Bar Placement?

[Joey Smith]

I have a question about bar placement on your back....where is the proper location? Why?....can you maybe post a pic to illustrate proper placemant?....Thanks Champ!....

[Greg Crook]

Great question Joey. This is something thats overlooked very often. The bar should rest comfortably between your traps and rear delts. This is whats called a shelf, when you pull your arms back it draws those muscles together creating this. If your upper back development is not up to par then you can make a shelf by griping the bar closer than usual. This squeezes everything together to make a shelf for you. "I" think that you need to carry the bar wherever your shelf is. If you carry the bar to high (sitting directly on top of your traps) when you sit back if you even can all the weight will be forward causing you to do the same thing. Also if the bar is that high on your back than your probably not going to be able to sit back anyway. If you carry the bar to low you run the risk of it falling off your back. Along with that if its to low when you get down in the bottom position of the squat you'll be bent over so bad you may not be able to finish the lift. Me and Sharon are training tomorrow and I'll use her for my pic's to illustrate bar placement and how to make a shelf. Thanks for the question hope this helps.

[gopostal42]

gregcrook said:

Great question Joey. This is something thats overlooked very often. The bar should rest comfortably between your traps and rear delts. This is whats called a shelf, when you pull your arms back it draws those muscles together creating this. If your upper back development is not up to par then you can make a shelf by griping the bar closer than usual. This squeezes everything together to make a shelf for you. "I" think that you need to carry the bar wherever your shelf is. If you carry the bar to high (sitting directly on top of your traps) when you sit back if you even can all the weight will be forward causing you to do the same thing. Also if the bar is that high on your back than your probably not going to be able to sit back anyway. If you carry the bar to low you run the risk of it falling off your back. Along with that if its to low when you get down in the bottom position of the squat you'll be bent over so bad you may not be able to finish the lift. Me and Sharon are training tomorrow and I'll use her for my pic's to illustrate bar placement and how to make a shelf. Thanks for the question hope this helps.

i agree completely here, i've been tinkering with bar position lately and i've noticed exactlly the same things.

[stupidasso]

Well said MR Crook.

I might add that you have got to think balance when placing the bar. Bar position has a major effect on your ability to balance while standing with the weight. You have got to realize that the lower the bar is the closer it is to your waist and easier it is to balance. The higher it is the more top heavy you are. You have got to find a way to equalize the two. Then with hand positioning you have to figure out how to stabilize the load. Too low a bar position with your hands to close will cause shoulder damage. Results will vary for all lifters. I prefer a moderatley low bar position with hands wide and my grip open. By doing this the load is more evenly distributed across my back and shoulders. You will notice that once you get used to this the weight will feel lighter on you. Many novices have to use pads or whatever to keep the bar from hurting there knecks or upper backs. This is more or less because they have not figured out how to go wide. Also when you go wider and lower you will notice how much more stable you are because you have a wider contact area with the bar thus putting more support closer to the load on each side. This increased tortional strength lets you go down straight and steady, and then drive your heels in the floor and stand with authority. The weight being lower makes it closer to your waist, that helps prevent falling forward even when you are tired. Now you have the bar low hands wide bar making contact all the way across your back (I have chalk marks from the edge of one shoulder to the other from the bar) bar below the traps and above the deltoid muscle, legs wide toes out pointing at 10'o clock left 2'o clock right, drop back and down then blast out of the bottom. Stand and deliver!!!!!!