How To Use a Safety Squat Bar | Mistakes, Tips & Programming

How To Use a Safety Squat Bar | Mistakes, Tips & Programming
The Safety Squat Bar (SSB) is one of our favourite pieces of equipment in the gym. In today's video, we're going to go over how it works, where to position the handles, our favourite exercises and some programming tips.
The SSB we use: www.ironedge.com.au/safety-sq...
We are available for both in person and online coaching:
➢ www.melbournestrengthculture....
Follow Us:
➢ Charlie: / quantum_lifting
➢ Instagram: / melbournestrengthculture
➢ Facebook: / melbournestrengthculture
#strengthculture #huntprogression

[@clintpreslar452]

I think it just depends on what muscle you’re wanting to target more and if you have any preexisting injuries or weakness causing you to use the bar. IE: you really wanna hit those glutes and hams hard you should pull the bar lower and closer to your body to better mimic a back squat. You wanna hit quads hard and anterior focus raise the handles up. Plus if you have shoulder problems it may be better to keep everything pulled in tighter and lower rather than holding the handles higher. The bar is just the tool, how you use it depends on your individual needs.

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

Fantastic video, subbed.

[@00001kbee]

53 years old lifting 40 years from Bev Francis gym in NY to Golds Venice and have loved the SSB bar and notvsure but this video was an eye opener.

[@zaydc7316]

just bought one, thanks for the info!

[@MelbourneStrengthCulture]

Love it!!

[@nicflocas3444]

This is the video the fitness industry needed. The SSB has helped me with a lot of injuries

[@MelbourneStrengthCulture]

Without a doubt. Big game changer

[@alexmyers2219]

Great video guys. Would you recommend the 3x10 SSB squats without belt/knee sleeves? Or 1 or both? Thanks! Alex

[@MelbourneStrengthCulture]

Hey Alex, it will depend what phase of training you’re in… I’d say it would be fine to use the equipment, no worries though!

[@amydolan2973]

Thanks for the video guys! The gym I train at just got one so it’s good to get a proper explanation 👍🏻👍🏻

[@MelbourneStrengthCulture]

Let us know how you go with it!

[@biglampar556]

100 % agree - Pulling back on the handle makes the weight go backwards mimicking a normal back squat. Back squats are easier than front squats. I've yet to see a youtube where the user raises the handle parallel to the ground to maximize the use of the SSB's camber. Until i came across this video.

[@MelbourneStrengthCulture]

🤝🤝🤝

[@biglampar556]

@@MelbourneStrengthCulture I was hoping to see SSB users squat more vertically - like in a front squat stance but so many still lean forward quite a bit like in a high bar squat. I have a zercher harness and i have to squat very verticallly - almost straight up otherwise the bar will slide out of the holders. That's the form i was looking for to be able to do with a SSB. My thinking is that squating as vertical as possible uses more quads, less glutes.

[@BigBobster86]

There's one of these at my gym. I'm going to try using it as a substitute for my normal LB squats as I've got some bad shoulder pain that I'm trying to rehab.

[@MelbourneStrengthCulture]

Let us know how you go! If there’s anything we can help with, let us know.

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

SSB (bar) is also absolutely amazing for Good Mornings

[@cyclist5000]

What if you used the safety squat bar facing a different direction than you do in this video? (Where it puts the weight even more up and forwards) I tried this and it feels like it just taxes the upper back too much? Can you use the SSB in both directions or is it meant to be used in one way?

[@MelbourneStrengthCulture]

You can do whatever you like, but the bar is designed to be used this way.

[@cyclist5000]

@@MelbourneStrengthCulture Good to know, thank you very much for clarifying!

[@Slainby]

my shoulder external rotation is not there for squads, im gonna try the ssb to see how it goes, while working on my shoulder rotation to do it normal.

[@MelbourneStrengthCulture]

Love it. If you want we can help with form check in our discord!

[@biglampar556]

The iron edge SSB looks a bit industrial. Has it held up under heavy weights and heavy use after all this time ? I read in the exodus forum the user thought he noticed the bar was bent......not sure if it was a valid statement for the iron edge bar.

[@MelbourneStrengthCulture]

Exodus Forum? The bar has been great. We have a pretty strong gym, many powerlifters squatting 250kg+, and using this bar well over 200kg. Only issue is that when there are more than about 60kg per side you’re best to use competition collars and normal collars sometimes slip on the bars sleeve

[@warmachinebodybuilding]

Beautiful video bro and super like by Warmachine bodybuilding of garage Gym italy

[@MelbourneStrengthCulture]

Appreciate it!

[@Kraxos]

Any tips to avoid neck pain using with the hatfield variation where you can not put the handles higher ?

[@MelbourneStrengthCulture]

Little confused? You get neck pain when the handles are higher? Or when you do hatfields?

[@Kraxos]

@@MelbourneStrengthCulture Hatfield

[@MelbourneStrengthCulture]

@@Kraxos most likely it’s because of where the bar sits.. in this case you can try only using one hand on the rack and one hand on the bar so can still control the position of the barbell with the active hand

[@MelbourneStrengthCulture]

@@Kraxos drop a video in our Discord form check and we can help!

[@Kraxos]

@@MelbourneStrengthCulture i'll try and see ! if the problem keep going I'll drop a video. it's mostly for my tall athletes, but they used it just few times. So maybe it's just a little of familiarization with the new tool.

[@stevooooo984]

Great vid!

[@MelbourneStrengthCulture]

King

[@TDace25]

Hatfields are goated

[@cmike5572]

I learned the hard way to keep handles high. If you dont it kills the neck!

[@MelbourneStrengthCulture]

Hahaha yea. Another reason to keep them up!

[@michaelderenne9838]

​@@MelbourneStrengthCulturewrong

[@michaelderenne9838]

The bar shouldn't be sitting right on your neck

[@membz181]

what if the camber is short and is lined up to the the handles?

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

Bar bar

[@iiDefied]

Literally just finished an elite fts video where they say NOT to pull the handles up lol

[@mattismac]

I agree with the Elite FTS method. The method here seems to defeat the purpose of the SS Bar in the first place. You should be able to do a SS squat without even holding the handles. Let the bar sit how it was made to sit. If you want to do a front squat then do front squats separately.

[@michaelderenne9838]

Exactly this guy said a bunch of 🐂💩. Literally everyone says leave the handles neutral where they sit naturally on your back or if you want to make it harder and tax the upper back more which is.the point of the ssb then pull the handles down. Lifting the handles totally defeats the purpose of the ssb

[@anteg74]

Position of the handles during squatting depends on the purpose and is explained nicely in the video.

[@evanater13]

Even with a low camber, there's always at least one benefit to SSB squats: less stress on your shoulders. Great if you're hard on them other days of the week :)

[@goddamnzordan]

i got sore neck after using it lightly, is that normal?

[@shadjay7035]

No recheck the position of the bar

[@michaelderenne9838]

No the bar was sitting on your neck. It shouldn't be. This bar wants to pull you forward that's the point of it so if it's sitting on your neck then your neck will be taking alot of the load. Move it down a bit. I used to make the same mistake

[@Chromeskull90]

instead of talking for 10 minutes it would have been good if you ACTUALLY show the excercise being performed by you with some plates on the bar.

[@MelbourneStrengthCulture]

We don’t actually train at all. It’s all a hoax. If only there was a chromeskull who could help us out a little.

[@michaelderenne9838]

​@@MelbourneStrengthCultureit shows by your information in this video. You obviously don't understand what that bar is for. You never should lift the handles

[@skarpskyttar]

i have a ssb bar without camber like the one you explicit say not to buy and I wanna say this: ive made gains like never before after getting that bar. so I strongly disagree

[@MelbourneStrengthCulture]

Great work!

[@comalausa]

So much filler just get to the point

[@MelbourneStrengthCulture]

Lol. EAD

[@biglampar556]

He gave useful info - said it replaced the muscle motion SSB, have been loading it up to 200kgs (which is huge) and they all like it - where's the filler ??

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

No it was great.