Bar Rolling Up or Down Your Back in the Squat?

/
The correct bar position

The correct bar position

A bar that moves up or down on your back during the squat is - to put it mildly - not a good thing. Squatting is a challenging endeavor. It’s supposed to be challenging, and the fact that it is challenging - the fact that it stresses your body - is what makes you stronger for having done it. But don’t make it more challenging than it needs to be by tolerating a barbell that rolls up your back or slides down your back. That is plain silliness.

An issue that often causes unnecessary bar movement is the bar’s position on your back. The bar should rest “on a ‘shelf’ under the traps and on top of the posterior deltoids” (Rippetoe 24). In short, the bar will be below the traps and above the delts.

For a video demonstration with explanation, see the short video at the end of this article.

Here, the bar is too high on the back.

Here, the bar is too high on the back.

If the bar sits too high on your back - on the traps or even above them - the bar will tend to roll up the back toward your neck. This wreaks havoc on your balance, on your ability to create the proper back angle, and thus it also wreaks havoc on your ability to drive your hips up out of the bottom.

Here, the bar is too low on the back.

Here, the bar is too low on the back.

On the other hand, if the bar sits too low on your back - below the top of your delts - the bar will tend to roll or slide down your back. The delts provide the shelf for the bar, so if the bar is not above your delts, you have no shelf left to support the bar. Now, your hands and wrists are left with the task of supporting a heavy bar, and as these relatively flimsy appendages are not well suited to this task, the bar starts moving further down your back as the set progresses. In addition, this “too-low” position tends to aggravate either your wrists, elbows, or shoulders over time.

To sum up, if the bar moves up your back, it might be too high on your back to begin with, and if the bar moves down your back, it might be too low on your back to begin with. Get a coach, a friend, or even an enemy to take a closer look at your bar position if you struggle with this issue, and let’s put this obstacle in your rearview.

Rippetoe, Mark. Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training, 3rd edition. The Aasgaard Company, 2017.

(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)

If you found this helpful, you’ll love our weekly email. It’s got useful videos, articles, and training tips just like the one in this article. Sign up below, and of course, if you don’t love it, you can unsubscribe at any time.

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach?