Daily Mobility Exercises by Dr. Kelly Starrett › Forums › General › Crooked bar squatting

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    • 06/19/2013 at 2:58 pm #70280
      AvatarRyan Kerner
      Participant

      I have noticed that the barbell is crooked/slanted when on my back, it is more forward on my left side compared to my right. My girflriend has the same issue. I did not see this addressed in BASM so I’m hoping to get some feedback here as I sometimes hit the safety bar with the plates which seems dangerous when squatting heavy.

    • 06/20/2013 at 1:11 pm #72238
      AvatarAydan Mcmahon
      Member

      How is your shoulder range of motion?  If your left shoulder has less range, that could be causing you to pull the bar forward on that side?  Is the asymmetry just at the shoulder level or can you see it in other parts of your body as well?  Is anything else angled or slightly off kilter?    I find it helpful to video from front/back and the side while doing an exercise to better analyze form.

    • 06/20/2013 at 8:13 pm #72248
      AvatarRyan Kerner
      Participant

      I had my girlfriend watch as I did shoulder rotation tests and she said
      my right shoulder has more external rotation both overhead and at a 90
      degree angle (it goes further back than the left). It makes sense that
      my lack of external rotation pushes the bar forward on the left side,
      right? How should I work on this besides smashing my traps, first rib and external rotators?

      I will get a video soon either tomorrow or Monday.

    • 06/20/2013 at 8:13 pm #72249
      AvatarRyan Kerner
      Participant

    • 06/20/2013 at 8:13 pm #72250
      AvatarRyan Kerner
      Participant

    • 07/12/2013 at 2:40 pm #72425
      AvatarAydan Mcmahon
      Member

      I think these band distractions will help as well.

      Following the MWOD recommended methodology, always take care of the joint capsule first, then move onto the deep tissues, and the neuromuscular bits are last.  When you do your mobs, put a little more time into the left side to see if you can get them a little closer to even.

      There is another shoulder capsule mob that involves laying on your back and holding a heavy weight directly above you as well.  That would be particularly relevant if you have noticed that your shoulder blade on the left wings out when you pull or go overhead.

      You’ll want to do some smashing in the t-spine area as well to make sure there’s no extra restriction coming from that area.

      I have a lesser version of this same problem, myself, so I am still working on a solution. I think there are 3 main reasons why we might end up with the side to side ROM differences.  One is habitual position (if you tend to lean/slouch to one side when you sit in your chair or on your couch, one shoulder might end up in a different place in the capsule, which can be corrected with the mobs above).  Two is general tightness, and we tend to be tighter on one side based on our daily habits.  Three is the ‘use it or lose it’ principal.  If you haven’t been using your full ROM on one side as often (overuse of a dominant hand at work or in one-sided sports means the non-dominant side rarely hits those ranges), you lose it and it takes a lot of work to get back to full range.

      My approach: band mobs first and foremost, smashing second, and thirdly work on as many exercises as possible with dumbbells/kettlebells rather than always using a bar.  This is particularly important with overhead movements because you can cheat a little by using the bar to generate torque and push you into a better position; the individual weights give better feedback on your form. 

      Hope that helps!  
    • 01/13/2014 at 9:41 am #73756
      AvatarToby Kingston-Lee
      Participant

      I have a similar problem; although for me it seems to be that my hips are crooked, especially at the bottom of the squat (low bar back squat).  I can squat down nearly straight, but as I start to ascend, I seem to shift over to the right slightly.  The heavier the squat the worse it gets.  Previously my left knee would cave in as well.  I did a massive reset (taking 75 punds off the bar) and built back up, which fixed the knee but that slight shift at the bottom still keeps happening.  Have you seen this before?  What is the issue?

    • 01/13/2014 at 11:51 am #73769
      AvatarAnonymous
      Guest

      Have you had anyone look at your squat technique and mechanics?
      You may need to spend some time retooling your squat.
      This shift may have started when your knee caved it.
      Going back and doing skill& drill work will retool your squat as you did when your knee was caving in.
      Start with air squats and progress through maintaining your technique.

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