Low bar vs. high bar squat?

I have been unable to low-bar back squat with any appreciable weight without feeling like I’m tearing my arms off. How much should I focus on learning this over just continuing to train with a high-bar back squat?

I’ve been doing the stretch noted on the SS forums (Paul Horn?) for a few weeks now. I can get the bar below my scapular spine (even a couple of inches below), but there’s no ‘shelf’ there to hold the bar. The bulk of the weight is borne by my hands no matter what bits I keep tight and flex and whatever. This gets real uncomfortable even with warm-up weights.

Should I just ‘man up’ and build whatever strength I’m missing to hold the bar - i.e. a NLP from a lower weight to get my arms used to this load? Seems wrong to me. If not, what am I missing out on? I’m guessing a little back stress/strength from the more upright position.

Me: 42 years old, 195 lbs, 5’11", finished SS NLP high-bar squatting 290 lbs for sets of five, just started the Bridge, drive a mouse and phone for a job, never lifted weights before 40.

Thanks in advance!

Personally I would not hold up your training advancement trying to switch to low bar. I say run The Bridge squatting however you are comfortable reaching depth.

If you want to keep working on low bar technique, I would recommend seeing a SSC in person or at least posting a form check on their forums.

Are you staying slightly bent over after you unrack the bar? This causes the bar to stay on your back and take the weight off your hands.

It sounds like you don’t have the bar in the right position. I’m 5’'9" 160lb and have enough meat there to shelf the bar, so you must have enough at 190. Instead of worrying about the spine of the scapula, think more of resting the bar on the meat of your rear deltoid. You may also need to adjust your grip width to get the proper shelf. Taking some form checks and/or seeing a coach in person would probably be advisable. That being said, if you can’t low bar squat properly without injuring yourself and you have to high bar the sky will not come crashing down. You will be fine.

I heard the sun might literally explode if you switch to high bar squat.

Jokes aside, same advice as everyone else: post a form check, probably from a back view, that shows how you get under the bar and unrack, just to make sure there’s no flaws in how your setting up. Elbow position, bar position, thoracic extension, etc etc. If you’re setting up the low bar squat correctly and still can’t do it pain free, then hey, just high bar squat. I don’t think it’s a big deal unless you plan to be legitimately competitive in a meet. Even then, there’s some ultra strong high bar squatters out there.

That said, I think the low bar squat is almost always uncomfortable when someone first learns to do it, and takes a few weeks to get used to it, but it should definitely be pain free.

I would do everything in your power to low bar squat correctly. And if after doing everything in your power to do the movement correctly you still can’t without significant pain, I’d keep getting strong with high bar as others have said.

Those things are:

  1. Post a form check here and/or SS coaches forum
  2. See a SSC in person – you don’t even have to pay for personal training. Just show up at a SS gym, pay for a day pass, and a coach will almost surely help you fix your squat.
  3. Reread the blue book 7 more times, GOMAD, reset to a weight you can low bar squat without pain and DTFP. #AlwaysBeLPing. JK :wink:

Yeah. I’m NDTP. I reasoned that it’s better to high-bar rather than not squatting at all, even with the risk of the sun exploding. :wink: I’ll do some video form checks soon.

I have small rear delts, which I assume is due to not rowing enough. Frankly, I don’t really show muscle. Perhaps the added rowing volume in the Bridge will build up those rear delts over time.

It sounds like you are either not getting your back tight enough or you need to pull your elbows up. In some of the SS videos you can see incredibly small women able to produce enough ‘shelf’ to low bar squat. For instance the below link at ~33 sec in.

This is something that I struggled with early on in my LP. I fixed it by tightening my back and not standing up super straight when walking the bar out \ at lock out. Look at how Jordan is leaning forward while unracking the bar.

Getting in the low bar position without weight on the bar is always the most uncomfortable thing for me (ie warmups). Also, the more you do it, the better you’ll be at it/more comfortable you’ll be with it. Maybe play with your hand position as well. Thumbs around the bar seem to be the only thing I can do.