Mirror, mirror on the wall, is the barbell balanced on my motherfucking back?

[yellowmamba]

Hey guys,

I know Mr R.I.P. isn't a fan of mirrors. But how do you know if the bar is centred across your back if you don't have access to a reflection?

I saw a powerlifter today, squatting 5 plates low-bar in a direction opposite the mirror. This also meant he had to rack the barbell backwards which he nearly made a big fucking mess of. But for a couple of sets, the barbell was tilted off to one side and made his reps look rather awkward. He didn't realise it himself, and I was loathe to approach him as he looked very angry. Anyone have trouble with this without mirrors, or is it something you just eventually get used to. I've always squatted in front of mirrors and checked to make sure it is centred on my back so I've never had this problem.

CHEERS
MOTHERFUCKERS

[iamcentaur]

if you're that neurotic and uncoordinated, do this:

find the middle of the bar
put your face in front of it
slowly tuck your head underneath
position bar on your back

if you fuck this up, there is no hope for you

[melody]

He is squatting 5 plates because he is not worrying about this type of thing.

[Cousin Bo]

He is squatting 5 plates because he is not worrying about this type of thing.

Bingo!

[Les Hahn]

to be fair, it also sounds like he is walking the bar out forward, so there might be some things he's not thinking about that he SHOULD be, regardless of the weight he is capable of squatting.

I just saw a guy doing the same thing this weekend at Anytime Fitness ( I help train my wife there). Their rack can only be setup one way, so you have to walk it out backwards or spin it around. I think I would have just spun it around, since it was a pretty light weight power rack. He actually had good depth and worked up to 225 for a single. Unfortunately he was all smug about (probably thinking he is elite for being the only person squatting). It was the small fish small pond thing I guess.

[mkamaryn]

I have a fucked up deal going on with my shoulders and it is difficult to know when the bar is centered. I do exactly this - then I don't worry about it. When I film myself sometimes the bar is off a bit - but I never feel it and I seem to continue to gain strength...

if you're that neurotic and uncoordinated, do this:

find the middle of the bar
put your face in front of it
slowly tuck your head underneath
position bar on your back

if you fuck this up, there is no hope for you

[mkamaryn]

fyi my shoulders are also weird, and people used to tell me the bar is off center a lot.

You can fix it by making sure the relationship of your shoulders to the edge of the knurling is the same on both sides before you unrack, or at least get it close enough that it doesn't matter. I did that for a while, and now I never bother to check unless something feels off.

If you lift in a commercial gym, the odds are the bar is twisted up like a twizzler anyways, so you've got a lot more to worry about if you want to get neurotic about it.

Thanks for the tip. I'll give it a try. I never looked at my shoulders in relation to the bar - interesting. I always just line my spine with the center of the bar.

(I lift in my basement with a B&R bar and no mirror. Sometimes I go to an LA Fitness - but they have Texas Power Bars - and lots of them! I'm trying to find out who ordered them, but no one seems to know.)

[Subsistence]

I look in the mirror, center the bar, then still squat asymmetrically. Best of both worlds.

[Clay Simczyk]

If your arms have the same anthropometry, place them on the bar equidistant from the center, then tuck your head under the bar.