Barbell Placement Can Destroy Your Squat!

Now I’m not saying using a pad on the barbell is BAD for squats… I’m just saying that it’s the most likely thing destroying your form and holding you back from lifting heavier and making gains!

But first things first, if you feel like you’re always falling forward and pushing through your toes when you squat, it can be due to a variety of reasons. 

But for the sake of this video, let’s just say that your squat form is PERFECT and if it’s not I have an incredible “HOW TO" video you can watch to fix your form.

Believe it or not, the primary factor that can disrupt your squat form is the placement of the barbell on your back. Many people instinctively rest the barbell across their neck when squatting. Then as you descend and lean forward, this positioning shifts the load onto your neck and spine leading to pain, discomfort, potential spinal injuries, and excessive forward lean.

In fact, placing the barbell across the neck is usually the reason why people start using the barbell pad… (MORE on that later.)

The ACTUAL placement of the barbell should feel more like it’s going across your shoulders.  There’s a sweet spot we call “the shelf” where the barbell will lock in place in once you find it. 

At first it might feel like the barbell will slip down your back. Well, it wont as long as you’re doing MORE than just “holding the barbell with your hands”

The secret tip here is to make sure you’re keeping constant tension on the barbell by pulling the barbell down into that shelf and maintaining this slight pressure throughout the movement.


Once in the proper position, you’ll notice that as you descend your center of gravity will feel much more balanced and you can focus on pushing through your heels / middle of your feet vs your toes.


Now back to the barbell pad.  The reason I don’t recommend using it is because even when the barbell is placed properly across your shoulders, the barbell itself is still “higher” due to the thickness of the pad. This in-turn changes how the load of the barbell sits on your body as you descend and can throw off your form.


MY SUGGESTION, do everything you can to get used to the barbell sitting in the shelf.  For some of you, once you find the shelf everything will be ok.  For others, it MIGHT hurt a bit at first. But after a few weeks of squatting that tenderness will go away.

However if you ABSOLUTELY need the pad, try to complete as many sets as you can without it first.  The goal should always be to stay away from it and after a month or two you will forget you ever needed it!

If you have any questions, please be sure to comment below and if you’re looking for a FULL 12 week program, try my push-pull-legs split.  It’s great because it can be adjusted for 3 days a week of training or 6 days a week depending on your schedule. Train hard!