High bar squats have the bar sitting on top of your traps, usually with a fairly narrow grip (as much as your mobility allows).This squat requires you to keep your torso as upright as possible in order to keep the barbell in line with your mid foot - your knees MUST travel forwards as you go to full depth to ensure your hips are loaded correctly.Generally speaking you can’t lift as much weight using a high bar squat as you can with a low bar, but you get the benefits of going through a greater range of motion with your knees, hips and ankles allowing you to maintain fantastic flexibility and strength. Some powerlifting coaches even recommend lifters use high bar squats in their off season just to gain strength in their full ranges, and to give their body a rest from the heavy demands of their low bar squats.Low bar squats on the other hand (as you might assume) has the bar lower down your back – think resting it on the back of your shoulders, rather than the traps.Typically, you’ll use a wider grip, and you’ll need to much more forward lean in your torso to keep the weight over your mid foot. As you lean you MUST send your hips back and not let your knees travel forward or you can put a lot of unnecessary pressure on the knees.This squat is designed for absolute strength and shifting the most amount of weight. You only squat down until your hip crease dips slightly below your knee if you view from the side; that is the Powerlifting competition standard so any lower would be unnecessary. The reduced depth and range of motion increases your chance of being able to stand up and complete the squat as the distance the bar is travelling is significantly less than the high bar squat.
