Uneven Bar

[williamlexcrawford]

This has apparently happened over time because I have never noticed it and I normally film from the side to just make sure my depth is okay. I don't feel the bar being this crooked on my back so I've obviously been doing it for some time, but I looked at videos from a few years ago and there wasn't a problem.

I talked to Mike Tuchscherer about it because he does my programming but he trouble coming up with a good solution to try. I've tried just manually pushing one side up but that seems to be easier said than done. I saw in an earlier post when I did a search that Tom C. suggested that the person try cranking their elbow up a bit more on the lower side, so I am going to try that next time.

I noticed this earlier in the week and thought I would make a post after I had a second chance to fail at correcting it. My wife observed that she thought my rear delt on my left side is bigger than my left, though I have trouble confirming or denying that assertion. If that's the case the only cause I could pin down is that's the hand I supinate during the deadlift.

Anyway, this is a 2ct pause squat at 405x1@8 plus a picture of the bar on my back. Any opinions would be much appreciated.

https://youtu.be/W44hdg_k1AY

[Jacobnorton]

Looks to me more like your left leg is shorter then the right one and not as externally rotated. You seem to favor it as well.

[williamlexcrawford]

Unfortunately I noticed that too when I was looking over the video. My hip on that side has been giving me some trouble, Im not sure if this causes that or that it's been tight and I can't push it out as far.

[iamsmuts]

Are you crooked on your warm up sets? Does the crookedness get worse when the weight gets heavy?

If your hip is cocked up on the left, does this mean you are relying more on your right leg? (Favoring the left means not making do as much work, right? This expression has always confused me.)

I'm trying to help someone with a similar issue. I think it is related to, cause or consequence, some hip issues (bursitis when running). I'm starting to worry that the slightly uneven lifting surface might be the cause. (The left side is about 1/3" lower than the right.) Whatever it is, this is really difficult to correct. . . .

I've seen a few other threads on related issues. I don't know how many people have been able to solve it or how they did it.

(You should get those simple black and white Texas license plates.)

[williamlexcrawford]

It seems to be pretty consistent throughout, no matter what the weight is. I have had some similar hip issues, I have to work harder to get the left side opened up by doing some more stretching and foam rolling before I squat to keep it from hurting.

I checked my platform and it's not perfectly level, but the bubble on the level is within the lines.

I think I'm going to try cranking my right elbow up a bit more, asd well as work on the left hip some today and then tomorrow before I squat to see if I can get it open more, as well as trying to push that knee out as hard as I can during.

[hollismb]

I think I'm going to try cranking my right elbow up a bit more

This will probably help the most. Look how much lower your right elbow is than your left. It starts out that way at the beginning of the video too. Also notice that the bar isn't centered on your back. You can't see it at the start of the video, but it's pretty obvious at the bottom.

[williamlexcrawford]

Hollis you're completely right, the elbow thing I noticed but not that the bar isn't centered. Probably the most frustrating thing is that I can't feel the difference. I think I'm lining everything up evenly, but obviously not. I guess the elbow thing and when I'm warming up feel around and see if I can get a landmark on the bar and my back to get it evened up.

Thank you so much, that is so helpful, thank you for taking the time to do that.

[williamlexcrawford]

I agree that I don't think that any sort of muscle imbalance is to blame. I took a picture and what I see is that the bar rests probably pretty evenly to begin with, then as I take the bar at it settles in it's natural point of balance since it's not in the middle of my back anyway and scores up the left side as that shifts up. The top is a current picture, the bottom is one from a year ago, which says to me this is a new problem.

[gtl]

Are you uneven when you front squat? My guess would be that if you are not, it isn't a leg length or hip issue. This is coming from a fellow crooked bar squatter.

[williamlexcrawford]

That's an interesting test, I have my regular competition style squats tomorrow and I'll have front squats on Tuesday after deadlifts so I'll be able to take a look.