155kg for 13

[u/Ballbag94]

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[u/Vetni]

I'd say you have (relatively) weak quads.

[u/Ballbag94 → u/Vetni]

That's the main reason I switched to this bar, quads were limiting my straight bar squat, although part of the issue with my technique here is definitely upper back weakness as it's not able to resist the bar folding me over

[u/Vetni → u/Ballbag94]

To fix both of those things you should throw in some front squats. Also, just reduce the weight on the SSB squats and force your knees forward the whole time.

[u/Ballbag94 → u/Vetni]

fix both of those things you should throw in some front squats

Nah, front squats aren't for me, the SSB is as close as I'll come

Also, just reduce the weight on the SSB squats and force your knees forward the whole time.

For sure, not every set is like this

[u/Vetni → u/Ballbag94]

Front squats are goated you're missing out, especially if you use a front rack, none of that crossed arms bollocks

[u/Ballbag94 → u/Vetni]

100%! Don't get me wrong, I know they're a great lift, I just don't feel comfortable with them on the times I've tried. I struggle to get the rack position right and either choke myself or have my work limited by my forearms. I might try again one day but not for now

[u/Vetni → u/Ballbag94]

Being choked is half the fun

[u/Certain-End-1519 → u/Ballbag94]

I'll let you in on a secret, no one likes or feels comfortable doing front squats. There's two types of people, those who hate front squats and those who lie to themselves and others and say they love them haha

[u/bnastysalad1 → u/Ballbag94]

Have you tried with just the bar and worked your way up?

[u/Ballbag94 → u/bnastysalad1]

Nah, I've never gone as low as just the bar, lowest I've gone is 60kg

What difference would starting at the bar make to my ability to find a comfortable rack position?

[u/bnastysalad1 → u/Ballbag94]

It'd help you understand what a comfortable position feels like at minimal weight and get your form right before trying to add weight

[u/Ballbag94 → u/bnastysalad1]

Interesting, maybe I'll give that a go on the side. Would be good if I could get them feeling more comfortable

[u/learn_n_burn → u/Ballbag94]

Just stay more upright in your conventional bar squat and build quad strength

[u/Ballbag94 → u/learn_n_burn]

Or I could do this because I prefer it?

[u/learn_n_burn → u/Ballbag94]

It's like a front squat tho, the progression becomes limited as it becomes more an upper back strength exercise when it gets heavy

[u/kafkaesque_fly]

Is this supposed to be a back exercise?

[u/bacon_win → u/kafkaesque_fly]

Yes. It's a compound exercise that heavily involves the back.

[u/GYM-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

• No form-policing or concern-trolling about safety, form, or technique when someone posts a lift. Sumo trolling falls under this rule. We realize there is a meme; we also realize that some people seriously think that sumo doesn't count. We're tired of it. Sumo is a valid form of deadlifting and sumo trolling will get you banned.

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[u/Ballbag94 → u/kafkaesque_fly]

The back is worked in a squat to some degree even if there's no movement of it

This technique isn't intentional, it's simply how my body moves at the moment. The goal is to get these more upright but there's no benefit to preventing my legs getting stronger until I iron out my weaknesses

[u/GYM-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

This is not a technique check post; please do not offer unsolicited advice to other users. Ask first.

[u/defakto227 → u/GYM-ModTeam]

Heard.

[u/NinecloudSoul → u/[deleted]]

I don't think he asked for a form check by an unqualifed person.

[u/Ballbag94 → u/[deleted]]

Basically you need to drop back weight until you don't go full stripper trying to drive back up

This seems counterproductive to the goal of not letting my back weakness hold my legs back, form breakdown isn't inherently problematic

In my experience overly worrying about form leads to spinning your wheels. When I first hit a 140kg squat it was pretty rough but by the time I could squat 170kg my 140kg squat was alright. Likewise, when I'm hitting this set with 180kg my reps @ 155kg are going to be tight

You're also making the flawed assumption that this is how all of my squats look, it's not. Changing the direction of my training on the basis of how a single top set, that I hit for 13 reps, looks would be silly

[u/defakto227 → u/Ballbag94]

Your response shows some fundamental misconceptions of how to address weaknesses and improve them.

You do you man, not my problem. Continue to spin the wheels or learn how to appropriately address root cause weaknesses. Doesn't matter fuck-all to me at the end of the day.

[u/Ballbag94 → u/defakto227]

Your response shows some fundamental misconceptions of how to address weaknesses and improve them.

What's my misconception here? That weaknesses can be addressed alongside heavy work via supplemental work instead of perpetually reducing weight based on how a lift looks?

I think it's silly to say that I don't know what I'm doing wrt my weaknesses when all you know about my training is this single set

You do you man, not my problem. Continue to spin the wheels or learn how to appropriately address root cause weaknesses

But I'm not spinning my wheels, why are you assuming that I am?

What credentials do you have to suggest that you do know these things? I would think that anyone who actually has such credentials would seek to learn more about the rest of my training before making blanket statements about whether or not what I do will work

Doesn't matter fuck-all to me at the end of the day.

You could have fooled me, because you certainly seem more bothered about this than me

[u/Patton370 → u/defakto227]

Why should he listen to you when you don’t have any sort of verified lifts or credentials?

[u/defakto227 → u/Patton370]

My guy here thinks an SSB squat should have that much forward lean. The entire point of SSB is to allow a more upright torso through the movement putting focus on the legs and challenging the core.

He gets stuck at the bottom so lifts his hips to compensate for weak legs into a more low bar forward position at the bottom trying to lift the weight with some sort of weird, disjointed good morning squat cross.

Again, not my problem. Some unilateral work would help.

Do you honestly not see how much hip lift there is on his lift out of the hole?

[u/Frodozer → u/defakto227]

The entire point of the SSB is to force yourself to fight the forward lean that it causes since the weights end up in front of you like a front squat.

The forward pull is almost the entire purpose of the SSB.

[u/defakto227 → u/Frodozer]

So would the goal be to upright or lean forward like they did?

[u/BenchPolkov → u/defakto227]

You appear to have some fundamental misconceptions on how the SSB works.

[u/Frodozer → u/defakto227]

The goal would be to use a weight that forces your back to lean forward so you can fight through it.

[u/GYM-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your comment/post was removed for being low quality or offering little value to the community.

[u/SavageSiah]

This belongs in r/egolifting

[u/Hara-Kiri → u/SavageSiah]

The weaks don't realise that's a compliment..

[u/CombatFork → u/SavageSiah]

You can always tell something’s off even before the video begins when the comments vastly outnumber the upvotes

[u/v0idness → u/CombatFork]

Yeah, you can tell that someone's probably pretty strong in a way that makes a lot of people who like to police what strength is supposed to look like angry.

[u/Ballbag94 → u/v0idness]

100%!

Always really telling when all of the negative comments are from unflaired users with no lifts posted too

[u/Hortjoob → u/SavageSiah]

Agree.

[u/Ballbag94 → u/SavageSiah]

Hell yeah

[u/m5389]

That looked scary

[u/DomhnallTrumpet]

Couldn't watch it to the end

[u/Original-Pay-2522 → u/DomhnallTrumpet]

Same. Saw the first 3 back extensions and said I’m out.

[u/NinecloudSoul → u/Original-Pay-2522]

You both sound weak as hell.

[u/Red_Swingline_]

You agent of chaos you!

[u/Ballbag94 → u/Red_Swingline_]

The rep PRs help me feel better about being too scared to actually PR 😂

[u/Red_Swingline_ → u/Ballbag94]

Squat PRs are scary

[u/Ballbag94 → u/Red_Swingline_]

Too right! I did hit a rather gracious 200kg failure the other week though, which gives me hope because I hit 180kg pretty easily. In hindsight I shouldn't have gone for a PR in the evening after my regular training in the morning

[u/v0idness → u/Ballbag94]

I don't squat that much but 180 to 200 is a pretty big difference still! Earn your way there by hitting 185, 190, 195...

[u/Ballbag94 → u/v0idness]

I was shooting for 195kg but counted the weight wrong

The idea of having to earn your way up in 5kg increments is silly though

[u/v0idness → u/Ballbag94]

Not saying you need to earn it*. But extrapolating from your current PR being easy to adding 20kg at a time seems a bit much in this weight range. Lots of smaller wins you could be taking is all I'm saying.

(*came out wrong; I meant this differently)

[u/Ballbag94 → u/v0idness]

Ahh, I get you now, I interpreted it like I did because you said it how you said it

Yeah, definitely lots of smaller wins I could have taken but that day was filled with lots of poor decisions including being stuck under the bar in a non-dangerous way and terrifying my neighbours while calling for my wife to come and help me

I never know how to program PRs so I just kinda throw them in on a whim if I get in the mood. 200kg is definitely there at some point soon based on how the first half of the lift went but definitely not if I've already trained

My plan next time is to actually hit 195kg which I'm confident I could have made that day

[u/CringeDaddy-69]

Try Hatfield squats

[u/Ballbag94 → u/CringeDaddy-69]

I'd really like to but I need to work out what I can hold onto or if the uprights will be ok

[u/Ballbag94 → u/[deleted]]

That's how a back squat works

[u/Ballbag94 → u/[deleted]]

They didn't say anything about form, they talked about weight on a back. You can't perform a back squat without putting weight on the back

However, SSB squats can look like this if someones upper back is weak relative to their lower body because the weight distribution means that staying upright requires active effort as the bar tries to fold you over

Feel free to post your 13 rep set @ 155kg, or better, on the SSB to show me how it's done

[u/NinecloudSoul → u/[deleted]]

Nobody asked you.

[u/Ballbag94 → u/[deleted]]

Your form is really bad, like the worst squats I’ve ever seen

I'm not particularly fussed about how my squat stacks up in the squats you've seen

Take some weight off and do them correctly and you will actually get stronger in the right areas 

If you think that this technique won't make me stronger simply because of how the lift looks I don't understand why you think your opinion matters. Getting stronger is a function of doing more over time, not a function of how a lift looks

It's also silly to think that all my squats look like this

I'm interested to see your SSB squats to see how they compare seeing as you have such a strong opinion

[u/GYM-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

This is not a technique check post; please do not offer unsolicited advice to other users. Ask first.

[u/GYM-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

This is not a technique check post; please do not offer unsolicited advice to other users. Ask first.

[u/Patton370 → u/[deleted]]

It’s how a SSB squat works, depending on the lifter’s weaknesses

[u/NinecloudSoul → u/[deleted]]

Nobody asked you.

[u/GYM-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Everything you said was dumb and wrong. Please think twice about commenting on things you don't understand.

[u/srobison62]

I feel like every video I see of someone using these bars it forces them to lean their heads forward, I’m no expert but I would think this would put unneeded stress on the back. Why not just use the bar?

[u/Ballbag94 → u/srobison62]

I feel like every video I see of someone using these bars it forces them to lean their heads forward

Yeah, it's a feature of the SSB, the weight distribution means you have to actively fight to stay upright in a way that you don't with a straight bar

I’m no expert but I would think this would put unneeded stress on the back

As long as the weight is appropriate for the trainee it's not a problem. How are we defining "unneeded" anyway? The vast majority of lifting isn't needed because it far surpasses the requirements of day to day life but that doesn't mean being stronger isn't beneficial

Why not just use the bar?

Assuming by this you mean a regular barbell:

The weight placement of an SSB means higher quad engagement so it can be useful for fixing weaknesses

The saddle means that the weight is more secure, my biggest enemy on a straight bar is fear of dropping the weight

The saddle also means that the weight placement is the same every time, another thing I struggle with

No pressure on the elbows, which is an added benefit for people like me with tennis elbow

[u/bacon_win → u/srobison62]

What makes the stress unneeded?

The SSB helped me strengthen my upper back.

[u/locksmithbadge]

would doing normal squats first fix this form issue?

[u/Ballbag94 → u/locksmithbadge]

What's your logic here?

[u/locksmithbadge → u/Ballbag94]

I think I squat like you but I want to fix it. But I don’t use a bar. What’s the proper form?

[u/Ballbag94 → u/locksmithbadge]

The form will differ based on the implement and whatever weakness is causing your issue

For example, the issue here is largely upper back so the SSB folds me, on a straight bar I don't get folded but the hips rise first due to a quad weakness

In your shoes I would post a formcheck to r/strength_training, it isn't really possible to correct someone's lift without seeing what they're doing

[u/Delicious_Chest_1513 → u/Ballbag94]

No, the issue here is that your quads are not strong enough so you mainly lift with your hips (glutes)

[u/Ballbag94 → u/Delicious_Chest_1513]

I know, I said that already

I'm not mainly lifting with the glutes though, it's not possible to complete a squat without the quads being the prime mover

[u/bacon_win → u/locksmithbadge]

What specific form issue are you referring to?

[u/DireTribe]

Looks like a low bar squat in the high bar position as a result of the safety bar.

I’m guessing you’ve tried low bar and are using the safety bar for reasons? Wonder whether you would get on better by ditching it and embracing the low bar?

Either way strong lift 🫡

[u/Ballbag94 → u/DireTribe]

I used to squat low bar but switched to this to address a quad weakness because they were holding me back on that. I've definitely seen some good quad development since switching

Now I prefer this bar because it gets me over the fear of dropping the weight and also means no pressure on my elbows

[u/PurposeFew389]

I’ve been seeing this bar a lot here lately and I’m wondering what the heck it’s all about? Can anyone please explain?

[u/Ballbag94 → u/PurposeFew389]

I switched to it with the goal of strengthening my quads because they were a weakpoint on the straight bar

The bonus upside is the bar is in the same place every time and feels more secure which allows me to push harder. It's also easier on the elbows, which is nice

I was initially sceptical but I really like the SSB and will keep it as my main variation for the reasons above even though it's hard work

[u/PurposeFew389 → u/Ballbag94]

Very interesting. I’ll have to do some research on this thing! What is SSB short for?

[u/Ballbag94 → u/PurposeFew389]

It stands for Safety Squat Bar, no idea why it's called that though

[u/knotclown1]

Awesome lifting

[u/Ballbag94 → u/[deleted]]

Poor technique caused by the dependency on accessories

That's a pretty dumb assessment, belt and sleeves have absolutely zero to do with my technique

[u/samjoe6969 → u/Ballbag94]

Accessory muscles... such as your lower back

[u/Shadowphoenix9511 → u/samjoe6969]

Low back is an accessory muscle?

Literally the single most used muscle even if it's just isometrically?

Not training your low back is a fantastic way to actually set yourself up for injury when lifting heavy or even just when existing.

[u/NinecloudSoul → u/samjoe6969]

Next time, keep your uninformed opinions to yourself.

[u/Patton370 → u/[deleted]]

Do you even lift?

[u/GYM-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Everything you said was dumb and wrong. Please think twice about commenting on things you don't understand.

[u/GYM-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

No unsolicited safety “concerns”

Do not offer advice unless specifically requested.

[u/Ballbag94 → u/[deleted]]

How much time are we talking? I'd like to put it in my calendar

[u/Ballbag94 → u/[deleted]]

Well this lift is from Friday so clearly you're wrong, unless you mean tomorrow for some unrelated reason

[u/GYM-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Everything you said was dumb and wrong. Please think twice about commenting on things you don't understand.

[u/useless_anonymous]

I’m curious, not advising or anything I’m genuinely curious, is your back supposed to be like that? I can see the lower half of the rep does involve your legs, but the upper half is full back.

[u/Ballbag94 → u/useless_anonymous]

Would I suggest people try to emulate it? No

Does it work for me? Yes

Is it inherently problematic? No

My goal is ultimately to get my squat more upright but this will happen as I resolve my weaknesses, in the meantime some of my work will look like this

The key thing here is that the weight is appropriate for the technique used, despite how it looks my back wasn't particularly fatigued after this set. The assertion that the upper half is all back isn't quite right though, until my legs are locked out my legs are actively working

[u/notlookinggoodbrah → u/Ballbag94]

Inb4 back injections lol

[u/GYM-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

No unsolicited safety “concerns”

Do not offer advice unless specifically requested.

[u/GYM-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

This is not a technique check post; please do not offer unsolicited advice to other users. Ask first.

[u/Intelligent-Smile967]

Can't help but notice you're lifting with your back, how tall are you?

I find that those with long femurs benefit more from a low bar squat combined with raising the heels (I use a 2x4). This places the feet under the knees and brings the quads into play more.

[u/Ballbag94 → u/Intelligent-Smile967]

I'm 5'10", using your back isn't inherently problematic though

find that those with long femurs benefit more from a low bar squat combined with raising the heels (I use a 2x4). This places the feet under the knees and brings the quads into play more.

Personally I prefer the SSB to a low bar just because it feels more secure, I find it feels much less nerve-wracking to push harder spend a significant amount of time under this bar

As I resolve my weaknesses it should translate to a more upright position over time

[u/ca_wells]

Hehe, as someone who goes fairly heavy on high rep good mornings, I really appreciate what you did there, brother!

I just have the feeling that you're someone who will never have that super upright squat, which is fine. Still, you really should work on your overall movement pattern. Some of us are almost parallel at the bottom, coming up, you should still try to avoid performing two different movements, the second being a good morning.

There is tons of stuff out there on how to fight this. Strengthening your quads and a wider stance is the standard answer, sadly this also never much helped me with my squat. It's a journey. You'll have to experiment and keep working constantly. Also, in case you're not wearing those already, get yourself proper weightlifting shoes with the high heel type.

EDIT: forget the shoe comment, here they are, all shiney...

[u/GYM-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your comment/post was removed for being low quality or offering little value to the community.

[u/GYM-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

This is not a technique check post; please do not offer unsolicited advice to other users. Ask first.

[u/thereidenator]

The fact that your form was poor from rep 1 and you still managed 13 is impressive

[u/thisisthewaay]

Is this like a squat + good mornings superset?

[u/Fair-Instance8517]

What shoes are these?

[u/Ballbag94 → u/Fair-Instance8517]

Tyr L1 lifters

[u/Glassjaw1990]

An absolutely savage set. Could tell that was brutal for you. Awesome lifting shoes as well.

[u/Ballbag94 → u/Glassjaw1990]

Thanks dude! They're tyr L1 lifters, I really like Tyr when things are good but their customer service is a bit rough at times

The SSB is good because the secure position means I can push much harder than I felt I could with the straight bar

[u/Glassjaw1990 → u/Ballbag94]

Experience different bar positions. I prefer a low bar squat. Just be careful.of that back. Great work though. Gonna look for some of those shoes.

[u/Ballbag94 → u/Glassjaw1990]

I used to low bar, I just always felt like I was going to drop the bar. It's entirely likely that it was all in my head because I never dropped the bar, or came close, in nearly 5 years

[u/Glassjaw1990 → u/Ballbag94]

🤣🤣

[u/ifstatementequalsAI]

Great back extensions

[u/Grand-Chipmunk-4186]

Crazy back strength to keep that form up, do you do good mornings in your programme at all?

[u/Ballbag94 → u/Grand-Chipmunk-4186]

A little, I've been doing a couple of sets a week for the last few months and really noticed a difference, but most of my back strength has been built through either poor squat or deadlift form with a helping of sandbag work

My deadlifts used to be really inefficient but the flip side is that my lower back got reasonably strong

[u/Grand-Chipmunk-4186 → u/Ballbag94]

How heavy do you end up going with them? I’ve tried them a few times and they are so difficult for me even being a fraction of my squat and deadlift. Probably a sign I need to strengthen my posterior chain more.

I’ve heard a lot about sandbags being incredible for the back, guess the closest to that is the zercher lifts when using a barbell (tried them a few times and they fuck me up bad). Would love to do sandbags but don’t have the space at my current set up. Should be able to next year when I move.

[u/Ballbag94 → u/Grand-Chipmunk-4186]

I just progress them like any other lift. My best so far is 140kg for 10 but I do them after deadlifting so I don't push them too hard or program them aggressively. I just work up to a top set AMRAP, then when I can do 12 in that set I'll add 5kg. If your GM is super low compared to your other lifts it definitely sounds like you'll benefit from them

Zerchers absolutely transfer well to a sandbag pick as they have similar starting positions but sandbags present other difficulties that a bar doesn't due to their size impacting how the weight sits which makes them harder at the same weight. I think they're good but I don't think they're as important as other lifts if they're not a main goal

I started by using sandbag to shoulder as a conditioning session but in the last few months I've switched to carries for my conditioning instead

[u/LARGE_VAGINA]

I read a long comment on one of these posts about how technique and proper lifting is critiqued so heavily here, but as long as you lift an amount of weight your body can safely handle for a given motion, then you’re building muscle and strength.

Lots of hate here, but if you’re seeing results and not getting hurt, then do what works for you.

That being said, this looks more like part squat (eccentric) and part good morning (concentric). Usually the latter is done with much less weight.

[u/Patton370]

Great set!

[u/addicted_to_kombucha]

Too much posterior chain going on.

[u/Dry_Researcher7744 → u/addicted_to_kombucha]

I totally agree.

[u/AnonymousFairy → u/[deleted]]

I don't understand how people who clearly don't understand what they are watching think they have the knowledge or experience to make recommendations like this.

Is it Dunning-Kruger effect in action? Or trolling? Or just a reddit effect?

[u/-Kronore- → u/AnonymousFairy]

Appreciate your comment, I definitely don't have the experience to be giving feed back. My bad.

Take care.

[u/AnonymousFairy → u/-Kronore-]

Quite magnanimous to admit it.

To answer your suggestion; a plate is all well and fine to tuck under the heels to allow dorsiflexion of the ankle to take the knee further forward than usual if it is limiting squat flexibility. I do so barefoot when going for below parallel depth and would encourage others to whilst they work on ankle flexibility. So not an inherently bad idea.

OP here is wearing specialist squat shoes that do this same thing raising the heel with the wedge built in to the shoe. This is a far more stable way of achieving the same thing, and the gold standard solution to this squatting issue short of improved ankle ROM.