Low Bar Position for Squats

The bar should sit low on your back, on top of your upper-back muscles, during Squats when you do StrongLifts 5×5. If you put the bar wrong, it will feel uncomfortable, mess with your Squat technique, and can get you injured.

Wrapping a towel around the bar or using a bar pad is obviously not the solution, you just have to put the bar correctly on your back. And that’s what this article is about – proper bar positioning on the Squat.

High Bar or Low Bar Squats? Olympic weightlifters Squat high bar because it simulates the upright torso position during their competition lifts. StrongLifts 5×5 does NOT use this high bar positioning. It uses a low bar. Here’s why:

• You can lift more on low bar Squats. And more weight means faster muscle gains. Remember muscle size is directly related to strength.
• Enough guys struggle to Squat parallel with their lower back bending. Going even deeper with a low bar position is just asking for problems.

High bar Squats are NOT a bad exercise. But until you’ve built a foundation of strength, worrying about which Squats are best is a waste of time. Choose one exercise – low bar Squats – and do them over and over. You’ll gain strength and muscle, and you’ll also master technique.

Common Pains using The Low Bar Position. Lack of flexibility often prevents correct technique. Some things that tend to go wrong:

• Shoulder Pain. You lack shoulder mobility. The low bar position feels uncomfortable on your front shoulders/chest/upper-back.
• Wrist Pain. Your hands support the bar instead of your upper-back. Your wrists hurt when squatting with heavier weights.
• Neck Pain. The bar rests on your spine instead of on your upper-back muscles. Biceps might even go numb during heavy Squats.

Correct Low Bar Squat Position. Don’t wrap a towel around the bar or use a bar pad because it hurts. Both add inches to the bar, messing up your Squat technique. Start light so your skin toughens up and learn correct technique.

• Bar on Scapular Spine. The bone on top of your shoulder-blades. Put the bar just above your scapular spine for low bar Squats.
• Tight Upper-back. Imagine I put a pen between your shoulder-blades and you try to squeeze it. Chest up and shoulder-blades back.
• Narrow Grip. Makes it easier to tighten your upper-back. Grip the bar as narrow as you can and pull your elbows back.
• Straight Wrists. They shouldn’t be perfectly straight, but also not bent under the bar. Your back supports the weight, not your wrists.
• Shrug Your Lower Traps. Gives the bar extra support. Don’t pull your shoulders against your ears, shrug your upper-back.

Tighten your upper-back and shrug your lower traps.

Mobility Exercises. Widen your grip if your wrists keep bending under the bar or if it feels uncomfortable. Work on mobility 3-4x/week. Narrow your grip as your upper-body flexibility improves.

• Shoulder Dislocations. Improves upper-body flexibility. Start with a wide grip and tighten your upper-back at the bottom.
• Thoracic Extensions. Get a foam roller and wrap your upper-back around it while keeping your chin against your chest.

Most important is to keep Squatting. As the weights gets heavier on StrongLifts 5×5, add upper-back musculature will increase comfort during Squats. A heavier bar also acts as a stretch, and will as a result make the lower bar position easier. So keep Squatting.