If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you know that I’ve been using the safety squat bar (actually, the Elitefts Yoke Bar) as my main squatting movement in all of my training.
There’s a pretty good reason for that. I’ve been away from powerlifting for a full six months now – first, derailed by injury leading up to the US Open; and then, during my training for a bodybuilding show.
Diving back into competition-style squats after that type of break seemed like a big mistake.
So, instead, I chose to ease my transition back into heavy training by relying on a variation of squats that I know (from past experiences) would help my competition lift as well.
The Importance of Training With Variations
If you’ve enrolled in my UYP course, you know the importance of training with variations of your competition movements. (Keep in mind: this only applies to strength athletes!). Namely, variations allow you to shore up weakness by training a movement very similar to a competition one, but with slightly different emphases.
Variations can have other benefits as well, however. They can help you train around injuries (although I typically do not recommend doing so). They can also provide a nice mental break from the drudgery of performing competition lifts day in and day out.
Some movements, however, offer even more advantages. The safety squat falls into that category. Read on to find out why!
Four Benefits of the Safety Bar
1. Improved Confidence
This partly goes hand-in-hand with the idea of reducing the mental strain of performing competition lifts. However, with the safety bar in particular, you can sometimes take advantage of improved leverages to really load the bar up and get used to the feeling of heavy weight on your back.
The best way to do this: Hatfield squats!
Hatfield squats involve balancing the safety bar on your back without the use of your hands (trust me, it’s far easier than it sounds). Then you can use your hands to provide additional leverage out of the hole. Check out the movement in action:
2. Reduced Strain On the Shoulders
The handles of a safety bar allow you to hold on to the bar without putting undue strain on your shoulders (as in the typical competition or straight-bar squat). For another way to reduce shoulder strain, check out this tip!
3. A More Stable High-Bar Position
You may have noticed that you rarely see athletes performing heavy, high-rep, high-bar squats. In my opinion, this is for the same reason that you rarely see high-rep front squats: it’s damned uncomfortable to hold a heavy barbell on the top of your traps throughout the duration of a long set.
However, safety-bar squats allow you to get around this restriction, as the padding on top of the bar make the position a bit more comfortable, and the handles allow you to stabilize the bar far more easily than you could without them.
4. Increased Emphasis On the Upper Back and Abs
This is in part a result of the high-bar position the safety bar creates. That position shifts your center of gravity forward, requiring you to stay more upright during the squat itself (unless you want to fall over).
Staying upright, in turn, requires a whole hell of a lot of upper back and abdominal strength. If those are weak muscle groups that limit your potential in other movements (for example, competition squats and deadlifts), the safety bar will strengthen them very quickly.
In case you haven’t realized by now, I’m a big fan of safety-bar squats. However, I did receive some great questions about their use, which I’ve included below!
Safety Squat Bar FAQs
If I only do safety bar squats, am I preventing myself from lifting heavier?
Well, it depends. If your goal is to have a really strong low-bar back squat, then yeah, exclusively squatting with the safety bar will definitely limit your potential. You must practice the competition movements in order to improve on them, at least some of – if not most of – the time.
However, if you just want to be big and strong as you possibly can, there’s no reason you need to ever squat with a straight bar!
How much harder are safety bar squats than competition squats?
Again, it depends – but this time, on your individual strengths and weaknesses. If you have a weak upper back, abs, or quads (the muscles emphasized by the safety bar), you’re going to really struggle with them. If you’re a more “natural” squatter, and typically use a very upright style even with a straight bar, you’ll probably find them very comparable.
Do safety bar squats work the hamstrings?
To some degree, all squats work the hamstrings, but I wouldn’t rely on squats as your primary movement for that purpose. However, you can use the safety bar for this purpose – especially if you decide to try stiff-leg good mornings!
What are your thoughts on the safety bar? Share them in the comments below!
Feature image from Ben Pollack YouTube channel.