File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
/fit/, i need SQUATZ help!

So, I was doing SQUATZ today, had just started them a few weeks earlier, and something gay happened. I usually did my squats with my hands fairly close to my body, like inside the little rings on the bar. I decided to spread my arms out moar, and for some reason when I had my arms out a lot farther it made my squatting a LOT easier, and better form.

what the fuck? I was having trouble doing 3x3 of the weight i was using with my hands closer, but when i spread them out it was a lot fucking easier - form and weight wise. also, I wasn't using my arms to push the bar up or anything, and I was also going parallel+.

whats the deal? I'm gonna go ahead and guess that I wasn't using proper form in the first place (that being i didnt have my hands spread out on the bar) and that proper form = moar weight
>> Anonymous
You almost assuredly loosened your lower back. That is half the purpose of the tight grip: it forces your traps together, which forces your chest out, which forces your back to tighten.

If not that, it could have been that you were able to place the bar farther down your shoulders with the distant grip, thus resolving some center of gravity issues and allowing you to generate more vertical push.
>> Anonymous
Well it's not very good for you, your back muscles aren't bunched up under the bar when your arms are spread meaning the barbell rests directly on your spine, which will become painful and possibly even dangerous as the weight goes up. It's probably a flexibility problem, your best bet is probably to stretch your shoulders/elbows/wrists so that holding the bar is more comfortable in that position.
>> Anonymous
OP here.

the bar was actually rested well on my shoulders, I dunno if it's because of the fact that I have abnormally large shoulder blades or not, but that's what I'm guessing. I felt zero pain on my spine, and when i first started squatting and put it on my spine by accident, I could feel it right away.

..should I keep doing it this way, seeing that i get more weight and better form? I feel very comfortable in this position, and i don't have the slightest of pain...
>> Anonymous
>>126542
Hmm... it's tough to say. If it feels more correct, it usually is, and everyone's different. I don't want to say yes go for it though and then you would possibly be injured.

If you have a knowledgeable friend you could have him examine your form. Or go get Starting Strength and read the squat section. Just remember the important thing here is safety, no one gets jacked while they're working around a back injury.
>> Anonymous
>>126548

There's no harm so long as you KNOW your form is correct. If we take you at your word, then there is no harm in the wider grip.
>> Anonymous
>>126550
The only reason I say that is because when you pull your grip together your traps pad your spine. Maybe the OP does have a strange bone structure?
>> Anonymous
Kinesiologist here.

This should answer all your questions:

http://drsquat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3356&highlight=
>> Anonymous
Kinesiologist here.

I eat babies and I recommend you do too.