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high bar squat wide or narrow stance?

M

milketc

New member
hey,

I initially started out with a high bar squat about 4 months ago, then changed to a low bar squat just to try it out, i found that i was getting sharp pains in my shoulders with the low bar squat so i changed back to the high bar squat.

When i was doing the low bar squat i was using a wide stance, and i have been reading that you are meant to do the high bar squat with a narrow stance. Would the purpose of this be just to make it more difficult? I find that with a wider stance i have greater balance and the squat is easier. With a narrow stance i find myself falling forwards when the weight is heavy and i am fatigued.

Also, I've found that my knees have been getting sore recently especially today after squatting with a wide stance, any thoughts to why this might be occuring?

thanks in advance.
 
Did you keep your wrists straight whilst holding the bar when low bar squatting?

Also it depends what you mean by wide and narrow stance. If by wide stance you mean shoulder width or beyond you can cause a lot of damage long term, whereas if by 'narrow stance' your referring to that bs squat style in bodybuilding mags you're probably not going to get anywhere.

Knees hurting could be a number of problems - wobbley noob knees, not going to proper depth or not giving your feet proper placement.

If it were me, I'd probably use a narrow stance (a little in from shoulder width) and speak to PTC about your form. Hes more familiar with high bar squats than anyone else on here.
 
Last edited:
milketc said:
hey,

I initially started out with a high bar squat about 4 months ago, then changed to a low bar squat just to try it out, i found that i was getting sharp pains in my shoulders with the low bar squat so i changed back to the high bar squat.

When i was doing the low bar squat i was using a wide stance, and i have been reading that you are meant to do the high bar squat with a narrow stance. Would the purpose of this be just to make it more difficult? I find that with a wider stance i have greater balance and the squat is easier. With a narrow stance i find myself falling forwards when the weight is heavy and i am fatigued.

Also, I've found that my knees have been getting sore recently especially today after squatting with a wide stance, any thoughts to why this might be occuring?

thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Re read the above and I'm sure you'll find the right answer given by yourself to yourself!

My answer re the stance positioning would be this: perform the squats at a stance that you feel most comfortable at and most powerful at. That was simple now wasn't it :)!


Fadi.
 
Totally agree with Fadi.
Just really discovered this myself yesterday.

I have been using high bar with no wider than shouder width stance, and it always felt a little awkward, something just didn't feel right.
Then just tried a little wider then shoulder width and the movement feels so much more natural and stronger and I'm able to get total depth.
 
It might seem a little silly, jump up and down a few times, where your feet land usually indicates the best position.

Some other points to consider;

Make sure your knee is travelling in the same direction your toes are pointing.
If your knees are coming together you have some weakness usually the adductors.
You must squat between your legs, not on top of.
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Silverback said:
It might seem a little silly, jump up and down a few times, where your feet land usually indicates the best position.

Some other points to consider;

Make sure your knee is travelling in the same direction your toes are pointing.
If your knees are coming together you have some weakness usually the adductors.
You must squat between your legs, not on top of.
Posted via Mobile Device
Click to expand...

I was advised of the same thing with my deadlifts, jump up and down to get a good position. Normally between hip and shoulder width i find.

Also make sure you are pushing through ur heels. If u are pushing off your toes you will tend to find ur knees may come in a bit, this is due to being quad dominant and not really using ur glutes.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies.

So i haven't squatted since i made this thread and my knees are still sore. They seem fine if i sit down a lot (at uni etc) but when i have to go to work and stand up for hours they get sore, and also when driving my left knee gets sore from the clutch. It's getting frustrating as its been almost a month. A couple of PT's at the gym said that i should squat with my legs parallel and closer together, I'm thinking that when i hurt them i had sort of lost balance and was leaning forward a bit on the way up and my knees probably caved in to the centre a bit.
In the first week or so the pain occured all the time when i walked (mainly when walking around a corner), so it has definately improved. I can feel it sort of under my knee caps. Any recommendations on helping them get better faster?
 
milketc said:
Any recommendations on helping them get better faster?
Click to expand...


IMO mate the knee is one of the most common injuries, and each and every person suffers from stronger vs weaker muscles in their legs which causes the knee cap to move out of place, id just suggest seeing a physio to get things sorted out, then once your feeling better do as some of the other guys have mentioned by finding a stance which is comfortable, and squat using a few guidelines like your knees pointing in the same direction as your feet are pointing... If your still unsure about your form then mate just take a short video of a few reps of squats and post it up here, im sure the guys here are more than happy to help sort out the technique for ya :) Best of luck champ
 
Under your knee cap as below where the tendon is or as under the knee cap as in inside the joint?
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Could you point it out on a pic? I would think it is tendinitis but I think you may want to go to a physio an get a diagnosis.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
I don't feel the pain most of the time, and i have no restriction of movement. its usually only felt occasionally if ive been on my feet for hours at work.. mainly when i walk around a corner. When it first occured i could barely walk in a straight line for the first week though.
 
If it was tendinitis you would have pain when you run and jump, squat it is usually pretty easy to self diagnose. It is usually not debilitating just uncomfortable. From your description i would not think it is tendinitis which would be the best of a bad situation. I would really go to a physio as you could have a medial meniscus problem or ligament issues. I would say meniscus problem but only minor damage but either way it is something that will just get worse if you do not check it out properly.
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dave said:
If it was tendinitis you would have pain when you run and jump, squat it is usually pretty easy to self diagnose. It is usually not debilitating just uncomfortable. From your description i would not think it is tendinitis which would be the best of a bad situation. I would really go to a physio as you could have a medial meniscus problem or ligament issues. I would say meniscus problem but only minor damage but either way it is something that will just get worse if you do not check it out properly.
Posted via Mobile Device
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply. Well i dont feel any pain when i jump and i dont usually feel pain if i run, every now and then it might feel a bit uncomfortable for a step. My knees click when i squat down on them past parallel without any weight, but i have always had that problem. I'll see a physio, now im stressed out as im going snowboarding on the 6th of july in NZ. Hope i dont need surgery..
 
God get it checked out by then as snow sports (sking mainly) are terrible for your knees.
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if your form is ok, what you describing doesn't mean that there is definitely something wrong or anything more than soreness. most of my joints click and crack - not because of injury they just always have, even as a kid. my knees go when i turn around a corner, squat and sometimes feel stiff and getting them to click frees them up. I mentioned it to the physio for peace of mind, had it checked and was told they were fine. Yours probably are too but the others are right you should get them checked.
 
Went to the doctor he got an x-ray done and they said that there weren't any signs of soft tissue damage.. told me to take nurofen and get knee strap/support things.

I got sportstek PTM knee sleeve's from sportstek oakleigh for my snowboarding trip... hoping they will give enough support and ill just have to take it easy.

any tips on ways to speed up recovery? i think its too late to see a physio so ill see one when i get back from NZ.. :( I've never had an injury that didn't just repair itself fairly quickly before, so didn't even consider going to a physio.
 
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