Do barbell squats need shoulder pads?

See many people doing barbell squats when they need to pad a thick foam pad (shoulder pad), it looks really comfortable. But strangely, it seems that only novices who have just practiced squatting are using such cushions. Fitness experts who bar hundreds of kilograms of barbells are also shirtless. Those world-class experts who often lift several times their weight, even if they bend the barbell bar, they don't see anyone add a cushion on the barbell bar. Is there any trick?

The correct method is very important. The so-called barbell shoulder pad is obviously only used for specific squat training. Dumbbell squat, Kettlebell squat, or barbell over the top squat and wine cup squat, obviously there is no need to use shoulder protection. In other words, in squat training, usually only the barbell squat behind the neck and squat in front of the neck will involve the use of shoulder protection.

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Say neck first and then squat. Posterior cervical squat is the most common form of squat. The main focus of barbell is the position of posterior cervical deltoid and trapezius. If you have the experience of upper limb strength training, the shoulder deltoid (mainly the middle and rear deltoid bundles) and the cervical trapezius are usually not too weak. When lifting the barbell, if you put the barbell bar on the bilateral deltoid (the soft and tight muscle in the epiphyseal position) and the trapezius (the muscle from the neck to the back), and exert a little force to tighten the deltoid and trapezius slightly Bulge - generally, there will be no strong tenderness (the key is not to press on the spine). In addition, you can also use the power of the palm to bear part of the barbell pressure excitation, which can completely eliminate the tenderness.

And squat in front of the neck. The barbell focus of neck squat mainly includes the anterior deltoid tendon and clavicle, as well as the upward turning palm. Many people have limited volume of deltoid anterior bundle, resulting in strong tenderness. Fortunately, you can use more arm muscles to assist. In general, you can also relieve the tenderness (the key is not to press the neck). Of course, if you are a non fleshy fitness Xiaobai who has never done strength training, whether it is deltoid, biceps or trapezius, it is understandable to use shoulder protection for entry-level strength training in the early stage.

The shoulder pad affects the control of the barbell bar. Here we must remind you that long-term use of the shoulder pad for barbell squatting will cause the body to lose a certain sense of balance (the soft shoulder pad filters out the real pressure). In addition, the shoulder pad will raise the barbell, which will also have an impact on the implementation of standard actions. Therefore, a better way is to strengthen the strength training of shoulder and neck, so that rich muscles can undertake more decompression tasks.

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It's risky to go shirtless. Finally, even if you are a muscular fitness master, try not to squat heavily without your upper body. Although your muscles can bear great pressure, if you are a little careless in the training process, your skin will be injured due to the rotation and slip of the barbell bar, which will affect the training and even lead to infection.


Post time: Jul-27-2021