TacticalBarbell.com

"If you’re a powerlifter, you obviously need to squat with a barbell often enough to hone your skills with your competition lift. However, safety bar squats seem to be a perfectly fine squat variation for powerlifters and a perfectly fine alternative for anyone else who just prefers squatting with a safety bar."

https://www.strongerbyscience.com/safety-bar-squats/

Great article. It goes to show that the traditional BB Bench, BB Squat and BB Deadlift really only applies to Powerlifting and not athletes. Of course these can all be good lifts for athletes, but depending on leverages and history, you can get vastly superior results with alternatives.

It reminds me a bit of this one: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/trap-bar-deadlifts/

This opened my eyes when I was constantly getting injured with regular deadlifts. My form was flawless 99% of the time and as soon as I slightly drifted away due to fatigue I would get injured. My form definitely isn't flawless 100% on the time on any lift, and I don't get injured on those. It made me realise that you can couple TBDL with GHRs and Back Ext and you'll not only remain injury free, but cover anything the BB DL covers while remaining injury free.

I'm guessing the same applies to the Safety Bar Squat, since you're a bit more upright, you might get slightly less hamstring/glutes into it, which can be fixed with lunges, GHRs, Box Squats, etc.

jzt wrote:Great article. It goes to show that the traditional BB Bench, BB Squat and BB Deadlift really only applies to Powerlifting and not athletes. Of course these can all be good lifts for athletes, but depending on leverages and history, you can get vastly superior results with alternatives.

It reminds me a bit of this one: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/trap-bar-deadlifts/

This opened my eyes when I was constantly getting injured with regular deadlifts. My form was flawless 99% of the time and as soon as I slightly drifted away due to fatigue I would get injured. My form definitely isn't flawless 100% on the time on any lift, and I don't get injured on those. It made me realise that you can couple TBDL with GHRs and Back Ext and you'll not only remain injury free, but cover anything the BB DL covers while remaining injury free.

I'm guessing the same applies to the Safety Bar Squat, since you're a bit more upright, you might get slightly less hamstring/glutes into it, which can be fixed with lunges, GHRs, Box Squats, etc.

SSB and Trap Bar describe my training life for now. I might think of some alternatives for a bench in a future as well.

jzt wrote:since you're a bit more upright, you might get slightly less hamstring/glutes into it

.. I am not seeing it.. You can always play with the position of a handles to make the angle different. But I always feel my hams/glutes with SSB..

.. I am not seeing it.. You can always play with the position of a handles to make the angle different. But I always feel my hams/glutes with SSB..

I've never tried it myself, just referring to what the author said:

The safety bar led to a more upright torso position and increased lower trap activation (assessed via EMG). It decreased activation in the vastus lateralis, the hamstrings, and the abdominals.

Like you said, I'm sure you can play with the angles and still get very similar results, just like you can be more hinge based with a TBDL vs upright.

Regarding the Bench, I basically don't Bench ever anymore, I replaced it with the Press, which I find translates better to athletic purposes. I think Weighted Dips, Weighted Push Ups, CG Bench and Incline DB Bench are all great alternatives as well.

I think remaining injury free should be the #1 priority. If an exercise is crippling you, you are regressing.

jzt wrote:Regarding the Bench, I basically don't Bench ever anymore, I replaced it with the Press, which I find translates better to athletic purposes. I think Weighted Dips, Weighted Push Ups, CG Bench and Incline DB Bench are all great alternatives as well.

I think remaining injury free should be the #1 priority. If an exercise is crippling you, you are regressing.

Agree except the weighted dips. Those should be done with perfect form.. It gets very shoulder tricky with the load. Floor pres is excellent one as well.

Barkadion wrote:

jzt wrote:Regarding the Bench, I basically don't Bench ever anymore, I replaced it with the Press, which I find translates better to athletic purposes. I think Weighted Dips, Weighted Push Ups, CG Bench and Incline DB Bench are all great alternatives as well.

I think remaining injury free should be the #1 priority. If an exercise is crippling you, you are regressing.

Agree except the weighted dips. Those should be done with perfect form.. It gets very shoulder tricky with the load. Floor pres is excellent one as well.

Good point for the dips. I prefer to stick to BW for volume. I didn't think about the floor press, good idea. I might incorporate that as an assistance lift.

Barkadion wrote:

jzt wrote:Great article. It goes to show that the traditional BB Bench, BB Squat and BB Deadlift really only applies to Powerlifting and not athletes. Of course these can all be good lifts for athletes, but depending on leverages and history, you can get vastly superior results with alternatives.

It reminds me a bit of this one: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/trap-bar-deadlifts/

This opened my eyes when I was constantly getting injured with regular deadlifts. My form was flawless 99% of the time and as soon as I slightly drifted away due to fatigue I would get injured. My form definitely isn't flawless 100% on the time on any lift, and I don't get injured on those. It made me realise that you can couple TBDL with GHRs and Back Ext and you'll not only remain injury free, but cover anything the BB DL covers while remaining injury free.

I'm guessing the same applies to the Safety Bar Squat, since you're a bit more upright, you might get slightly less hamstring/glutes into it, which can be fixed with lunges, GHRs, Box Squats, etc.

SSB and Trap Bar describe my training life for now. I might think of some alternatives for a bench in a future as well.

jzt wrote:since you're a bit more upright, you might get slightly less hamstring/glutes into it

.. I am not seeing it.. You can always play with the position of a handles to make the angle different. But I always feel my hams/glutes with SSB..

Bark, have you thought of using a Bench block for your shoulder issue with bench?

travman wrote:

Barkadion wrote:

jzt wrote:Great article. It goes to show that the traditional BB Bench, BB Squat and BB Deadlift really only applies to Powerlifting and not athletes. Of course these can all be good lifts for athletes, but depending on leverages and history, you can get vastly superior results with alternatives.

It reminds me a bit of this one: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/trap-bar-deadlifts/

This opened my eyes when I was constantly getting injured with regular deadlifts. My form was flawless 99% of the time and as soon as I slightly drifted away due to fatigue I would get injured. My form definitely isn't flawless 100% on the time on any lift, and I don't get injured on those. It made me realise that you can couple TBDL with GHRs and Back Ext and you'll not only remain injury free, but cover anything the BB DL covers while remaining injury free.

I'm guessing the same applies to the Safety Bar Squat, since you're a bit more upright, you might get slightly less hamstring/glutes into it, which can be fixed with lunges, GHRs, Box Squats, etc.

SSB and Trap Bar describe my training life for now. I might think of some alternatives for a bench in a future as well.

jzt wrote:since you're a bit more upright, you might get slightly less hamstring/glutes into it

.. I am not seeing it.. You can always play with the position of a handles to make the angle different. But I always feel my hams/glutes with SSB..

Bark, have you thought of using a Bench block for your shoulder issue with bench?

Do you mean using some alternatives to the classic BP?

jzt wrote:

.. I am not seeing it.. You can always play with the position of a handles to make the angle different. But I always feel my hams/glutes with SSB..

I've never tried it myself, just referring to what the author said:

The safety bar led to a more upright torso position and increased lower trap activation (assessed via EMG). It decreased activation in the vastus lateralis, the hamstrings, and the abdominals.

Like you said, I'm sure you can play with the angles and still get very similar results, just like you can be more hinge based with a TBDL vs upright.

Regarding the Bench, I basically don't Bench ever anymore, I replaced it with the Press, which I find translates better to athletic purposes. I think Weighted Dips, Weighted Push Ups, CG Bench and Incline DB Bench are all great alternatives as well.

I think remaining injury free should be the #1 priority. If an exercise is crippling you, you are regressing.

I switched to basically close grip bench. I find it’s a better position for the shoulders and dare I say it”more functional”. The grip width is closer to how you push against objects and people anyway.

My current gym has a safety bar, but I'm not too worried about that as I'm alternating between front squats and RDLs.

I had a bad accident about 5 years back while getting a little too cocky during my warmup sets. Long story short, torn sacrotuberous ligament, so I stray away from Back Squats and traditional deads in favor of Front Squats, Rack Pulls, and RDLs.