I read a comment on elitefts about setting your back during a squat which said pull the bar down when squatting.
when going heavy, i always squueze my back, tuck my elbows and imagine pushing the bar up as i come out of the hole.
just wondering what others do.
i give a little pull down on the bar if im struggling coming up, weirdly works
Many people try pushing the bar up but end up pushing their elbows up instead, which throws them forward.
Pulling down and pushing back are just cues to keep the upper back as tight as possible. It doesn’t really matter how you think of it.
Pull the bar down and push your elbows forward.
Pull the bar down and try to bend it around your back towards your knees. Works very well, especially if you have problems rounding over out of the hole on the way up.
Jason
When I first started squatting back in the day, I tried to push up on the bar. I figured every bit helps. But as I have gotten heavier with my sqauts I have realized I seem to get more power by getting tighter. So in order to get that tight power, I try to bend the bar over myself. It makes all my power more concentrated.
[quote]JPeggEFS wrote:
Pull the bar down and try to bend it around your back towards your knees. Works very well, especially if you have problems rounding over out of the hole on the way up.
Jason[/quote]
This is exactly what I have found myself. Pulling down on the bar helps me engage the lats when I SQ and they can aid in back extension (i.e. keeping your arch).
I worked on bending the bar over my back like a behind the neck lat pull down the other day. End result: elbows stayed under the bar and I was able to maintain an arch and upright position better. I was killing my previous weights and felt good doing it.