Can't keep chest up ---> just do low bar squats??

[mbfitness22]

Whats up guys, so I've tried everything possible to keep my chest up to perform a solid high bar squat (because honestly I think they look 10x better than low bar) without success. Should I just accept that maybe my body isn't meant for a high bar and really try to perfect the low bar squat (which obviously doesnt require the chest to stay up)?

Any input would be much appreciated!

[handaid]

Either way you should keep your chest up

[KCUtah]

Learn the goblet squat, and then the front squat. You can also throw in the zercher squat. These squat versions force your body to learn how to stay upright.

You may need to experiment with different foot widths depending on your flexibility and hip structure.

[k9pit]

Unrack the bar and Point your elbows straight down.

Tighten your back and keep them pointed straight down.

Your chest will be up, it will have no other choice but to be.

Keep your elbows straight down as you squat down and come up.

Your torso can only follow your elbow position. If you allow your elbows to flare up, you'll be in a position when you can allow your chest to go down.

As you fatigue in the sets, you might allow your elbow position to flare up when you are coming out of the hole. If so, You'll likely end up leaning forward a bit because your chest dropped. If so, when you get to the top of the rep and prepare for the next rep, make a mental cue to point your elbows straight down for the next rep. I do this all of the time for keeping my technique when the set gets hard and I think my form is starting to break down.

The above really helped my high bar squat technique.

EDIT.....
I got the above form cue from watching Matt Ogus and Johnny Canditos YouTube videos. People may have their opinions on them, but they know what they are doing when it comes to high bar squats.

skip to 1:11 and watch the elbow position


Watch His elbows as he drops into the hole. You'll notice that he is consciously pointing his elbows down at the bottom. This keeps his chest up and torso as upright as possible as he comes out of the hole.

[CerebralZen]

Whats up guys, so I've tried everything possible to keep my chest up to perform a solid high bar squat (because honestly I think they look 10x better than low bar) without success. Should I just accept that maybe my body isn't meant for a high bar and really try to perfect the low bar squat (which obviously doesnt require the chest to stay up)?

Any input would be much appreciated!

Squeeze your shoulder blades together tightly, and expand the chest. Hold that position tightly throughout the rep, from descent to ascent. In the high bar position, point the elbows downward. Remember intra abdominal pressure to support upright position. Hold that breath from descent to final stage of the ascent. Toes Out, Knees Out to open your hips and allow you to drop straight into the hole. For the high bar squat, you break at the knees first. Push your knees forward and drop straight down, keeping the bar path in a straight line with your mid-foot and refrain from varying forward or backward. Remember, in the high bar squat, your bar position starts at around your mid-foot area, so you cannot have forward lean like you would in the low bar squat where your bar position starts a little behind the mid-foot area. These cues work for me when doing the high bar squat, however, morphologies and genetic make up differ from person to person, so experiment with positions and see what fits your body. Good luck and never give up.

Note: I attached some pics to illustrate my points and cues. Hope some of this helps.

[MarcAWilson]

I just wrote up a post about progressing to the squat through different variations in order to teach yourself proper form.

While most people should stay upright, some body types do not allow a parallel squat without some forward tilt. Watch any video of Layne Norton squattting. His form is not "bad", that's the way he has to squat.

If you have a long femur and long torso, you will probably always have to squat that way.

Link to the post:
http://marcwstrength.blogspot.com/20...or-re.html?m=1


The important bit: if you have to tilt forward, compensate by sitting back further. As long as you keep the bar in line with your center of gravity (foot placement basically), you're okay.

[DCSpartan]

just because high bar squats "look better" to you doesnt mean they are better than low bar squats.

[KDG730]

Do whatever is most comfortable for you to perform safely. Everyone is different, you should do a movement for its effectiveness not for its looks