[sportmom]

OK, so thanks to those of you who told me get a cage or a spotter! They had the 100 lb bb set on display, so I loaded it up with a 20 & 10 lb plate on each end, got used to the clips, etc. So 60 lbs total. I could lift it, but could not get it up over my head and into position - at least not that I felt comfortable that I wouldn't possibly whack myself in the head. So dh spotted me and I got it on my shoulders - but oww, my neck. How do you deal with this?? He told me I needed a towel around my neck to rest the bar on, or, one of the squiggly bars that has the neck portion angled out. Do you know what I mean? So what's the answer? I realize I do need a rack or something to hold the weight while I get up under it. Holding them with extended arms behind me pulls me over backwards and doing it in front means I'm resting the weight on my thighs, which, I guess is ok, but I don't want the bruising (I bruise easily and already have db marks on me from resting them there while I'm on the bench). So is the bent bar the way to go, or do you use a towel? Or something else?

[Meg]

Fran, if you loaded 30# onto each end, you were actually squatting a lot more than 60#! An Olympic bar (standard size) is 45#, so if that's what it was, you had 105# on your back.

You don't want to put the bar on your neck! It goes on the top of your shoulders. I seem to have a natural spot that the bar fits into pretty well (an inch or two down my back).

It's hard to make out, but can you see where Mr. ExRx has his bar?






But I can't put the bare bar on my back either - it's painful and I get bruises too. Fortunately, the answer is easy and costs about $10 - 20:




It's a squat pad - a cylinder of dense foam about 4" in diameter and 14" long that velcros around the bar. Once it's on, you duck under the bar on the rack and settle it on your shoulders - no pain! No bruises!

When you describe one of the squiggly bars that has the neck portion angled out, I'm not sure if you mean an EZ curl bar:



or cambered bar:




But either way, that's not what you want for squats. Try a squat pad instead. I have my own personal one that I carry around in my gym bag.

[sfj]

[sportmom]

Thanks Meg. I'm guessing it wasn't an olympic bar. While I'd love to take credit for 160 lbs on my back, when I lifted it to load it, it felt alot more liteweight than that. I'll have to look it up on the website to see what it really was.

Yes, was talking about the EZCurl bar. The one dh showed me at the store had threaded ends, so you'd put on the plates and then there was a spinner washer that you used instead of clips. So what would those squiggly bars be used for, just curls and lat pulldowns from a machine?

I will have to look for the foamy thing or the manta ray - thanks! But I have to say, even if I slide it down an inch or two and get it off my neck, it's odd for me. But I guess just one of those things that takes getting used to.

Just for fun I tried my lbwo tonite with dummbells on my shoulders (oww, they hurt and rubbed on bones and constantly rubbed/shifted/moved, not good.) Then thighs - ok, they compress my thighs during the movement. At the bottom of the flex they settle into like a vice grip over my thigh making it painful to rise - LOL! I'm a mess! So back to the gorilla arms position for me!

[Depalma]

Even if it was a standard bar instead of an olympic bar, you were still underestimating the weight a good deal. A 7 ft standard bar is 19.25 lbs and even a 5 ft standard bar is 16 lbs.

Like Meg, I also use a barbell pad for squats and other exercises where the bar is up on the back of my shoulders.

Of course for the ultimate in comfort and for the extra safety of being able to push yourself by using your hands to push against your knees if you fail and get stuck in the hole, there is the safety squat bar:

http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/im-0210.html

Too pricey for my taste .

[RobertW]

Hi Fran,
~$100 could get you a "Shrug Bar", which would probably allow you to handle more weight than with DB's. http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/im-0022shr.html

Robert

[sportmom]

OK, must have been 19 lb'er bc it was definintely taller than me. Wow - good for me!

[sportmom]

Wow, Robert, that's cool - I've never seen anything like that! Kind of like a barbell with it's own cage! Will have to show this one to the dh.....thanks!!