Squat: shoulder flexibility, hand position on bar

[townsend2005]

Several years ago, I had a previous severe shoulder dislocation, ER trip, months of PT to regain full motion. I don't have pain in my shoulder, but I guess I have some limited flexibility, even in the non-injured shoulder.

I'm trying to develop a low-bar squat, but MAN, it is really tough for me to get my hands in a good spot, with the bar in low-bar position. I've been doing pec stretches and broom-stick mobility exercises, and I've already seen some progress. But in a true low-bar position, I have to take an extremely wide grip, to the point where my hands are almost at the plates. Either that, or my hands have to come way up on the bar. Nothing like the pictures on p. 25 in SS. Despite my hand position, my traps are definitely fully engaged and pinched together.

I feel a not so pleasant stretch in my (rotator cuff-ish?) muscles after getting into position and doing a few squats just with the bar. Is this normal? Like, when I come out of position, I have to be very slow and ginger about it.

I saw on the SS DVD that some people's hand contact with the bar might only be at the bottom of the palm on the pink-side (hypothenar eminance?), with fingers WELL above the bar.


- Is it really imperative to keep stretching out until I can achieve a low-bar position, with elbows back and palms comfortably on the bar?

- In low-bar position, you never want to have your palms higher than the bar, right? It's fine for an unweighted bar, but probably very dangerous as weight goes up, right?

- How long do I keep stretching before I make the determination to just do high-bar squats?

Thanks, dudes.

[Paul1]

I have had trouble with it, and my wrists are really -- REALLY -- hyeprextended.

But it's actually been technique that's helped me most in doing the low bar squats. The idea is that the bar rests on the rear deltoids -- I use that as my tactile cue. That really means squeezing the shoulder blades tightly together and getting the arms up and under the bar. I think that practicing this has helped more than stretches have. It has certainly helped me lift more weight, when I converted from high bar to low bar I had a little surge of progress in my squats.

[townsend2005]

I changed my post to be more clear. I can get the BAR itself into position. it's my palms and elbows that don't like it there.

[Paul1]

I can't even get my palms on the bar. It rests just below my fingers. I'm up to 255 squats like that though, it seems stable as long as my shoulders and back are very tight.