Never Make This Squat Mistake Again (fast fix)
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Today’s topic is a mistake that is all too common - even in a few experienced lifters. It’s an error that is awfully silly, borderline dangerous, and fantastically simple to correct.
The mistake is that of setting your j-hooks - or simply “hooks” - too high.
Why This Happens
There are a number of reasons this occurs; first, a lifter simply might not have a good idea of where to set the hooks. Second, the lifter is ignorant of the downsides of setting the hooks too high. Third, the lifter is lazy and doesn’t like to stand the barbell up any more than necessary when unracking it from the hooks. There are perhaps other reasons, but this list suffices for now.
If you’d rather watch a video on this topic as well as see this mistake in action, be sure to check out the included video.
figure 1: there’s dumb . . . and then there’s this guy. don’t be this guy.
Why This is a Silly Mistake
You don’t ever want to finish a heavy set of squats (or bench press, but let’s focus on the squat) and then have to tiptoe the bar back into the rack because the hooks are too high.
You’re tired at the end of the set, and you should never have to do a calf raise to rack the bar (see Figure 1). Additionally, putting yourself in this position means you run the risk of failing to rack the bar and thus creating a rather catastrophic, YouTube-fail worthy disaster.
Where Should You Set the Hooks?
Set the hooks so that the bar sits roughly at the height of your mid-sternum.
When in doubt, err on the side of setting the hooks slightly too low rather than too high - if it’s a little low, you can always dip down a bit more to unrack the bar. Those few inches represent the top few inches of the squat, which is the easiest part of the lift anyway, so it’s not difficult to get a little bit lower, get under the bar, and then stand it up.
By setting the hooks at this height, you never need to look at the hooks when you rack the bar at the end of the set (a habit which is problematic all by itself - check out the included video). Simply keep looking at the same focal point you used while squatting and walk the bar straight ahead until the bar makes contact with both uprights. At this point - if you’ve set your hooks at a reasonable height - you can then merely dip down slightly, allowing the bar to slide down the uprights, and the bar ends up back in the hooks.
This makes for an effective, efficient, and safe way to rack the bar, and you reap the additional benefit of looking like you know what you’re doing (because you do!).
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
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