Today’s post is going to be
a guest post from my friend Ryan LaCount. Ryan is a fellow trainer at Xperience
Fitness and has been working there for year, establishing himself as one of the
most knowledgeable trainers at the club. Ryan has a B.S. from UW-River Falls
where he majored in Biology with a Biomedical Science emphasis. He also holds a CrossFit Level 1
Certification, is a Certified Personal Trainer, and is currently working toward
his CSCS and CES through NASM. Ryan also back squatted 502 pounds at a
body weight of 197 and has one of the coolest tattoos ever.
Ryan was nice enough to
write a post for me and he will be discussing high bar vs. low bar back squats,
the difference between the two, the mechanical advantages/disadvantages, and
some corrections you can make to improve your back squat.
”Let me start by stating,
when it comes to weight training, always keep an open mind, but do what feels
and works best for you. Everyone is
different, but the mechanical advantages of different form can affect your
ability to move weight. There are many
great videos covering the topics of form, positioning, and the effect on weight
training. One I recommend watching is “Squats
part 1: Fold-ability and proportions” by Tom Purvis. This video does a great job showing different
variations of the human body and how it can affect weight and movement
patterns.
The difference between High
bar and Low bar is this: High bar places the load/bar on the top of the traps
while low bar placement is generally resting on the rear delts. High bar squatting puts you in a more
vertical position as the bar is over the center of your foot while low bar puts
the weight behind the center of your foot, forcing you to lean slightly forward
to balance. I can get into the mechanics
of foot placement and movement in a later discussion where I can touch on the
topics of ankle, hip, and knee mobility and how to correct any movement issues.
Some of the deciding factors
when it comes to a squat are; dorsiflexion of the feet, length of your tibia (or
floor to knee length), length of your femur, torso length, and overall mobility. If you have mobility issues with your ankles,
hips, or knees squatting will be difficult.
If this is the case I would recommend adding squat therapy, wall squats,
banded hip distraction, and banded ankle work to your regiment. No bar placement in the world will help if
you are too tight to hit depth and activate the musculature needed.
So which is better? It depends on what you want to do, but I
would lean toward low bar. The type of
weight training you pursue is going to be based on your overall goal, whether
that is muscular development, strength, or endurance training. So why low bar?
With low bar the load is
further down the back, which generally means that your knees won’t track as far
forward. Low bar is also better for
individuals with longer torso length compared to lower body length and allows
more of the bar to contact the back thus giving some individuals more
control. This can also be a great
variation on squat to help you lift more weight. Generally people can lift 5-10% more with low
bar vs. high bar. This is due to the
lever being reduced between the weight, your hips, and knees and causes reduced
torque needed to overcome the resistance.
Think about torque like this; take a 5lb weight and hold it at arm’s
length away from your body. The torque
in this instance is the rotational stress on the shoulder. Now take that same weight and put it on your
forearm or elbow. Which would you be
able to hold longer? Which instance
would cause less torque on your shoulder?
In this case moving the weight closer to your shoulder is like doing a
low bar squat. You are decreasing the
lever and torque needed to move the weight which will potentially give you the
option to lift more. So, if your goal is to move more weight, then Low Bar back
squat is a tool you should definitely utilize in your training.”
If you guys have further
questions or what to get in contact with Ryan you can find him in these
different ways
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryan.lacount
Email: RyanL@MyXperienceFitness.com
Also, thanks for sticking
with me for so long. I realize posting every day is a bit obnoxious but I
promise that there is a point. Hopefully you guys are getting some good
information out of this and I appreciate everyone who’s been tuning in!
See you tomorrow!
Facebook: Greg Herceg - Personal Trainer
Instagram: @Greg.the.Trainer
Email: gsherceg@gmail.com
See you tomorrow!
Facebook: Greg Herceg - Personal Trainer
Instagram: @Greg.the.Trainer
Email: gsherceg@gmail.com
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