Does your back hurt when you squat?

[Philip81193]

I just started squatting this week (Rippetoe's SS) and every time I load the bar on my upper back it hurts SO bad! It's created a bruise on one of my upper vertebrate, anything I can do to avoid this? I'm considering switching to a front squat if I can't get this resolved. Thanks guys!

[txhockeyplaya19]

youll get used to it probably, if it was your first time its understandable.

[AHTTG]

anything I can do to avoid this?

Get the sand out of your vagina.

[Philip81193]

Get the sand out of your vagina.

If you had a broken thumb would you continue to play the guitar?
If I learn to enjoy them I'd be much more likely to push myself super hard. Get it? I'm just checking to see if it's normal. If it is, so be it, I'll get over it.

[Swamp Dog]

Wear a pad.
You have a low body weight so you probably haven't developed the muscles that cushion the bar.
Yeah most look askance at using a pad mainly because we don't see a need to use one, but hey I'll give a little leeway in this particular instance (although I'm probably the only one).

[unity]

Wear a pad.
You have a low body weight so you probably haven't developed the muscles that cushion the bar.
Yeah most look askance at using a pad mainly because we don't see a need to use one, but hey I'll give a little leeway in this particular instance (although I'm probably the only one).

no, i agree with that. when i started i weighed less than that, and i remember the bar bothering me. so yah, use a pad for now. make sure you are working your back and traps, eventually you will have a natural padding, and the bar will actually feel a lot more comfortable without the pad at that point.

also, make sure you have proper bar placement.

[hitchafide]

if you dont want to buy a pad use a t shirt and roll it up, thats what i used to do

[Philip81193]

Thanks for the advice guys, I think I'll skip out on the pad right now, and I might try rolling up a t-shirt until it becomes comfortable.
What about a pinch-like feeling in my hips on my right side? It felt like a needle poking me. I just stretched a bit and hit my next set a bit more carefully and it went away. Anything to worry about or just a mental thing?

[LeanMesomorph]

Thanks for the advice guys, I think I'll skip out on the pad right now, and I might try rolling up a t-shirt until it becomes comfortable.
What about a pinch-like feeling in my hips on my right side? It felt like a needle poking me. I just stretched a bit and hit my next set a bit more carefully and it went away. Anything to worry about or just a mental thing?

If it really hurts Your Neck area from the bar being placed on your Shoulders/traps then use a yoga mat and roll it around the bar and if it hurts your spine while performing the squat , you are leaning forward to much and are simulating a squat version of a good morning

[bigvegan]

I just started squatting this week (Rippetoe's SS) and every time I load the bar on my upper back it hurts SO bad! It's created a bruise on one of my upper vertebrate, anything I can do to avoid this? I'm considering switching to a front squat if I can't get this resolved. Thanks guys!

OK, there's something wrong with this picture, as the bar shouldn't be resting on your vertebrae, PERIOD, even if you don't have much muscle/fat on your back.

Next time you're squatting, start with the unloaded bar, and start to get into your squat position.

With your hands on the bar, move your back up and down against the bar until it "slots" into place on the shelf made by your traps / the back of your arms. It should rest on the muscles of your back, and NOT your spine. It'll be pretty obvious / comfortable once you find it, so practice for a while.

http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-a...orm-55371.html

"Alright, now that we got the squat rack set up it's time to get down to business. Approach the bar and center yourself underneath it. The bar should rest across your upper trapezius muscle below the level of your seventh cervical vertebrae. Your seventh cervical vertebra is the big bump you feel at the base of your cervical spine when you bend your neck forward. The bar should NEVER rest on your cervical spine. Position your hands on the bar at a comfortable position. "

One important key for EVERY lift is to LIFT WITH THE MUSCLES, and not with the bones, the joints, the tendons, or the ligaments. If the muscle isn't doing the work, you may need to check things out.

[Philip81193]

OK, there's something wrong with this picture, as the bar shouldn't be resting on your vertebrae, PERIOD, even if you don't have much muscle/fat on your back.

Next time you're squatting, start with the unloaded bar, and start to get into your squat position.

With your hands on the bar, move your back up and down against the bar until it "slots" into place on the shelf made by your traps / the back of your arms. It should rest on the muscles of your back, and NOT your spine. It'll be pretty obvious / comfortable once you find it, so practice for a while.

http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-a...orm-55371.html

"Alright, now that we got the squat rack set up it's time to get down to business. Approach the bar and center yourself underneath it. The bar should rest across your upper trapezius muscle below the level of your seventh cervical vertebrae. Your seventh cervical vertebra is the big bump you feel at the base of your cervical spine when you bend your neck forward. The bar should NEVER rest on your cervical spine. Position your hands on the bar at a comfortable position. "

One important key for EVERY lift is to LIFT WITH THE MUSCLES, and not with the bones, the joints, the tendons, or the ligaments. If the muscle isn't doing the work, you may need to check things out.

Thanks man, great reply! I'll try to get it in exactly the right spot during my warmups next time. Thanks everyone else!

[Beachman]

OK, there's something wrong with this picture, as the bar shouldn't be resting on your vertebrae, PERIOD, even if you don't have much muscle/fat on your back.

Next time you're squatting, start with the unloaded bar, and start to get into your squat position.

With your hands on the bar, move your back up and down against the bar until it "slots" into place on the shelf made by your traps / the back of your arms. It should rest on the muscles of your back, and NOT your spine. It'll be pretty obvious / comfortable once you find it, so practice for a while.

At his height and weight I don't think he has this "slot".

OP make sure the bar is not on your neck, get in position and let the bar slide down onto to back of your shoulders. Or try front squats.

[LeanMesomorph]

if you really want to get stronger hips and better squating mustles and also gettin used to going low, do box squats i normally do alot of sets about 10 sets, but i do 3 reps very very explosive and i switch between wide stance for the hips and normal stance ,plus u dont have to use ure max weight but it will help u get more explosive power when gettin of the box which helsp your technique and getting up on the squat ,i normally start off with low weight such as 225 then go up to 315 and then go to around 50% of my 1rm which is great for explosive weight

u dont need more then 50-60% of ure 1rm so it shouldent hurt ure back as well,but you should also squat heavy on a diffrent day

you also gotta remember not to lean forward or in any direction at all, becuase it till hurt ure spine and ur hips, you gotta make sure u have a straight back and have a slow negative and a explosive positive while keeping your chest up and knees behing your or parallel with your feet ,also work on staying balnced on your feet,the pain could be from your form

try it out,a good thing to do is squat with bare feet ,without shoes i do it in my shocks

hope this helps

[ironwill2008]

Everyone goes through this, when they first start barbell squatting. Don't try to aviod it by using a bar pad; if you do, you'll be setting yourself up for other problems down the road.

Just suck it up, and get used to it. You'll eventually develop a tough spot on your back, and the bar will present no problems.

[zildjian_4]

at least 2 people in this whole thread realized it isnt a matter of a pad or not, its bar placement, put on your vertabrae of course its going to hurt...lower it abit like said earlier

[EPMD]

Also, front squats are no more comfortable than back squats in terms of bar placement.

[bombermwc]

I had the same problems. Eventually I over did it and in the middle of a lift, i dropped it all and fell to the ground in pain. It took me a week to recover. Ever since then, I moved to a squat machine because my lower back just can't take it.

[TPower81]

Squatting without the pad is like riding a bike. When you first get out on your bike for a ride, the next day your butt is really sore from that seat. As the season continues and you go for more rides, your body adjusts and you no longer get bad saddle butt.

So you probably will experience a little bit of bruise type pain the first couple times you squat. I know I did, but now I can set whatever weight on there and be fine.

I've never been your weight and lifted, so I don't know about your traps and how developed the upper part of your back is. When most people start squatting though they tend to place the bar really high, which sounds like something you may be doing since your vertebrae is hurting? Try and set it lower on the back, which might take some flexibility in your arms.

Another thing you should be doing is puffing your chest out a bit. This helps keep your form more upright through the exercise, and helps keep your back from curving or concaving in. Keep you elbows back, rather than forward. Another benefit of this though is to sort of beef up the upper back for better bar cushion. Once you get under the bar and place it on your back, your entire upper body should be tight, including the abs and stay that way until you rack the weight. Imagine yourself creating a pedestal to set the bar on. A pedestal isn't a fluid object.


If you are experiencing pain during a lift, its most likely form related. Squatting shouldn't give you neck pain, or random pinch pains in your body. This goes for all lifts.

[lancs_hotpot]

Yeah i have a bruise from the last time i squatted but you just get used to the pain. If anything i like it it wakes me up and keeps me focused during the set. If its that bad you can get foam tubes to put round the bar or just wrap a towel round it.

[viperjax]

Go ahead and use the pad if it makes you comfortable. What's far more important than somebody's idea of Macho Manliness is whether you're using correct technique (bar on traps) and not lifting with your back/spine instead of your hips. Focus on those and work hard on putting some meat on your back and things will work themselves out. All the suggestions about form and technique on here are excellent and they're given to you by people who were once n00bs and know what the typical n00b mistakes are.

[Drekkor]

Everyone goes through this, when they first start barbell squatting. Don't try to aviod it by using a bar pad; if you do, you'll be setting yourself up for other problems down the road.

Sad but true, I hit up squats last Saturday for the first time since I broke my ankle... and noticed it the next day. Must have placed the bar slightly off, lulz.

[unity]

i am disagreeing with some of you guys that i normally would not. bar placement is obviously important. personally i dont think that is the only thing that can cause pain though.

take a hammer and smack your ankle with it, ever so softly. do you feel any kind of pain? probably... but why? cuz theres not much damn padding there! believe me, if you are skinny enough, its not going to matter where the hell you place the bar on your back, its going to hurt.

this is extreme, but you tell me where a guy like this would put the bar and not have any pain, even after a few months of squatting...



and using a pad is not going to destroy your squatting in the future. i started with a pad, after several months of bulking and lifting i switched to no pad. i had no problems with bar placement, and i had no problems with pain. bar placement is important, but it's not rocket science. a pad does not ruin your future ability to find proper bar placement.

[empyrean.]

Use a pad on the bar

[TPower81]

i am disagreeing with some of you guys that i normally would not. bar placement is obviously important. personally i dont think that is the only thing that can cause pain though.

take a hammer and smack your ankle with it, ever so softly. do you feel any kind of pain? probably... but why? cuz theres not much damn padding there! believe me, if you are skinny enough, its not going to matter where the hell you place the bar on your back, its going to hurt.

this is extreme, but you tell me where a guy like this would put the bar and not have any pain, even after a few months of squatting...



and using a pad is not going to destroy your squatting in the future. i started with a pad, after several months of bulking and lifting i switched to no pad. i had no problems with bar placement, and i had no problems with pain. bar placement is important, but it's not rocket science. a pad does not ruin your future ability to find proper bar placement.

While we're speculating as to how much flesh is needed to support the bar, I'll speculate and say that guy probably can't even squat the bar so it doesn't matter.

[unity]

While we're speculating as to how much flesh is needed to support the bar, I'll speculate and say that guy probably can't even squat the bar so it doesn't matter.

lol

why you dissin batman??