But who wants to worry about this? In fact, the pad may make you feel as though you’ll lose control of the bar—even if that doesn’t actually happen. When the load ends up in front of the centre of gravity, you’re in a position of mechanical disadvantage. In this case, what was intended to be a squat becomes a good morning – or more like a good morning than a squat.

Best Barbell Pad For Squats, Lunges, And Hip Thrusts The Best Barbell Pad For Squats, Lunges, And Hip Thrusts

Doing this is crucial for more than just comfort reasons. Maintaining thoracic extension throughout descent and ascent is vital in exploiting the full benefits of squatting from a muscle stimulus perspective. When the chest collapses, the trunk flexes. As this happens, where does the load get displaced? It shifts forward. Glad you’re cued in on the stigma, haha – it’s pretty much universal, right? That “feeling the bar” you mention plays a massive role in squat strength and performance in my opinion. It’s there to gloss over a faulty setup. Wow, I’ve never heard about this stigma at all. I only really started lifting in college, though, and no one is really a “serious” lifter to the extent portrayed in the article. Using a pad or not was also just a matter of preference, I thought (I use one). I’m still going to use it, though (sorry). It was nice reading this and learning proper form and posture, but why can’t someone do both? I’ve used this image before. Notice regardless of styles, all adhere to one law: the bar remains over the centre of the footThere’s nothing inherently ‘wrong’ with using the pad, it’s just unnecessary. I find it’s harder to get fully tight with the pad than without. Without tightness, you’ll always be more limited potential-wise. The pad causes the barbell to stay higher than if the pad were not there. This higher placement of the bar is what promotes an increased forward lean. The pad will slightly alter the trainee’s center of gravity, causing that person to lean forward a bit more than they would without the cushion.

Squat Blaster Barbell Pad for Squats - Black, One Size Squat Blaster Barbell Pad for Squats - Black, One Size

Here’s your blueprint for never needing the pussy pad again. Regardless of high bar/low bar positioning, you want as close a grip as your shoulder flexibility allows. If you go so close and experience joint pain of any kind, it’s too narrow. Widen it a touch. I used to in high school (we didn’t have pads), but would usually just use a t-shirt or something in it’s place. Rumour has it you can tell a serious lifter by whether or not they laugh when the affectionate name is used in general conversation. Glad to hear you’re not a serial pussy pad user James. You’re quite right, many times those who use the pad do all the classic mistakes in one. Quarter squatting with the pad and a lifting belt is all too common. “Feeling the weight” definitely counts for a lot. Good point there.

The cons of using a barbell pad for the squat outweigh the pros so much, that this article will cover only the cons. I know. I really can’t fathom why people feel the need to use such a thing. It’s unnecessary.” Thanking the pussy pad When I was a personal trainer at a gym, none of my clients — even beginners or slightly built women — used the pad. I discouraged it. Cons of Putting a Pad on a Barbell for Squatting

Squat Load Distribution Device Manta Ray by Advanced Fitness, Squat Load Distribution Device

But that’s due to their limbs. You don’t want to add an extraneous variable that forces you to lean more forward. I do workout with my wife on Sundays (something we just started), but even though I’ve asked her to observe me doing a squat, she has no experience to judge just how well or how poorly (although she suspects the latter) I’m doing.