High Bar vs. Low Bar Squatting: Is there a difference?

Does squatting with a high bar placement differ from squatting with a low bar placement [1]?

Study: The authors took 18 males, 6 international level powerlifters, 6 national level Olympic lifters, and 6 recreationally trained subjects and made them each perform the low bar back squat and high bar back squat.  They worked all the way up to their 1-rep max.  The authors looked at joint angles and ground reaction force.

Results:  The low bar squat position resulted in athletes being able to squat more weight, and the joint angles appear to place more emphasis on the hip musculature.  The high bar position resulted in a reduced 1-rep max but allowed the torso to stay more upright and placed more emphasis on the knee.

My thoughts:  This confirms conventional coaching wisdom: a low bar placement allows you to move more weight and work the hips to a greater extent.  The downside is the forward chest position results in two negatives: more stress on the back (the weight is further from your spine) and more hip impingement (more pelvic tilt).  A high bar placement results in more emphasis on the knee with the downside of less strength and less emphasis on the hip.  This study used a good combination of high level and recreationally trained subjects.  Additionally, the high repetition maximum used was also useful, as most research has been done at moderate intensities resulting in non-significant results.  This is what was found in a review of the literature in 2012 comparing front vs back squat which is similar to the high bar vs low bar debate: “Muscle activity was not found to be different for the front squat compared with the back squat at 70% 1RM. The common belief in coaching is that these 2 exercises offer different physical challenges primarily because of the difference in the position of the load in relation to the line of gravity throughout the movement”[2].  In conclusion, I think this study helps to close the gap between gym sense and research.  The fact is you tend to feel high squats more in the quads and low bar squats in the hips.  The placement chosen by you should depend highly on the type of athlete you are, your goals, and injury risks.

1.  Brown, Daniel, Scott Helms, Eric Duncan, and Storey Adam. “The High-bar and Low-bar Back-squats: A Biomechanical Analy… : The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research.” LWW. JSCR, 8 Feb. 2017. Web. 15 Feb. 2017
2. Clark, Dave R., Mike I. Lambert, and Angus M. Hunter. “Muscle Activation in the Loaded Free Barbell Squat.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 26.4 (2012): 1169-178. Web.