Author Topic: Wide bar grip on squats  (Read 3298 times)

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Raptor

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Wide bar grip on squats
« on: March 03, 2011, 01:22:50 pm »
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Why do all the powerlifters use a wide (extremely wide) grip when squatting? It's beyond my understanding.

Like this:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akWrAmYmUfk" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akWrAmYmUfk</a>

LanceSTS

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Re: Wide bar grip on squats
« Reply #1 on: March 03, 2011, 04:48:09 pm »
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 Alot of them do, not all, but the better you get at letting the traps and rear delts take the brunt of the load the less it will matter.  Shoulder flexibility is often an issue with lifters who bench press alot and the wider grip helps take some of the stress off the shoulder joint.

  Olympic lifters generally have much better overall shoulder flexibility due to the overhead work and not nearly as much benching.  Ive seen oly lifters take a 45lb bar and do shoulder dislocations with it like it was a piece of cake, many powerlifters are lucky if they can get into a quarter overhead squat position with a legal grip on the bar.
Relax.

Raptor

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Re: Wide bar grip on squats
« Reply #2 on: March 03, 2011, 07:17:57 pm »
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Well it's weird because reading everywhere - everybody recommended a wider stance on the bar if you have shoulder/pec/whatever flexibility issues using the low bar. So I tried it and it was worse. My elbows hurted much more and wrists much more, so I switched to an even narrower grip than usual. That worked wonders.

Don't know what's up with that. I think the traps just contracted better and there was less "arm load" or support of the bar.

Dreyth

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Re: Wide bar grip on squats
« Reply #3 on: March 03, 2011, 11:00:55 pm »
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My rear delts cramp with a wide grip and I hate the wide grip anyway. How inflexible can you be that you have to have your arms all the way out to the plates?
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LanceSTS

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Re: Wide bar grip on squats
« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2011, 11:11:34 pm »
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Well it's weird because reading everywhere - everybody recommended a wider stance on the bar if you have shoulder/pec/whatever flexibility issues using the low bar. So I tried it and it was worse. My elbows hurted much more and wrists much more, so I switched to an even narrower grip than usual. That worked wonders.

Don't know what's up with that. I think the traps just contracted better and there was less "arm load" or support of the bar.

Yea, thats the best way, find out for YOU what feels most comfortable, for YOU.  The narrow grip will "bunch" the traps and rear delts up making a bigger cushion for people with less muscle mass in those areas.  Whatever grip lets you forget about your grip and focus on your legs is the "best" for you.
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John Stamos

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Re: Wide bar grip on squats
« Reply #5 on: March 12, 2011, 11:13:12 am »
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i have a big upper back and if i use a close grip, it scrunches everything up and i cant find that "sweet spot." wide grip lets the bar fit evenly on my back.

plus for me at least, if your doing a sumo squat, having a close grip feels weird as hell
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Dreyth

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Re: Wide bar grip on squats
« Reply #6 on: March 13, 2011, 12:15:25 am »
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I can definitely understand doing wide grip because it's more comfortable, but I DON'T understand doing it because of a non-injury-related flexibility issue.
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Raptor

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Re: Wide bar grip on squats
« Reply #7 on: March 13, 2011, 05:31:47 am »
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I can definitely understand doing wide grip because it's more comfortable, but I DON'T understand doing it because of a non-injury-related flexibility issue.

It's usually when you're an ass.

Dreyth

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Re: Wide bar grip on squats
« Reply #8 on: March 17, 2011, 12:02:51 am »
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lmao
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