Hand Position for Squats - Part 2 Squat Series

[@checotigerlobitodad]

This helped me a lot. I understand more the importance of hand placement close verus a wider grip.

[@bradvincent2586]

Your constant critique/explanation of common cues used for the squat is actually really informative. Glad I found your channel

[@444frn]

This channel is BY FAR the most accurate and helpful for powerlifting and athletes in general

[@bodyworkzcorporatemassage9140]

Wow, in two videos you have showed me the exact things I need to improve my squat position, things that others must have somehow 'forgotten to mention'. I am excited to try them out and excited to watch all your other stuff now. Keep up the excellent work!

[@Pulsa]

As a fledgling CSCS / Strength Coach, you're video series is incredibly helpful in understanding the mechanics and cuing of core bracing and back positioning - you're excellent at translating these points into common-sense body awareness for the everyday person. You're helping me become better at what I do, and I thank you for that!

[@chrisduffin8513]

Pulsa glad to hear!!!

[@MichaelPost2009]

I have never heard anyone coach the bend the bar cue on squats. This makes so much sense! I have been getting elbow pain after squatting, which I believe is related to shoulder mobility. I can't wait to see part 3. Thank you so much for posting these!

[@chrisduffin8513]

everyone focuses on elbow position... but not what you do from there!

[@Jonboyr700]

Hey Chris, I've been a life long endurance\ultra athlete who is doing the switch over to lifting. I've seen other "tutorial" videos where the person displays how the lift should look. Thanks for taking the time to dive into the nuts and bolts behind the lifts. How to setup, how to engage the primary and second muscle groups, positioning queues, etc. Even though I'm only a couple months into serious lifting, I'd rather learn the correct techniques and apply that to maximize the lifts while more importantly, keeping the body safe. Thanks again for taking the time to create such an awesome library of videos!

[@chrisduffin8513]

exckeebtJon Boy

[@duzbionjitsingh8679]

I added 20 kg's instantly to my 1RM squat after implementing the compressing of the abdominal section and pressing the obliques outwards and using my lats to bend/pull the bar downwards. Just 2 small changes that I learned from you sir, instant results!

[@chrisduffin8513]

Duzbionjit Singh We love instant results don't we!!!

[@duzbionjitsingh8679]

Chris Duffin Yes Sir! Lovin it!

[@timmyturner1078]

"...NOW THAT YOU FOUND MY KZbin CHANNEL" lol that hurt

[@DicyAnnSaylor]

Amazing videos! I also use many of the tips you share, but I've never known the anatomical words for a lot of this stuff. Very helpful!!

[@chrisduffin8513]

Dicy Ann Saylor no prob

[@One_In_Training]

Just came across this, very helpful indeed. Another thing I noticed is that by having a slightly wider grip (and with a thumbless grip on the bar), there is a lot less strain on my elbows. Normally I would feel a little numbness on my inner elbow after a heavy set, but this has helped prevent that.

[@gildnerk]

Fantastic advice. This is a riddle that I've been dealing with for a while, but I'm going to try out your tips tomorrow and am confident that I'll see some positive improvement.

[@chrisduffin8513]

MKA Gildner excellent

[@loudaccord]

First time seeing this series and I can't wait to give these a try next squat day. There is a huge discrepancy between my deadlift and squat #s (530 vs 320 at 160bw), these tips you're giving translate to what I'm doing in my DL but I haven't been able to apply them to my squat. Thank you for putting these out! Liked & Sub'd!

[@dylankaufman6530]

Whenever I do a good job of cueing elbows down I get less tipping forward coming out of the hole. The thing is I get nagging pain in my scapula area after/ during these sessions, particularly on one side. I think I will try to widen my grip a bit and cue more of the lat engagement and bending the bar. Thanks for the video Chris.

[@blest4152]

This is very interesting.... I squat with hands super close because I have great shoulder mobility. I also always find myself pitching forward, especially when weight gets heavy. I will defiantly try changing my hand position. Thanks

[@chrisduffin8513]

scott schirmer change but integrate the lats!

[@HKR1972]

Great and very informative video's Chris. Thanks for showing and teaching us. If I may, a video about hip/knee descend aka hips back/ break at the hips or knees would also be appreciated. Together with bar placement.

[@chrisduffin8513]

will see what i can do.

[@Jaypr305]

Wow great vid! Will try widening a little bit as as do have a very close grip but more importantly as you stated I will try and integrate the lats as much as possible without compromising t-spine position.

[@chrisduffin8513]

Jay Ro good to hear.

[@joseph13990]

Thank you Chris, very informative as always. Love the channel.

[@chrisduffin8513]

Joseph Stephan thanks for the compliments.

[@craigpatrick2429]

Great explanation of and positioning,Simplistic yet scientific. I have been struggling with bar position and and hand placement. This demonstration helped to clarify what we are trying to achieve in maintaining upper back tightness in the squat. Will you or do you have any videos explaining this concept with the bench and the deadlift? Keep the video coming.

[@chrisduffin8513]

Craig Patrick I try and keep it simple and easy to apply. will keep em coming

[@NAME-k9g]

Great content Chris! I tried the core oblique stabilization drill today during my squats, I can do the drill fine without a bar on my back but the minute I use weight it gets really tough to replicate that same tightness & stabilization .

[@chrisduffin8513]

keep practicingStevington JR

[@IxToBz]

Chris Duffin is this highbar or lowbar squat?

[@johntrains1317]

Where's part 3? :( Great content

[@xandrec195]

great video series so far, thanks a lot

[@chrisduffin8513]

Xandre C thanks sir.

[@SCSPowerlifting]

This is great info and I will be trying this!! Thanks Chris!

[@chrisduffin8513]

excellent

[@raphaturlam]

Everytime you make a video there's something that clicks in my brain, god I wish I could training in your gym.

[@chrisduffin8513]

i need more members :-)

[@MrMonk8888]

it's all about external glenohumeral roatation and thoracic extension

[@scorpionkings]

I've squatted with my hand grip closer to my shoulders and at farther away from my shoulders and it made no difference in my squats what so ever. If for some crazy reason you believe it makes a positive difference in your squatting ability all the more power to you! Now what really makes a huge difference in squats is foot placement, I prefer to have my feet a little wider than shoulder distance apart, that really gets my hams involved a long with my quads!

[@CrackinDutches]

Watch part 1, he stresses hand placement to activate your lats as if youre "pulling down" on the bar vertically.

[@scorpionkings]

We're all in agreement that squats are for legs, not lats, right?! It doesn't matter where your hands are on the bar, it's a matter of where you're comfortable gripping the bar. What's important is foot placement and form!

[@CrackinDutches]

Activating your lats along with your traps and lower back keep your core tight as you come down with the weight which helps keep you stable and prevents injury. Whats "comfortable" isnt always whats correct form and can cause injury over time. Why wouldnt you want to listen to this man anyways? He holds the world record squat and is explaining these techniques with a kinesiological approach, so theres a science behind what hes saying.

[@sgerwel1985]

Chris, love your videos. So much information, lots i've tried to incorporate and it has helped me progress a bit more. A lot more stability in my squat. I was wondering though, i squat twice a week. First is traditional back squat and hammy work. The second is front squat and quad work. I was wondering, is your set up, positioning and etc something you apply with front squat?

[@itsjustrobbieok]

Awesome, as always Chris. And couldn't come at a better time as I've been having some issues with hand placement lately and ongoing bicep pain. Any chance of a part 3 teaser as most of my issues are due to shoulder mobility!

[@chrisduffin8513]

it will come soon

[@CykaBlyatttttT]

I only do high bar squats and the only way for me to get my traps tight enough to hold the bar is to have an extremely narrow grip. The extremely narrow grip has made me much more upright and I squat a lot more in that position.

[@CykaBlyatttttT]

***** Ok, I have switched back to a wider grip and it is as good or maybe better. I know have the bar lower on my back, right below my rear delts, but I wonder how upright I have to be to be squatting optimally in that position.

[@aleksanderbethke681]

Props for Lat pulldown tip!

[@ryann8348]

Can you overdo the lats/retraction? I feel like, the further I can pull my chest up and forward in front of the bar with my upper back, the more stable I am and the better leveraged I feel (makes my high-bar feel more low-bar). I'm short-limbed/long-torsoed, so this helps me a lot in managing my longest lever. I have a concern though; can this pull the T-spine out of neutral, if overdone? Does it matter, as long as I'm neutral/inflated/braced through the lumbar (like in the rounded deadlift)?

[@georgeanton575]

I think he mentioned in Part 1 that by using the "chest up" cue you would be putting yourself into Kyphosis and compromising tightness in your back. Retracting your lats shouldn't matter if your chest is out or not, that would be more of a Shoulder mobility issue which you might need to work on

[@michaelback9516]

Quick question. what would be the advantages and disadvantages of different wrist positions in a low bar position. For example a Jesse Norris wrist cocked back and arms more align with the torso vs. Ripptoe where the wrist is alligned with the forearm.

[@johntrains1317]

Comfort more than anything. The wrist should be as imoble as possible and bearing none of the load. The bar should rest on the back, not in the hands. Fancy grips are personal choice and largely unnecessary.

[@ritchiedrama7]

Chris, are you supposed to be all locked in, bending the ends of the bar to the floor - BEFORE you unrack? Or unrack, then do all the cues? Your videos have been EXTREMELY helpful in improving my caving forward on the squat, the only trouble I have is.. I get tight upper back as I go under the bar, then I unrack it, then I cue my lats and pull the bar onto my back and bend it. Is this correct? Or should I be bending the bar to the floor BEFORE I unrack? Thanks for these awesome videos. Commented before, absolutely golden material.

[@ritchiedrama7]

***** So get upper back tightness before you unrack. Bend before you squat. If you're doing high(er) rep squatting, do you re-set that bend thing every now and again? Thanks for responding.. It's been a lot of help.

[@GregVining]

Chris, when you are trying to bend the bar over your back, are you still pulling down on the bar as you stand up? Tried it tonight & seemed to make my heavier attempts extra hard.

[@SunnyB1996]

Hey Chris,I'm a not that great of a squatter for my weight I'm basically at a 295 belt less squat and I weight about 235. I'm a tall lifter (6'3-6'4 in between there), and I also have a big wingspan of 6'8-7'0ft. I'm finding it difficult to keep my elbows down and also not sure were to grab the bar since I have very long arms. I do have pretty good shoulder mobility, but when I record myself doing squats I notice my elbows flare upwards and my low bar dips at the bottom of the squat. Any tips to fix these issues?

[@SunnyB1996]

***** Also is a wider stance better for a person who tends to lean forward during the low bar squat

[@VanillaBearBeeston]

I don't exactly have the best leverages for squatting, but I don't want to use that as an excuse. I've tried pretty much every stance, but I can never really get past squatting 80kg (@6'2 and 175lbs - i'm working on it). I've been told that it's because of my core, but I really struggle to keep the stabilisation you mention unless I have a belt; I don't think it would be right for me to squat with a belt that low? Do you have any tips for keeping core engaged when not using a belt?

[@chrisduffin8513]

VanillaBearBeeston Use the same strategies I discuss in this as well as abdominal bracing/breathing and other video's.

[@ImmortallySpawned]

Great video Chris but what do you think about guys like Andrey Malanichev and Derek Kendalls squat hand position?

[@chrisduffin8513]

not sure the point. they have large frames/mass and it would affect the position just as i discussed in the video.

[@samuelinauen1038]

Hey Chris, what are your thoughts on thumb position in the squat? Thanks!

[@TheJiujitsumaniac]

What if you experience elbow and shoulder pain while squatting with this arm position?

[@nikolidus]

this guy is king

[@chrisduffin8513]

nikolidus haha.

[@JennyDolma]

do these tips apply for low weights as well?

[@bkennedy1000]

+jennydee2010 weight doesn't matter, squat the same with every load

[@JennyDolma]

AllAluminum ty^^

[@44556613able]

+jennydee2010 you are welcome. I meant it

[@Gonzomedic1]

Pure GOLD!

[@chrisduffin8513]

thank sir. this is a good series

[@dovahkiin23PL]

great info

[@chrisduffin8513]

excellent

[@DefineStrength]

anyone who likes Chris's emphasis on core strength should check out Richard Hawthornes page. Good info Chris! keep up the vids!!