WOD
Complete 5 rounds for time of:
5 Squat snatch, 135#/95#
Run 400m
Katie getting locked out!
There's been some questions lately regarding bar position for the back squat. There's plenty of info out there for you to check out, but here's a brief description of the differences between the low-bar back squat and the high-bar back squat.
Figure from Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore.
The obvious difference is where the bar rests on the back: the high bar rides on top of the traps, where the low bar is positioned on the rear delts towards the bottom of the scapula. The difference in position changes the body angles (as seen above) and thus muscle recruitment. The angles created by the high bar back squat favor the quads and glutes to do the work, while the low bar hits the posterior chain, especially the hamstrings.
With the high bar, you can see that the taller torso position, similar to that of the front squat, has a direct translation to the recieving position of the olympic lifts. A little high bar work can help improve your oly lifts. There can also be some benefit to working the high bar position for those who have a drastic forward torso lean during the squat. The position of the bar will require a more upright position and can help to train staying taller in the bottom of the squat.
The low bar position is advantageous because it allows us to use that flex reflex at the bottom of the squat to "bounce" out of the hole. The fact that the big ol' muscles of the posterior chain are utilized more during the squat can translate to bigger numbers. This isn't always the case, but if you ask most folks who have experience with both types of squat, many will defer to the low bar position.
Depending on your goals, both the high bar and low bar squats have a place in your program. If we don't specify one or the other, the choice is yours. Play with both of these and feel the differences yourself. If you have questions, hit us up!
