Holding the Bar during 3-0-3 Tempo Squats

[Jan]

I struggle with holding the bar at tempo squats on The Bridge. My hands start tingeling as if i have pinched a nerve and the bar is sliding down my back about 5-6 reps in. I have never had this probem before. Not sure if it is the 3-0-3 Tempo or the fact that i have never done squats otherways than as the first exercise. My shoulders and triceps are pretty fatigued from doing bench press before. This is now the second week i'm having this problem.
Has anyone else experienced similar problems? Any suggestions how to fix this? Replacing the exercise is the last thing i want to do as i read it is partly for improving squat form.

[Jeff Dausch]

A video would help so your form could be evaluated.

[PWard]

Tempo squats in general are a great way to expose flaws in your form. If the flaw exists in a 303, it also exists in your normal squat, it's just put under a magnifying glass with tempo work. So it sounds like you definitely need to work on bar placement, making sure you get tight and that the bar is locked in position. The weight should be resting entirely on your back for the entire duration of the set. Agreed that a video would help, but in the absence of a video that would be an area that I would focus on.

[leGDE]

My hands start tingeling as if i have pinched a nerve

Same here.
Also my back becomes total jello!!

[bigbaltic]

Do you do low bar squats? I could see this being a problem in low-bar style as that never really seemed to be ideal for having a load on your back for that amount of time. PWard gives good advice...put a laser focus on keeping your upper back rigid under the entire motion, that might help

[sjalbrec]

Tempo work requires you to stay under tension for a much longer amount of time and therefore increases the stress in your entire body (not just your legs). It is important to keep your shoulders & back tight and to hold your breath (valsalva maneuver) for each entire rep. As was mentioned, you should be holding very little weight in your hands. Think about it, when you start squatting heavier amounts, it will become impossible to hold the bar in your hands.

The best advice I have, if tempo work is very fatiguing for you, is to reduce the weight and work up slowly. I know this can be discouraging, but i've found my tempo squats need to be quite a bit lower than my competition squat. Staying tight by holding your breath should help with lower-back fatigue. Balancing all the weight of the bar on your back will help your hands and elbows. I'd suggest getting a formal form check if you still have hand issues.

[Jan]

For makeing a video what angle would be best for this issue?

Do you do low bar squats? I could see this being a problem in low-bar style as that never really seemed to be ideal for having a load on your back for that amount of time. PWard gives good advice...put a laser focus on keeping your upper back rigid under the entire motion, that might help

Yes, i do low bar squats.

Tempo work requires you to stay under tension for a much longer amount of time and therefore increases the stress in your entire body (not just your legs). It is important to keep your shoulders & back tight and to hold your breath (valsalva maneuver) for each entire rep. As was mentioned, you should be holding very little weight in your hands. Think about it, when you start squatting heavier amounts, it will become impossible to hold the bar in your hands.

I'm using a false grip i don't think that i hold much weight in my hands. It could be possible that my back was not tight enaugh as i was using a wider grip than usual because my shoulders and triceps were 'hurting' a bit from bench pressing. I have gone from bench press straight to tempo squats, maybe some rest will help me to hold the bar properly.

The best advice I have, if tempo work is very fatiguing for you, is to reduce the weight and work up slowly. I know this can be discouraging, but i've found my tempo squats need to be quite a bit lower than my competition squat. Staying tight by holding your breath should help with lower-back fatigue. Balancing all the weight of the bar on your back will help your hands and elbows. I'd suggest getting a formal form check if you still have hand issues.

I used 48% of my regular squat 1 RM for 8 reps @ 8 x2, does that sound like too much?



Thanks for the replies.

[t_angeiras]

48% seems in the ballpark of what I did when I started 303s, for 8s. But YMMV.

[sjalbrec]

sounds like you're doing a lot of things right (good percentage, holding the bar correctly). your suggestion of maybe taking a bit more rest between exercises (so you can keep your upper back tight) sounds like a good idea.

I'm not sure which program you're running? this may just be a situation where you simply need more practice with this specific exercise. It will get easier with time. The BBM programs introduce a great variety of exercise variations, but I'm finding that three or four weeks of once-per-week practice isn't enough for me to ever get completely comfortable with an exercise I've never trained before. on the plus side, that makes the programs more attractive to repeat.

[sciomako]

When I squat high volume, my hands get tingling. I think in my case, the body directs the blood from the arms to the legs. My guess is, in long run, the body will adapt.

[Dave_E]

I'll switch to high bar (or at least, higher bar) sometimes just to give my shoulders a break. The exercise sucks enough without throwing aggravated wrists and shoulders into the mix..