High bar vs Low Bar back squat

[MolliesMaster]

Anyone strictly doing High bar squats? Those of you squatting in the high 3's and low 4's, are you low bar or high bar?

[BugBuster]

What do you consider high, just below the traps and top of shoulder blades? If so, high for me.

[duckduckdog]

I'm strictly high bar squat - maxing in the low 4's. Never seen a need for low bar squats.

[scmoose]

One of our old trainers would program them, but everyone pretty much stayed to hight bar. Mid 3's here, high bar.

[Bigtimber2]

Low bar but my form stinks with heavy weight. With high bar and mid stance my knees track better and I stay more upright. I am quad dominate and have terrible mobility in my posterior chain so low bar form is diffcult to maintain with heavy weight. But I can move more weight.

[MolliesMaster]

Wow, I expected to see a lot more low bar squatters. Anybody squatting more than once a week?

[Simple Man]

Just squatting or squatting weight? We squat one way or another every day.

Yesterday, it was wall balls. Today it's Tabata air squats (among other things).

[SCcdp]

Wow, I expected to see a lot more low bar squatters. Anybody squatting more than once a week?

You're not going to find many low bar squatters outside of powerlifting circles. I am a high 3's squatter/soon to be low 4's and I high bar and front squat only. I squat twice a week.

[MolliesMaster]

Before crossfit, I was always a low bar squatter, the bar just felt better there. Since going to high bar, its been an uphill battle to get the numbers back up. I like the upright position a lot better though.

[Chuck the Duck Slayer]

High bar with a 250 max. We are inn the middle of an 8 week strength cycle and hopefully by the end of the cycle I'll be over 300.
I still get nervous doing squats and deadlifts because of my back issues but I can tell I'm getting stronger doing them.

[SCcdp]

Before crossfit, I was always a low bar squatter, the bar just felt better there. Since going to high bar, its been an uphill battle to get the numbers back up. I like the upright position a lot better though.

High bar is so much easier on the elbows, hips, knees and back I think. I'd personally rather have my numbers a little lower and have good mobility because with consistent lifting those numbers will come back. Being able to find the bottom of a squat with your knees tracking correctly and chest up will lead to more longevity with your lifting.

I do a lot of submaximal squatting to help ingrain as close to perfect technique as possible so that when I'm under a 1RM attempt my body defaults into those practiced positions.

[MorningWoody]

We usually squat 3 days a week at my box. Back squat, front squat and overhead. On the back squat its been only high bar squat and my PR is 315 but there are a few guys who who low bar squat but I don't see it often.

[Slaya]

I've done both, and lifted low bar initially, but have gone to high bar pretty much exclusively, now. My shoulders or something keep me from getting my hands really narrow with the bar high. I was squatting 4 days a week, BS twice a week, FS, and OHS. I need to get back to it.

[MolliesMaster]

High bar is so much easier on the elbows, hips, knees and back I think. I'd personally rather have my numbers a little lower and have good mobility because with consistent lifting those numbers will come back. Being able to find the bottom of a squat with your knees tracking correctly and chest up will lead to more longevity with your lifting.

I do a lot of submaximal squatting to help ingrain as close to perfect technique as possible so that when I'm under a 1RM attempt my body defaults into those practiced positions.

I don't know if I would agree about it being easier on the knees. That forward position of the knee in a high bar has put more pressure on my knees than the vertical shin of the low bar back squat. But everything else is very thankful for the high bar, my low back especially. Numbers aren't too bad, I just pulled off 345 for 2 yesterday, So its not completely awful. Hoping to be close to double bodyweight before the years end.

And I'm with you on the technique, I train a younger guy 3 times a week and he squats 2x a week, so when we are working with his weight I make sure to add in a lot of practice reps, it helps me and shows him what is going on in the movement.

[pee dee]

i high bar...that low bar looks all kinds of uncomfortable

[SCcdp]

I don't know if I would agree about it being easier on the knees. That forward position of the knee in a high bar has put more pressure on my knees than the vertical shin of the low bar back squat. But everything else is very thankful for the high bar, my low back especially. Numbers aren't too bad, I just pulled off 345 for 2 yesterday, So its not completely awful. Hoping to be close to double bodyweight before the years end.

And I'm with you on the technique, I train a younger guy 3 times a week and he squats 2x a week, so when we are working with his weight I make sure to add in a lot of practice reps, it helps me and shows him what is going on in the movement.

I would think if the forward position of the knee is giving someone trouble in a high bar squat than it would be attributed to some mobility issue with hips or ankles being the likely culprit. Without some knee pathology and all things being equal then the forward position of the knee in a high bar shouldn't be any harder on the knees than a low bar. If there is a previous issue than you're right low bar is certainly easier on the knees.

Google wall facing squats and give them a try. It's a good barometer of mobility issues in getting to the bottom of the squat effectively and efficiently.

[MolliesMaster]

I would think if the forward position of the knee is giving someone trouble in a high bar squat than it would be attributed to some mobility issue with hips or ankles being the likely culprit. Without some knee pathology and all things being equal then the forward position of the knee in a high bar shouldn't be any harder on the knees than a low bar. If there is a previous issue than you're right low bar is certainly easier on the knees.

Google wall facing squats and give them a try. It's a good barometer of mobility issues in getting to the bottom of the squat effectively and efficiently.

Food for thought on this: It is not the movement, it is the range of the movement on pivot points. Squatting a high bar forces more knee bend than what you would see in a low bar squat. This wider range of motion puts more force for longer duration on the knee. Low bar ROM is hinged at the hips, with knee vertical over the shin. The high bar, with a more upright torso, takes less hip ROM and puts more into the knee forcing it out over the toes, which in my opinion would make the knee more susceptible to stress. This is just the way I think of it.

I know that I have a slight mobility issue on my right side when forcing the knee out and keeping the foot straight. So I think I can attribute some of it to that.

[SCcdp]

Food for thought on this: It is not the movement, it is the range of the movement on pivot points. Squatting a high bar forces more knee bend than what you would see in a low bar squat. This wider range of motion puts more force for longer duration on the knee. Low bar ROM is hinged at the hips, with knee vertical over the shin. The high bar, with a more upright torso, takes less hip ROM and puts more into the knee forcing it out over the toes, which in my opinion would make the knee more susceptible to stress. This is just the way I think of it.

I know that I have a slight mobility issue on my right side when forcing the knee out and keeping the foot straight. So I think I can attribute some of it to that.

You're completely right about the angle of the knee being more acute with a high bar squat. Low bar always seemed to me to be slightly good morningish. I know that is a slight exaggeration in comparison of movements, but the hamstring recruitment of a low bar squat is very good much similar to good mornings.

My contention is that more acute angle of the high bar squat shouldn't bother the knee unless there is something else going on....either with the knee itself or some other limiting factor. I guess I should have prefaced my easier on knees, hips and back comment to include....with good mobility and lack of preexisting condition in relation to the knees.

[MolliesMaster]

You're completely right about the angle of the knee being more acute with a high bar squat. Low bar always seemed to me to be slightly good morningish. I know that is a slight exaggeration in comparison of movements, but the hamstring recruitment of a low bar squat is very good much similar to good mornings.

My contention is that more acute angle of the high bar squat shouldn't bother the knee unless there is something else going on....either with the knee itself or some other limiting factor. I guess I should have prefaced my easier on knees, hips and back comment to include....with good mobility and lack of preexisting condition in relation to the knees.

Saw this article today and thought of this thread. There is an interesting part about knees during the squat. It doesn't discuss the difference of High bar vs. low bar but does explain what the knee goes through in a squat.


http://daily.barbellshrugged.com/you...to-squat-deep/