I tried it for the first time today, Very light weight. My back was in agony. I only used the bar, but every time i started to get near to the floor my spine would feel like it was splitting, just below my shoulderblades. Im guessing theres a technique, and im not doing it. I Was holding the bar as if you would at the top of a jerk. grip wider than shoulder width apart, bar slightly behind me for balance.
any chance you could get a video of your form? but if the bar is unloaded and your in pain i think its down to a current injury
Still post a video of your form though, if possible - use a broomstick or something. Form issues in squatting are ridiculously common (not referring to restricted range of motion).
I dont believe its a current injury, ive never felt anything before and im young and healthy...im 20 for god sake. It was more of a "dont put stress on me in this way" sort of discomfort rather than an "OW" pain. No chance of a video of my form as i have no video camera. Will check out google video and check what im doing wrong.
possibly you just aren't used to it. i find this is common for my body, if i'm doing a new workout, my body takes a couple weeks before it gets stretched out and feelin good w/ it. good mornings and regular back squats are good examples...it took a while for me to get it down, and i did the bar for the longest time so i could get the form down w/o injury but when i did, it felt great.
I know what your saying, but im starting to get to know my body, and this was not like a getting used to it thing. I could go down more than a tiny bit before i felt the pressure on my back, and i wouldve caused damage if i went any further.
Don't even hesitate go to the Doctor immediately if you feel somethings not right thats what they're there for.
Take a picture or video. The load should be on your traps. Chest out, neck forward, face slightly down. Also, the grip should be 3-4 inches from the collars (7 feet standard bar). If you're over 6 feet tall, the grip will be almost or right beside the collars.
Ive done some research and watched a few videos. My grip wasnt wide enough for a start, and my squat position seemed to be wrong. I was positioning my torso as if i was doing a normal squat, trying to keep my back straight, not trying to bend forward too much, obviously putting a lot of strain on my back. Ill hit the gym next week and give it a go, let yall know. Thanks
Good luck. Don't kill yourself. I've gotta do some today myself. I'm shooting for 3 sets of 95lbs. Be careful man.
Heres an example: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dehwang/464982780/ From the side, the bar is in line with the hips and heels. Weight is supported by the trapezius muscles. Broomsticks are your best friends when learning this exercise.
naw i think your upper back is just weak. this is a hard, hard lift and most people have never done it. kinda funny how most folks are try something new, be poor at it , insted of working on the weakness go right back to what they know. important question...when you say way light waht do you mean. like what is your squat and what is your overhead press. when i started this exercise.....could squat 500 and overhead 205, still had trouble overhead squating 95 i would try backing off the wieght and increasing it slowly week to week
That was my first instinct. I need my hands wider than press-position for overhead squats to feel right. The wider, the better. It helps to "open up" the shoulder girdle. Ya know...with oly lifts, I've never been able to get much technique practice out of broomsticks or pvc pipes. I'm able to get a better feel for what is/isn't working with an empty bar. I need a little bit of resistance to know what's happening. Plenty of people start with broomsticks, but the bar by itself might be worth a try for some.
I'm with you on this. I can't do jack with technique with just a broom stick. However, it gets much better with weight (aka the bar). Remember-curl the wrists back on the snatch and get an extremely wide grip. The bar should fit into the upper portion of the pelvis.
I tried my hands wider, it worked. Although im feeling that even an empty bar is heavy for me on this.....might just carry on with snatches and normal squats until my strength is up a bit.
This is correct. Esp my bolded bit. Do more squats and presses to work your way up to this. As you said, make sure the hands are wider... and just suck it up!
