Shoulder/Elbow/Wrist Saving Squat Tips

Is pain in your upper body holding you back from getting the strong legs needed to be a better wrestler?

Listen, I’ll be one of the first to sing the praises of the squat. The bottom line is that it builds unbelievable strength for wrestling.

However, in your quest to become stronger, if you’re experiencing a lot of pain in your shoulders, elbows, and/or wrists, you may need to do some re-evaluating.

So in this post I’m going to detail 3 strategies that will help take the stress off the joints in your upper body. This should get you back on track to building stronger legs without the pain. Ultimately, you’ll get stronger, not be in as much pain, and, as a result, your performance will improve.

1. Switch The Bar You’re Using

The first thing you can do it switch from a straight bar to one of the following:

Safety Squat Bar

Manta Ray

Unfortunately the SSB is not common in most gyms. However, the Manta Ray is an acceptable alternative (and they’re inexpensive).

Notice how using the Manta Ray helps keep the bar high on my back. This ultimately leads to a pain free squatting experience (as far as the shoulders, elbows, and wrists go).

The damage from squatting with a straight bar is done as it gets lower on your back. This puts the joints in your arms into more extreme ranges of motion.

Again, take a look at the picture of the guy squatting above to see what I mean.

Now compare it to the video of this submission.

Look at how similar the Americana is to the position of your arms when holding a bar on your back when squatting. Notice how in the video the man says that as the lock moves lower the pressure increases. The same way things happen when the bar slides down your back.

To summarize, both the SSB and the Manta Ray do a great job of locking the bar high on your back. This prevents unnecessary strain on your shoulders, elbows, and/or wrists.

2. Change How You Position The Bar

If you don’t have access to a SSB or Manta Ray, you can also simply adjust how you hold the bar.

Front Squat

This is the traditional way to hold a bar when performing a Front Squat. As you can tell by my face, this way could still lead to a lot of pain in your elbows and wrists.

So instead, try using straps or anything else you can think of to help you position the bar like this:

Zercher Squat

Holding the bar in the Zercher position (in your elbows) can also save you pain. Using a standard straight bar can sometimes lead to discomfort when it digs into your elbows.

To fix this wrap a towel around the bar, use a squat pad, or put Fat Gripz on the bar where it comes in contact with your elbows.

I have written a couple posts on Zercher Squats, how to execute them properly, and also introduced a couple variations. Check them out- Zercher Squat and Other Zercher Lifts,

High Bar Squat

If you don’t have or don’t like the options above, you can simply focus on holding the bar as high on your back as you can tolerate.

3. Other Tips

Finally, if you don’t want to make any major changes, here are a few subtle changes you can make.

Chalk Your Back

This will help prevent the bar from slipping down your back.

Be as liberal as you want. Just make sure to have someone wipe it in with their hand after applying the chalk. This helps to maximize it’s effectiveness. I’ve found that too much chalk may lead to slipping but rubbing it in always fixes it.

Sleeves And Wraps

Wearing elbow sleeves, elbow wraps, and wrist wraps are all ways to help add additional support.

However, these can also be used to cover up pain. If you think that’s the case, you may want to consider some of the other adjustments rather than this one.

Keep Reps Low

Try to keep all of your reps at or below 5.

Performing high reps increases the likelihood that the bar will slip down your back.

So keeping your reps in check will cut down on the total time you’re under the bar. This reduces the risk of the bar slipping down your back over the course of a set.

Conclusion

I made a re-discovery the other day when I used a straight bar to squat- It Sucks!

My shoulders were tight and I had to wear wrist wraps to keep them from feeling like they were going to snap.

Like I said above, squatting is great. However, if you’re not going to be competing as a powerlifter (where a straight bar is used in competition), I don’t really know if you need to subject yourself to the potential damage.

In fact, one of the D1 wrestlers I train was in so much pain this past the summer from squatting with a straight bar that he could barely use his arms some days.

How is this going to help you reach your goal of becoming a better wrestler?

Save yourself the pain and start implementing some of the strategies above.

Related Posts:

Squat Like A Stripper

Shoulder/Elbow/Wrist Saving Squat Tips

Fixing Your Squat

Anderson Squats For Wrestlers

Why You MUST Squat Low

Box Squats