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Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

@wolfstrength • 10,775 subscribers

Strength Coach, former Little League MVP. Link below for more thoughful, longer form articles on Substack

Shorts

This post about bench press safety escaped containment and got a lot of people commenting in disagreement that safeties/spotter arms would've saved him. And in truth, my language below was a little too absolute: safeties MIGHT have saved his life (though even if so, would not have prevented all damage), but it's far from certain that they would have, so I stand by the overall sentiment. I will explain in detail below. The spotter arms have to be set below the top of your arched chest or else they’ll interfere with every rep - you'll clang the bar on the safeties, which not only severely interrupts proper technique and performance, but can also be potentially injurious in its own right as the clanging against the safeties takes you out of the rhythm of the rep and leads to uneven and chaotic force application demands mid-rep. The safeties can’t be set a mere milimeter or even a half inch below the chest: both because most racks have 2-3 inch hole spacings that don't allow such finely calibrated setting, but even if they do - also because as a gross movement pattern, not a fine movement pattern, you can’t control the movement of the bar precisely and accurately enough not to clang the safeties if they’re so close to your chest. Human beings performing gross movement patterns simply lack such fine control: on heavy sets, the bar might be slightly uneven on one side, you might lose a touch of your arch over the course of the set, etc... and end up clanging the safeties anyway, if they're set so close to the top of your arched chest. These issues are not form errors that can be prevented with proper training, but are inherent limitations in the human capability to control gross motor pattern movements at a heavy weight. Thus, the safeties have to be far enough below your chest in order to not interfere with the set itself, such that they can’t possibly catch the bar before it hits your chest in the case of a sudden catastrophic drop. The proper placement for the safeties is far enough below your chest so as not to interfere with the normal execution of the set and so the bar never touches the safeties at all during the set, even with the inherent human limitations of gross motor pattern control. But high enough such tha - if you find yourself unable to successfully press the bar to lockout - you can bring the bar under control back down to your chest, exhale and drop your arch, and the bar will ideally now rest on the safeties instead of your chest and you can crawl and slither out from under it. Worst case, you can roll the bar slightly upwards and the safeties will soon take it, well before it would lie on your neck. I have an example of using the safeties this way in the video below, with 485 lbs. The ability to set this position with precision and accuracy depends on the equipment you're using: Some racks/benches have 1 inch spacings for this purpose, which is excellent and allows greater precision in safety placement, but most common racks have 2-3 inches between holes and thus people must often have the safeties a little lower than they'd ideally be. The main point is the proper use and purpose of safeties in the bench press is not really to catch a very rare catastrophic sudden drop onto your chest, but to allow you to survive the much more common situation of a normal failed rep. Could they theoretically save your life in such a situation where you drop it? Yes, they might. They won't stop the bar before it hits your chest but they might reduce the impact by stopping the bar from going further down and reducing the impact. This may or may not save your life in this rare catastrophic drop situation - it's good to have them there, set up anyway, but it's far from a sure bet. The most important things you can do are to learn and practice good technique, which involves stiff wrists in a very slightly bent back position, and thumbs around the barbell - NO SUICIDE GRIP. The safeties won't catch the bar and stop it from hitting your chest, so it's best to reduce the chances of dropping the bar on your chest from almost zero to even closer to almost zero. I've been bench pressing regularly for well over 20 years, always put my thumbs around the bar, and have never dropped it on myself. Nor has anyone I have coached to the best of my memory, over tens of thousands of sets and hundreds of thousands of reps. I have used safeties to successfully avoid getting trapped under the bar after a failed rep. In the video below, I tweaked my pec while pushing through a rep at 485 and had to set the bar on the pins to avoid getting trapped under it. This kind of situation is the primary use for the safeties. It's good to have them set up regardless - they might indeed save you if you somehow still manage to drop the bar, but they also very well might not.

This post about bench press safety escaped containment and got a lot of people commenting in disagreement that safeties/spotter arms would've saved him. And in truth, my language below was a little too absolute: safeties MIGHT have saved his life (though even if so, would not have prevented all damage), but it's far from certain that they would have, so I stand by the overall sentiment. I will explain in detail below. The spotter arms have to be set below the top of your arched chest or else they’ll interfere with every rep - you'll clang the bar on the safeties, which not only severely interrupts proper technique and performance, but can also be potentially injurious in its own right as the clanging against the safeties takes you out of the rhythm of the rep and leads to uneven and chaotic force application demands mid-rep. The safeties can’t be set a mere milimeter or even a half inch below the chest: both because most racks have 2-3 inch hole spacings that don't allow such finely calibrated setting, but even if they do - also because as a gross movement pattern, not a fine movement pattern, you can’t control the movement of the bar precisely and accurately enough not to clang the safeties if they’re so close to your chest. Human beings performing gross movement patterns simply lack such fine control: on heavy sets, the bar might be slightly uneven on one side, you might lose a touch of your arch over the course of the set, etc... and end up clanging the safeties anyway, if they're set so close to the top of your arched chest. These issues are not form errors that can be prevented with proper training, but are inherent limitations in the human capability to control gross motor pattern movements at a heavy weight. Thus, the safeties have to be far enough below your chest in order to not interfere with the set itself, such that they can’t possibly catch the bar before it hits your chest in the case of a sudden catastrophic drop. The proper placement for the safeties is far enough below your chest so as not to interfere with the normal execution of the set and so the bar never touches the safeties at all during the set, even with the inherent human limitations of gross motor pattern control. But high enough such tha - if you find yourself unable to successfully press the bar to lockout - you can bring the bar under control back down to your chest, exhale and drop your arch, and the bar will ideally now rest on the safeties instead of your chest and you can crawl and slither out from under it. Worst case, you can roll the bar slightly upwards and the safeties will soon take it, well before it would lie on your neck. I have an example of using the safeties this way in the video below, with 485 lbs. The ability to set this position with precision and accuracy depends on the equipment you're using: Some racks/benches have 1 inch spacings for this purpose, which is excellent and allows greater precision in safety placement, but most common racks have 2-3 inches between holes and thus people must often have the safeties a little lower than they'd ideally be. The main point is the proper use and purpose of safeties in the bench press is not really to catch a very rare catastrophic sudden drop onto your chest, but to allow you to survive the much more common situation of a normal failed rep. Could they theoretically save your life in such a situation where you drop it? Yes, they might. They won't stop the bar before it hits your chest but they might reduce the impact by stopping the bar from going further down and reducing the impact. This may or may not save your life in this rare catastrophic drop situation - it's good to have them there, set up anyway, but it's far from a sure bet. The most important things you can do are to learn and practice good technique, which involves stiff wrists in a very slightly bent back position, and thumbs around the barbell - NO SUICIDE GRIP. The safeties won't catch the bar and stop it from hitting your chest, so it's best to reduce the chances of dropping the bar on your chest from almost zero to even closer to almost zero. I've been bench pressing regularly for well over 20 years, always put my thumbs around the bar, and have never dropped it on myself. Nor has anyone I have coached to the best of my memory, over tens of thousands of sets and hundreds of thousands of reps. I have used safeties to successfully avoid getting trapped under the bar after a failed rep. In the video below, I tweaked my pec while pushing through a rep at 485 and had to set the bar on the pins to avoid getting trapped under it. This kind of situation is the primary use for the safeties. It's good to have them set up regardless - they might indeed save you if you somehow still manage to drop the bar, but they also very well might not.

922,414 views

Just add five pounds

Just add five pounds

120,087 views

Why do people think this? If I can put down 705 pounds, you can put down whatever you’re pulling instead of dropping it.

Why do people think this? If I can put down 705 pounds, you can put down whatever you’re pulling instead of dropping it.

157,837 views

It’s heartwarming to see that these pussified nitwits are not confined to only Twitter

It’s heartwarming to see that these pussified nitwits are not confined to only Twitter

25,771 views

Well, that one strongman who didn’t know how to deadlift properly said they were bad so

Well, that one strongman who didn’t know how to deadlift properly said they were bad so

15,070 views

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This MFer spittin Tanner Shuck
2:24
wolfstrength's profile picture

This MFer spittin Tanner Shuck

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

44,634 views • 19 days ago

I’m not the strongest guy in the world but 150x10 incline DB bench without going to failure is half decent. You don’t need to drop the dumbbells either.
0:24
wolfstrength's profile picture

I’m not the strongest guy in the world but 150x10 incline DB bench without going to failure is half decent. You don’t need to drop the dumbbells either.

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

337,939 views • 9 months ago

Experts weigh in: what’s the risk to reward ratio here?
0:27
wolfstrength's profile picture

Experts weigh in: what’s the risk to reward ratio here?

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

22,120 views • 15 days ago

The combination of one-size-fits-all maximum grip width and absurd arching that powerlifting allowed for decades, led to where now lots of people associate bench press with a party trick instead of basic upper body development. Sad!
0:21
wolfstrength's profile picture

The combination of one-size-fits-all maximum grip width and absurd arching that powerlifting allowed for decades, led to where now lots of people associate bench press with a party trick instead of basic upper body development. Sad!

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

118,091 views • 8 months ago

People really don’t appreciate how massive the strongest people in the world are.
0:33
wolfstrength's profile picture

People really don’t appreciate how massive the strongest people in the world are.

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

63,497 views • 4 months ago

Collegiate strength and conditioning coaches will do anything to keep their players busy except make them squat, press, deadlift, bench, and clean.
0:43
wolfstrength's profile picture

Collegiate strength and conditioning coaches will do anything to keep their players busy except make them squat, press, deadlift, bench, and clean.

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

229,982 views • 2 years ago

There are emergency situations where you might need to drop them but most people should be able to get through their training lives without this ever happening
0:40
wolfstrength's profile picture

There are emergency situations where you might need to drop them but most people should be able to get through their training lives without this ever happening

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

91,141 views • 9 months ago

Even if the anti barbell squat guys were theoretically proven right*, I’d still squat because you can’t replicate with a smith, hack, pendulum, or leg press any of what Platz so passionately describes here
0:34
wolfstrength's profile picture

Even if the anti barbell squat guys were theoretically proven right*, I’d still squat because you can’t replicate with a smith, hack, pendulum, or leg press any of what Platz so passionately describes here

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

111,182 views • 1 year ago

Average guy who wants to “focus on hypertrophy” without first Building His Base ᵀᴹ
0:21
wolfstrength's profile picture

Average guy who wants to “focus on hypertrophy” without first Building His Base ᵀᴹ

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

32,956 views • 3 months ago

I would never say that my own form is perfect, but this is a pretty good approximation of what a low bar squat for general strength purposes looks like
0:42
wolfstrength's profile picture

I would never say that my own form is perfect, but this is a pretty good approximation of what a low bar squat for general strength purposes looks like

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

20,062 views • 2 months ago

Kirk Karwoski squatted 800x5 at a bodyweight of around 275 lbs, wearing naught but a belt, back in 1994. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a better set of five by anyone in the world. Til now. Jesus Olivares with 887x5 here. Now Jesus also weighs around 400 lbs vs Kirk’s 275, so I’ll let you be the judge of which is more impressive. But this is insane.
0:35
wolfstrength's profile picture

Kirk Karwoski squatted 800x5 at a bodyweight of around 275 lbs, wearing naught but a belt, back in 1994. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a better set of five by anyone in the world. Til now. Jesus Olivares with 887x5 here. Now Jesus also weighs around 400 lbs vs Kirk’s 275, so I’ll let you be the judge of which is more impressive. But this is insane.

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

66,735 views • 1 year ago

1124 lbs and it doesn’t even look that hard. Hafþór J Björnsson isn’t just next level, he’s next galaxy.
0:30
wolfstrength's profile picture

1124 lbs and it doesn’t even look that hard. Hafþór J Björnsson isn’t just next level, he’s next galaxy.

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

36,758 views • 10 months ago

Really good insight from More Plates More Dates on how being super lean is used dishonestly to sell a look of size that isn’t there. Maybe I’m in the minority, but I’ve always felt I’d rather clearly look like I lift with normal clothes on, even if not shredded, than be shredded but have to take off my shirt or wear absurdly small clothes for anybody to know I even lift, bro. But the latter often looks more appealing in pictures especially when they use lighting, angles, and other tricks to appear bigger than they actually are. What do you think?
0:42
wolfstrength's profile picture

Really good insight from More Plates More Dates on how being super lean is used dishonestly to sell a look of size that isn’t there. Maybe I’m in the minority, but I’ve always felt I’d rather clearly look like I lift with normal clothes on, even if not shredded, than be shredded but have to take off my shirt or wear absurdly small clothes for anybody to know I even lift, bro. But the latter often looks more appealing in pictures especially when they use lighting, angles, and other tricks to appear bigger than they actually are. What do you think?

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

45,466 views • 1 year ago

Lifting heavy ass weight: making people fat and not jacked since 1994
0:21
wolfstrength's profile picture

Lifting heavy ass weight: making people fat and not jacked since 1994

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

29,946 views • 11 months ago

IFBB pro Ms. Olympia competitor turned best female powerlifter of all time who probably has more muscle at a lower bodyfat than you and squats and deadlifts over 600 lbs each, has a message about your stupid cuffs that I wanted to share.
0:26
wolfstrength's profile picture

IFBB pro Ms. Olympia competitor turned best female powerlifter of all time who probably has more muscle at a lower bodyfat than you and squats and deadlifts over 600 lbs each, has a message about your stupid cuffs that I wanted to share.

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

25,855 views • 11 months ago

This is 110x10, my standing DB press PR from ~2.5 years ago and 25 lbs heavier than I am now. Based on how 90x10 seated felt the other day, feels Iike I should be able to match then beat this pretty quickly without much trouble. Feels way more badass to clean the DBs first tho
0:32
wolfstrength's profile picture

This is 110x10, my standing DB press PR from ~2.5 years ago and 25 lbs heavier than I am now. Based on how 90x10 seated felt the other day, feels Iike I should be able to match then beat this pretty quickly without much trouble. Feels way more badass to clean the DBs first tho

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

26,419 views • 1 year ago

Clearly these poor folks haven’t been enlightened by the incredibly smart and sophisticated fitness bros about risk to reward ratios and poasting fizeek.
0:43
wolfstrength's profile picture

Clearly these poor folks haven’t been enlightened by the incredibly smart and sophisticated fitness bros about risk to reward ratios and poasting fizeek.

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

22,029 views • 1 year ago

Almost exactly 10 years ago to the day, I pulled 560x5 with a double overhand hook grip, lifting shoes, long hair, tube socks and hylete shorts The 2010s were a helluva decade
0:31
wolfstrength's profile picture

Almost exactly 10 years ago to the day, I pulled 560x5 with a double overhand hook grip, lifting shoes, long hair, tube socks and hylete shorts The 2010s were a helluva decade

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

17,364 views • 1 year ago

Fitfluencers be like here’s the ONLY 4 exercises you need to COMPLETELY develop your body. Bookmark this for later.
0:20
wolfstrength's profile picture

Fitfluencers be like here’s the ONLY 4 exercises you need to COMPLETELY develop your body. Bookmark this for later.

Deep Squats, Shallow Thoughts

16,123 views • 1 year ago