Barbells across shoulders......

[Bernard]

Hi All,

Which is the safest way to position a bar across the shoulders ? Bring the bar over your head from the front to behind your head ? And again how do you safely bring the bar off your shoulders ? And (sorry about the questions ! ) where should the bar sit, actually directly above the shoulder blades ?

Thanks

Anna

 

[Bernard]

BUMPING................

 

[kathryn]

I lift the bar up into a bent arm position, then push up as if doing a shoulder press, then bring it down behind my head(If you're going heavy, you might need to clean and press, which is using some momentum to get the bar to the bent arm position, then over the head). To get the bar off your shoulders, follow the opposition motion. YOu may need to bend your knees a bit first, then power up while pressing your arms up (I found that I can't do a nice clean press up like this with much beyond 4"#, so I invested in a weighted vest rather than risk iffy movement around my shoulders). The bar can sit either on the trapezius or on the upper shoulder (at least that's what "Muscle and Fitness"--men's version--says, but I think the shoulder position may work better on guys with huges muscles). Just make sure you keep it off the vertebrae in your neck.

 

[starbuck]

Anna

In addition to what Kathryn said and remembering like me you have a weak neck you need to make sure it is on your shoulders. You should not feel the barbell on your neck at all or have you neck come into play.

Think of it like doing tricep extension rest it on the tops of your shoulders.

Babs

 

[Bernard]

Thanks Kathryn and Babs,
Your advice has been very useful. I didn't try out my body bar last night, as I decided to have a rest night. DH has got a sickness bug, so I guess the kids and I will be next :-(

Anna

 

[starbuck]

The joy of families is sharing the good and the bad as they say in sickness and in health.

Babs