Back Squat: Why you NEVER want to use a Bar Pad + Best Bar Position for Back Squats

[Fireblaze]

watching this after feeling a bruise on my neck from squatting in a squat rack for the first time, great tutorial lol

[larrysherman]

I always wrapped a towel around the bar, which felt awkward. I'd even considered stopping squats altogether, but I tried your suggestions and it worked great. Because I work out at home with no trainer, information like this is invaluable. Thank you so much.

[oligrace]

I was maxing out in my weight training class yesterday but I couldn’t go farther than 195 because the weight hurt my neck to bad. Super helpful. Thank you

[swagasorusrexvainglory]

tfw I'm so damn skinny that if I just use the bar alone, the bar grinds against my spine
;-;

[chloeleisure]

I ALWAYS fall forward with the foam pad and I thought I was just terrible at Squats…this video helped in so many different ways….informative for sure, can’t wait to try it tomorrow

[andrewmeece]

This is awesome real nice. I try to place the bar lower on my back in the same general spot you do but the issue for me is control of the weight, getting centered and wrist and grip placement before the set. With any more than 195 it feels like the weight is going to slide off my back. For me to avoid rounding and shoulders forward I have much more tension on the arms and wrists. I’ll try tensing my back like you show and trying to engage the glutes and core more. Just trying to find the balance for me is tricky. I injured my lower back and have sciatic leg pain because of it. I was progressing with the intention of increasing my squat deadlift and bench for as long as possible. I’m getting treatment for my injury now. Super psyched to get back squatting. Thanks for the video

[VictorDoesCars]

Holding it without the pad I feel comfortable with the lower weights but whenever I go over 100kg I still use it to make it feel better.
Thanks for the tips will try it the next time!

[brittanyachor]

This video was an eye opener. I am 30 yrs old, been in and out of the gym for years, and about 5'5", 139 lbs... but squats and I have gone head to head. I have whip lash, scoliosis, slipped discs, extra vertebrae etc. So I have to be extra careful. I thought the reason anything over 135lbs hurt my neck is because I was female and my traps weren't big enough so the bar is sitting on my spine that sticks out on my lower neck and would be bruised for days. But y'all mentioned the shoulder flexibility or "rolled forward shoulders" and it all makes sense. I have pretty good posture but that has always been an issue I struggle to correct. Going to try this and see if squats and I don't get on better terms! Super excited!!! Thank you guys for finally making this issue make sense!

[datmeme]

Not everyone wants to primarily activate their posterior chain. Some want to concentrate on quad development and not overemphasis on glutes, so high bar makes sense. This video is pretty incomplete. Bar pads aren't ruining people's squats. If they're placing the bar too high, just tell them to lower it. By the way, Arnold and Tom Platz did high bar and Platz used pads. Platz actually used a towel wrapped most of the time exactly as you ridiculed.

[bkhighlights]

I have solid bar placement but it still hurts I definitely think the bar pad is good, resting 200 pounds on any part of your body with a pole for a combined 20 minutes, it should hurt

[KoysorMiah]

Makes so much sense I've found using the pad I end trying not to fall forward and stopped doing squats because of this reason! Will give it a try by placing the bar on my mid back and tight against traps. My other problem is when I do squats and I do several sets, I can't increase weight as I start feeling dizzy but I know I can squat higher weights. I feel dizzy and nauseous but on the gravity leg press I'm fine I can overload it.

[DeathByCactus]

2:15. Put the bar there, with the pad = heaven.

[josephholman]

I'm really skinny so the bar either sits on my shoulder bones or on a vertebra. Last time I squatted anything heavier than 135 without a pad my shoulder bones were bruised and it hurt to touch them for 3 weeks. My coach told me that there just isn't enough muscle to hold the bar so it sits on my bone no matter what. I think the pad is ok to use seems how my squat has gone up 50 lbs since I've started using it

[letitiascott]

Thanks guys! Awesome explanation for a newbie to weighted barbell squats!

[Bombbeachh]

I’m finding that when I go into a lower position on my back, it’s indeed more comfortable for my neck and feels more natural for my centre of balance but I get a lot of wrist pain. Any tips for alleviating that?

[justend]

Im here as a 15 yo, not a year into training yet. Always wondered why I was so shit on squats, filmed form once and realised my form was absolute dogshit this whole 8-9 months😢😂, back rounded as all fuck and bar up my neck, thankfully I haven’t experienced any lower back pains whatsoever. So glad I realised this now

[damiansconberg]

I'm skinnier though so it rubs against my spine and it hurts so can I wear a sweatshirt?

[stephengriffin]

Just my thoughts. I agree with all the mobility and positioning stuff you have run through and enjoy the video. I use a pad and have done for a long time. I understand all the centre of balance issues but personally find I can hit the same weight with or without pad and have had little to no injuries from squatting (fingers crossed🤣 ). It’s not a naturally occurring thing in day to day life to load a relatively thin bar with a good deal of weight across your upper back and regardless of muscle bulk around that area some people will feel more or less discomfort regardless of bar position (I believe your nerves that sense pain are just as sensitive on muscled areas as less muscled areas). Hence some people may well struggle concentrating on form due to concentrating on discomfort or pain from the bar pressure and this might ultimately hold back their progress adding resistance or put them off squatting all together. Are there any conclusive studies that show how much the bar pad displaces the bar and adjusts the centre of balance? When thinking about the pad thickness this also will reduce as the weight increases, due to compression and hence the centre of balance offset will also reduce. As I said these are just my thoughts. Regardless, I’m still enjoying your videos 🏋️‍♂️🙂👍💪

[xl_moby_lx]

If I have like no back muscle built back yet is a pad okay for the first couple of weeks until I build that up?

[smileyfaceHi]

these people never experienced being skinny before. I use to be 5'10 130lbs where i was just skin and bone and any placement of the bar would be uncomfortable. At that point i think a bar pad would be reasonable. 170 now and i stopped using a bar pad even though my form hasnt changed because now i have natural cushion.