I’ve been having some trouble with wrist pain while squatting lately, I’ve been doing shoulder dislocates and trying to get my elbows further under that bar while squatting. Discomfort increases a lot the further my elbows get under the bar. Was able to get a little farther today, you can’t see much of my set up though : Low Bar Squat 315x3 - YouTube
Today was also the first time that I’ve tried wrist wraps for squatting and it seemed to eliminate almost all of the pain but I’d like to not have to rely on them. Are there any form related tips for helping eliminate this or should I just wrap and suck it up? I’ve read a lot about elbow related low bar pain which I don’t have an issue with (that’s high bar for me) but not much on wrist pain.
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
Try moving your grip farther apart.[/quote]
If you do that make sure that you stay tight, once, I took my grip out too wide and the bar almost fell off my back. I would just rely on the wraps its not gonna hurt you at all.
Comes with the territory of low bar squatting. I would much rather wrap my wrists (and do) than move my grip further out and possibly sacrifice stability. I don’t even wrap my wrists for benching or anything, but I find it necessary for most heavy squats. I’d like to be able to squat pain-free for many years to come, so I prefer to use a bit of protective support. Also, wearing them has never added weight to the bar or made reps easier, so I don’t feel too guilty about it.
Also, I always squat high-bar when I deload, to give my wrists and shoulders a break.
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
wide grips on squats give some people problems, not others. that’s why I said give it a try. If it works it’s the simplest solution.[/quote]
Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that your advice was unviable or anything. I should have made it clear that it just wasn’t conducive to my own personal situation. It’s definitely valid advice.
I had/have the same problem. Since I don’t have wraps yet, the only thing that works for me is gripping the bar as tight as possible from before I get under it until after I rack.
As others mentioned also try some different widths. Usually as you go out a bit farther you can get your elbows more forward, however the farther forward the greater torque on your wrists.
Pardon my ignorance, but I wonder what the advantage of doing low bar squats at that weight would be. I’ve always preferred high bar squats, but then again, I’ve yet to get past 350.
That said, are you holding the bar with your thumb wrapped around or behind the bar? I’d imagine that to make a difference on the wrist, as Rippletoe suggests the thumb behind the bar so the wrist can be straight.
[quote]GrayCrane wrote:
Pardon my ignorance, but I wonder what the advantage of doing low bar squats at that weight would be. I’ve always preferred high bar squats, but then again, I’ve yet to get past 350.
[/quote]
Low Bar Squats limit the probability of losing control of the weight, since the center of gravity is much lower. Wait till you reach 405 or 450 you are not gonna want that weight so high and far away from your center of gravity.
I get the same thing, but they are okay when I wrap my wrists up tight, which i do when i squat anything decently hard.
When going lighter, I take a slightly wider, thumbless grip, and I don’t pull my elbows in as much - instead of using wraps. Eases up pressure all over, shoulder, elbow, wrist.
And to reiterate other posters, try switching up thumbless/wide grip. I notice if I do low bar squats with a wide/thumbless grip, wrist pain is nonexistent.
And I don’t know how you guys can squat with your legs so narrow! Or high bar squats! Probably tight IT bands and shoulders or something on my part.
And I don’t know how you guys can squat with your legs so narrow! Or high bar squats! Probably tight IT bands and shoulders or something on my part.
/End Hijack[/quote]
I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve found that I can squat heavier when I have my legs shoulder width apart than when I have them farther out. Feels like I have better balance and am more centered, especially when coming up.
