Barbell Placement for High Bar and Low Bar Back Squats
There are two main styles of the back squats, the high bar back squat and the low bar back squat.
In most cases you’ll see recreational lifters, CrossFitters, and beginners use the high bar position.
The low bar position is generally used by those training for maximum strength or powerlifting.
Both are correct and it’s up to you which you perform based on your goals & how you’ve been trained.
In general, the low bar position recruits more posterior chain and uses a larger range of motion while the high bar position recruits more quads and uses a more upright torso position which often feels more natural to many athletes.
The distinguishing characteristic between the two is the bar placement on the back along with the chest and hip angle as you squat.
The high-bar squat has the bar lay on top of the shoulder.
With the high bar back squat you use your traps to create a shelf for the barbell with the hands gripping the barbell as close as flexibility allows.
You also squat with a more vertical torso keeping the barbell right over the mid foot.
The low-bar squat places the bar further down on the back across the spine of the scapula.
With elbows pointing behind you, you create a shelf with the muscles of your rear shoulders for the barbell to rest on.
With the bar lower on the back, the squatters chest is more horizontal keeping the barbell right above mid foot.
You’ll notice most of the points of performance on a high bar and a low bar are the same:
Shoulder width stance
Barbell supported over the mid foot
Hands just outside the shoulders (as close as flexibility allows) with fingers and thumb over the barbell
Elbows pointed slightly back
Toes slightly pointed out
Knees track in line with toes
Lumbar curve maintained
Hips descend back & down
Hips descend lower than the knees
Heels stay down
Stand to full hip & knee extension
Attention high bar back squatters!
One of the most common mistakes I see beginners make is placing the barbell right at the tip of their neck. Not only can this be a painful position since the barbell is sitting right on the top of the spine, but it can also be a dangerous position because it has the potential to pull you forward as the barbell gets loaded with more and more weight.
Feel free to ask us if you have any questions on which barbell position is right for you and if you are performing the squat correctly!
