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Post Info TOPIC: Help.....
Nick U


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Help.....
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While I don't post to regualarly anymore and I know that I've had several people bug me for an article about my micro concentrated loading idea (its coming I've just been trying to survive college) I would really appreciate some help with an issue that is stopping my progress completely and threatening injury.

I've never really been able to keep the bar in one position on my back when I squat.  It usually rolls down and I have learned to fight it with my wrists.  Its done wonders for my grip but it causes problems with keeping my squat form, which is really upright.  I have tried placing the bar higher and it doesn't seem to help because as it gets higher it gets up on my traps which seem to push it off.  I've also tried taking a wider grip but my upper back strength doesn't allow it to work.  Some might say that I need to work on upper back strength and if you think this would fix the problem I'm willing to try it but I honestly haven't put alot of work into it because I'm not sure if it will pay off. 
Anyway I'm squatting high 500s during workouts now and its casuing alot of problems cause the bar is no longer rolling, now its sliding down my back.  Usually not more than an inch or two but that is very significant in that causes me to have to lean forward to stop the slide and get the weight off my arms.  Mid squat this obviously is a real issue.  This morning I ended up quiting on a realitively easy way 565 (90%) because I was so far forward and rounded in my upper back trying to compensate for the bar sliding on the descent. 
A factor that could be contributing is that we use to have a texax power bar with good bite in the center but it was stolen and now I use a bar that has very little grip and no center grip.  So the part where my shoulders touch is entirely smooth.  Our school budget has been cut so getting another bar is out of the question, ( in fact I'm having to pay out of pocket to get to nationals this year).  I would naturally blame the bar but no one else is having the problem I am, the seem to be able to keep the bar in one place.  I'm not huge but my shoulders are significantly larger than most in the gym who don't have this problem.
Bottom line is I haven't had a good clean squat for weeks since the bar went missing and I need to figure out how to fix this problem or I'm not gonna be prepared for nationals which is in three weeks.

The question is........, is my setup the probem or is the bar the problem?  I always had the issue of rolling even with the good bar.  So it could be my setup, how the hell do I fix this??

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-Nick
Mike Tuchscherer


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Hey Nick, good to hear from you.

Hopefully some other guys (Brady, Tony, others) chime in on this because they have good ideas for this kind of stuff.

Regarding the bar not having knurling Id put a thin roll of athletic tape around the entire smooth part of the bar. It will probably help some. I doubt it would be as good as knurling, but I bet it would be helpful.

You mentioned widening your grip Id go the opposite direction. Id close your grip in as close as your shoulders will allow. This should turn your rear delts into a shelf for the bar to sit. Also, regarding the bar rolling Im not sure what direction the bar is rolling, but changing what part of your hand you grip the bar might help.

Also, your expectations could be an issue. This is going to be kind of hard to explain, but youre an engineer, so Im sure youll get it J
You said youre a really upright squatter and I agree from what Ive seen from you. The problem is that if you try to stay extremely upright with a heavy load on your back well, thats not mechanically a good position to be in. Instead, you have to have some forward lean to keep your center of gravity over your feet. This slight forward lean should help keep the bar on your back.

Hopefully the tape and a grip change will take care of it. If not, look into the mechanics of your stance. Youre built to squat, so weve GOT to solve this problem youre gonna do freaky stuff on the squat when we do.

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JordanLinteris


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I have had the exact same problem and my buddy (the gym owner) bought a texas powerbar to fix it. What I used to do was take my shirt off, chalk my back where the bar goes, throw my shirt on, rechalk the same area on my shirt and then grind some chalk into the bar. If I didnt chalk the skin on my back, the shirt would grab the bar well, but the shirt would slide over the back easily and make the bar lose placement. The ****ty, gripless bar that I was using was making my back hurt from the crazy bite it was getting from the added grip. Chalk, chalk and more chalk should fix it.

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BobW


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Dunno if it's legal or if that's even a concern here, but there's some various sprays (Mueller Stickum is one) that will give you more grip than chalking the bar/shirt.

You might also find that wearing a shirt with the neck / back cut out (or a tank top?), and getting the bar right on your skin, works better.

I haven't tried this in squatting, but in various strongman events, these are all common tricks to help with implements sliding on the shirt.

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Nick U


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Thanks to everyone for the tips. I'm gonna try a combination of all the ideas.

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-Nick
Nick U


Senior Member

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Posts: 218
Date:
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Grip tape and chalk under the shirt works great, thanks guys.

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-Nick
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