a narrow grip and the bar sits a little higher on my traps than is the norm for most powerlifters.


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