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Thread: Back too Horizontal on Squats?

  1. #1
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    Default Back too Horizontal on Squats?

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    A PT at the gym criticized my squats for being too much like good mornings because on the descent, my back got too close to horizontal. Now, on one or two reps I actually did feel like I was forward heavy, and thusly imagine my back would be too horizontal there.

    If however, I do not feel unbalanced (and consequently, the bar should be over my middle foot) is it possible to still be too horizontal? And if so, how could I move to correct that without moving the bar away from being over my middle foot? She said my depth was fine (below parallel) and my back was tight for the lift.

  2. #2
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    Post a video and we can tell you, but my guess is the trainer is an idiot and has never seen a low-bar squat before. I had the same thing happen to me a long time ago before I had enough confidence to tell the trainer to fuck off. Most trainers understand "squat" as "high-bar, upright torso squat." If the bar is over your midfoot and your back is extended you're fine.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by LudwigVan View Post
    Post a video and we can tell you, but my guess is the trainer is an idiot and has never seen a low-bar squat before. I had the same thing happen to me a long time ago before I had enough confidence to tell the trainer to fuck off. Most trainers understand "squat" as "high-bar, upright torso squat." If the bar is over your midfoot and your back is extended you're fine.
    Well, she had read SS (and said it was the best fitness book ever lol) and knew I wanted to do a low bar squat. She apparently competes in Olympic lifting though, so it is possible that despite having read SS she only really knows how to high bar squat.

    Looking at this famous image:

    http://www.crossfitsantacruz.com/.a/...2b44970b-500wi
    it does seem that the low bar squat is pretty horizontal though. I also do have slightly long legs in porportion to my torso, could that be a factor?

  4. #4

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    too horizontal on the descent? that's weird. if she said you were coming up and getting horizontal (like a lot of people do, lol "hip drive") it would make more sense.

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    Quote Originally Posted by milesdyson View Post
    too horizontal on the descent? that's weird. if she said you were coming up and getting horizontal (like a lot of people do, lol "hip drive") it would make more sense.
    That is what I thought. That is why I specifically asked "When you say my back is too horizontal are you saying my hips are coming up faster than the bar so I lose back angle on the ascent or am I actually becoming too horizontal during the descent and maintaining a constant back angle on the way up?" and she said it was the latter.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Subsistence View Post
    Well, she had read SS
    Oh, weird.

    I also do have slightly long legs in porportion to my torso, could that be a factor?
    Yes, the longer your femurs are relative to the torso the more leaned forward you have to be to keep the bar balanced.

    Take a video.

  7. #7
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    starting strength coach development program
    If you have long legs/short torso even a high bar squat will look pretty horizontal. I currently do high bar, but they look more like low bar squats from afar than most people actually doing low bar squats.

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