Know Your Bar
Tendonitis in the elbows…
Before you go off the deep end flossing, and scraping, and tempering, trying to alleviate the tendonitis in your elbows think of your squat… NO that is not a typo.
Nowadays there’s a tool for anything and everything, and most of them are tremendous for repairing the aches and pains of strength training, WE LOVE EX-WIVES, but before your reach for one of the many tools on the market to fix those elbows take a second a reach for the right barbell.
All too often folks are squatting with a weightlifting bar (no center knurling) if this is of necessity, due to no other option in your gym, or garage seriously think of adding a power bar to your life, but we can’t control everything in every gym around the world, if you have the option of a power bar USE IT!
The smooth center of a weightlifting bar, provides zero grip on the back which means that bar is free to roll down throughout your set, straining the connective tissue and tendons in the elbow- THIS could be the cause of your elbow pain, if it exists, more so than anything being performed with the upper body.
Yes, if you are underneath a power bar, your bar placement could be too low… However this quick note was not written to discuss squat style, only to bring up an issue that some may not be aware of… There is always someone somewhere beginning their journey into strength, we care just as much about these folks as we do world records and pitbulls.
And on the subject of bars…
For squats up to 500 lbs, you are probably fine with a Texas Power Bar- Depending on shoulder mobility and size.
For squats in the 500 - 700 lbs range we recommend the Texas Squat Bar.
Annnnnd for anything over 700 lbs you may be best suited to place yourself underneath a Bull Dog Squat Bar, this guy is designed to handle loads in excess of 1200 pounds.
Those last few lines were a bit off subject, but I am asked these questions upwards of 50 times per week… There ya go!
-Gus.
