Hi,
When I squat the bar doesn’t grip my back as well as I want it. The bar feels slippery on certain shirts I wear.
When I bench, my shirt makes my set-up feel less stable as well due to the slipping.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Aside from chalking the back of my shirt, are there any specialty shirts, mats or techniques you guys use to get a better grip?
Thanks!
IMO this is a drawback of modern, moisture-wicking fabrics. They are great for what they are intended, but most have a slippery texture. Good ol’ cotton or 50/50 blends work well for “grippyness”.
Go buy cheap thick cotton shirts from WalMart pretty much all I squat in.
I’ve never had an issue with the bar slipping, even squat without a shirt from time to time.
I have however seen guys wear polo shirts while squatting. Maybe they are a little tackier?
Just like the others have said, cotton shirts work very well
like the others have said a cheap cotton type shirt that didn’t have a team of scientist design it for some sport will work the best. other than that working on getting a good shelf for the bar to sit on will probably help some. upper back work and some pec stretches should help get the bar in a better position.
also another thing to think about is the type of bar you are using. a high quality bar actually makes a huge difference. after i moved from a lifting gym to a public gym i had to switch to the cheap bars they had and it was a huge difference.
Most gym have crappy chrome plated bar, I always carry a roll of hockey tape in my bag and put some in the middle whenit slips, problem fixed. With high quality bar like texas, eleiko, ivanko, york there’s no problem.
I’ve absolutely experienced this.
I always bench shirtless; much better grip. If you are in a commercial gym and can’t really do that, get a couple minibands and loop them lengthwise along the bench. That should provide plenty of friction against your shirt.
For squat, it shouldn’t be a problem unless you are squatting with a bar that lacks sufficient knurling in the center. See if you can find the bar with the most/sharpest center knurling. Make sure it’s at least got some, and then just keep your upper back really tight. You’ve gotta have it locked into your delts.
Cotton shirt and making sure I’m squatting with a bar that has center knurling does the trick for me. Never had an issue.
[quote]csulli wrote:
I’ve absolutely experienced this.
I always bench shirtless; much better grip. If you are in a commercial gym and can’t really do that, get a couple minibands and loop them lengthwise along the bench. That should provide plenty of friction against your shirt.
For squat, it shouldn’t be a problem unless you are squatting with a bar that lacks sufficient knurling in the center. See if you can find the bar with the most/sharpest center knurling. Make sure it’s at least got some, and then just keep your upper back really tight. You’ve gotta have it locked into your delts.[/quote]
Thanks for the tip about the minibands! That’s a great idea.
[quote]csulli wrote:
For squat, it shouldn’t be a problem unless you are squatting with a bar that lacks sufficient knurling in the center. See if you can find the bar with the most/sharpest center knurling. Make sure it’s at least got some, and then just keep your upper back really tight. You’ve gotta have it locked into your delts.[/quote]
None of the bars at my gym have center knurling. A lot of the rogue bars don’t. I’ve definitely had the same problem, and heavy cotton shirts are the solution for me, as plenty of others have mentioned. I’ve squatted in moisture-wicking shirts, and that definitely doesn’t work.
Test Test
Tired doing a “fast reply” and nothing appeared after hitting submit…
[quote]csulli wrote:
I always bench shirtless.[/quote]
Do you get indecent attention that way? Might be worth a shot.