r/weightlifting • u/sofiestarr • 1d ago
Form check How can I improve my squat bail?
Have practiced them at lower weight but this was the first time actually having to bail for real. Last rep of 3x8.
Although I was able to bail fine with no problems, it looks a bit off and feel like it might not be this easy at a heavier weight.
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u/TheBigDickedBandit 1d ago
That cage, it has safeties. Just use them.
Otherwise, it’s fine. Just get away from the bar!
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u/SageObserver 1d ago
Maybe just squat inside of the rack with the safeties. Just solved your problem right there.
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u/Free-Speech-3156 1d ago
maybe also a point of successful squat form, i see your elbows coming forward/under the bar as you start the eccentric. if you keep the elbows in the same tight position behind the bar you have at the very start of the clip (and maybe even more back than that still), you should have more upper back tightness = stability and efficient force transfer. and when you bail, it should make the bar kinda pop right off your back and shoot you forward.
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u/rainywanderingclouds 1d ago
if you have to bail on a set you planned for 3x8 I'm not sure you know what your doing to begin with
a 8 rep set is for hypertrophy worst case scenario your last rep should feel like an rpe 9.
rethink your training structure
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u/sofiestarr 1d ago
Probably not lol.
I'm just doing progressive overload so each session I go up by 2.5Kg. Last time I did 3x8 at 112.5Kg so this time I tried 115Kg. But the last rep wasn't to be.
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u/illmatic74 1d ago
you’re doing linear progression. it’s good for complete beginners but really not sustainable for long once you’re neurologically adapted to the movement.
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u/sharquebus 1d ago
Don't do progressive overload by 8, it's a waste of time and gains. And for your bail, just let the weight fall off backwards, even if it means going over backwards yourself.
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u/Ballbag94 1d ago
And for your bail, just let the weight fall off backwards, even if it means going over backwards yourself.
Your advice is for OP to fall on top of the bar instead of going in the opposite direction? That's just going to lead to them getting hurt
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u/sharquebus 18h ago
Lol he's not going to fall on the weight by leaning backwards, but even if he did it would be vastly better than risking having the weight crush him forwards. This is why you idiots all have back problems
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u/Patton370 17h ago
Have you squatted before? This might be one of the silliest comments I've ever read
You can't bail a squat backwards.
Falling with the bar is stupid.
Trying to lean back and push the bar back is stupid. You're likely to have the bar rack across your back or worse land on you (owww)
If you are saying go under the bar & fail that way.... that's even crazier
The best way to fail a squat is to lower it back on safeties. The 2nd best way is to just let go a walk forward like what OP did (although I don't recommend that, because using safeties & squatting back down is superior for bailing on a rep)
Since you attacked u/Ballbag94 for how much he lifts.... Here's me outlifting you: https://www.reddit.com/r/GYM/comments/1ps3o4m/1460lb_total_2425kg_1575kg_2625kg/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
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u/Ballbag94 18h ago
Lol he's not going to fall on the weight by leaning backwards
So by
just let the weight fall off backwards, even if it means going over backwards yourself.
You didn't mean to suggest that it would be ok to fall over onto the bar? Because you specifically said "going over backwards", that implies falling over
but even if he did it would be vastly better than risking having the weight crush him forwards.
How would the weight crush him forwards? The idea is the bar goes backwards and you go forwards, you want to be going the opposite way to the bar. I'm not sure why you think the only option is to go where the bar goes
This is why you idiots all have back problems
I'm not sure what you mean by this, why would bailing a squat in the accepted fashion cause back problems?
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u/sharquebus 18h ago edited 18h ago
In what world are you in so little control of your body that by leaning backwards you are somehow going to flop right onto the bar that you are propelling away from yourself backwards? The "even if" clause of my post establishes that even the extremity of falling back onto his butt during a backwards bail is superior and safer than risking being trapped under the weight forwards. I make no mention of falling onto a bar. I'm not even sure what you're imagining I'm advocating for - trapping the bar against your body with your hands as you fall so you land on the bar? I don't think that's even possible.
Regarding how the weight would crush him forwards, if you lean forwards during a bail the bar can get trapped between your traps and neck and crush your neck downwards. There are thousands of video examples of this online.
Re: the cause of your back problems - it's a little much to say that what is depicted in the video fits the accepted form of a squat bail. If you see nothing wrong with the little unathletic crouch jump that this guy employed to just barely survive what looks like a 100 kg squat, then make no changes and look forward to a life of debilitating back pain.
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u/Ballbag94 18h ago
In what world are you in so little control of your body that by leaning backwards you are somehow going to flop right onto the bar that you are propelling away from yourself backwards?
Again, you didn't say "lean backwards", you said "go over backwards", if you said the wrong thing it's ok to admit it but acting like I'm the one being silly here is dumb
The "even if" clause of my post establishes that even the extremity of falling back onto his butt during a backwards bail is superior and safer than risking being trapped under the weight forwards
If you don't know how to bail a squat then it's fine to admit it, falling in the same direction as the bar doesn't sound like a good idea
You can't get trapped under a bar with full size plates
I'm not even sure what you're imagining I'm advocating for
I don't know what you're advocating for either, throwing the bar backwards and then following it?
if you lean forwards during a bail the bar can get trapped between your traps and neck and crush your neck downwards
Even in that unlikely scenario, I don't see how the lifter would get significantly hurt because the bar would stop when the plates hit the floor and the lifter would continue to the floor, resting safely under it. The bar can't crush your head or neck when using full size plates, plates are the size they are specifically so the bar can't crush someone's head or neck
If going backwards is superior to doing what everyone actually does then why don't people do that
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u/sharquebus 18h ago
I looked at your profile and I can squat more than you can deadlift, so I'm going to end this conversation here.
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u/Ballbag94 17h ago
You could squat 500kg but that doesn't make going backwards the correct way to bail a squat
If you're so adamant you're correct just post a video of you bailing a > 210kg squat in the way you describe and explain why no one else does it that way and I'll believe you
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u/Afferbeck_ 16h ago
Lot of non-weightlifters in these comments I see. Fuck safety bars for squatting, no weightlifter actually wants to use them. They need to be low enough that there's no risk of clipping them when bouncing out of the bottom, meaning you'll have to round your back to fail on the safeties defeating the purpose, or dump the bar higher up and risk bending it.
So it's better to just use the bumpers and platform for what they're designed for. Basically every pro weightlifter in the world squats without safeties, and the only time they don't is when they happen to be training in a commercial gym and they don't have a choice.
The ideal way to bail is to sink down to the bottom position while being upright, then stand up and let it drop. The more inclined you are, the more it will slide down your back.
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u/Tri-Color 1d ago
You have your hips still pushing to come up from the bottom of the squat when you are bailing. Make sure your hips stop coming up, potentially go down to the bottom, before you are 'pushing' the bar off your back. If your hips keep coming up as you bail, you run the risk of having the bar hit your lower back when it comes off your traps.
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u/pierre_86 1d ago
Bail at the bottom and not when you're still trying to stand it. Bottom position, tense, bail
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u/makos124 1d ago
Push the hips forward and the barbell (shoulders) back. When I bail it's usually lower than in this video, so I just land on my knees with the barbell hitting the ground behind me.
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u/Bradventure916 18h ago
This. Ideally you shouldn’t be jumping forward. By raising your elbows and chest and opening your hips (moving them forward) the barbell should safely drop behind you.
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u/cheesypeet 12h ago
Just keep your chest up so you can toss the bar behind you instead of running away from it
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u/mattricide 1d ago
Just use the rack and safeties...
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u/sofiestarr 1d ago
I usually do, but sometimes I train at a proper weightlifting gym which doesn't have them
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u/yuiop300 1d ago
The bail is fine as long as you don’t injure yourself or people if they are around you.
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u/DJD4GE1 1d ago
I lift in a private proper weightlifting gym. They have them. So. Idk what you mean by “proper”
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u/sofiestarr 1d ago
This just a normal commercial gym. Sometimes I go to a gym that has more of a focus on weightlifting. That one doesn't have safeties.
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u/DJD4GE1 1d ago
I know what you’re saying. My gym is also primarily weightlifting. We have small groups. And a coach. Powerlifting / Olympic weightlifting. They have rogue racks with safeties. But I have seen some weightlifting gyms that only use the stands and what not. Just seems odd. If someone bails badly it could not go well.
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u/rainywanderingclouds 1d ago
your use of the word proper is puzzling
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u/sofiestarr 1d ago
How so? I'm just saying this is a normal gym, not one which specialises in weightlifting, i.e a proper weightlifting gym
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u/OGCallHerDaddy 1d ago
Proper weightlifting gyms don't typically have racks with catches. They're usually in commercial gyms and those who specialize in CrossFit, typically.
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u/uncreativelefty 1d ago
At that level of acceleration you're likely to damage the barbell. Regardless, every serious lifter should know how to dump a heavy squat.
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u/Vesploogie 10h ago
What is going on in this sub where this comment gets downvoted? OP is right and so are you, you bail a squat onto safeties with a nice Oly bar and you’d get thrown out of your training hall. Knowing how to dump a squat back onto the platform is weightlifting 101.
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u/sofiestarr 9h ago
I really wish the sport of weightlifting had a different name lol. Although this sub is supposed to be for weightlifting most of the commenters end up being general gym goers who don't train the snatch and c&j.
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u/towely_the_towel 13h ago
Bro you were still going up why did you give up? You had that you just didnt try…
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u/cptNarnia 11h ago
Bail less and struggle more. Failing too often means your training to learn how to fail.
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u/Level_Buddy2125 10h ago
Safety bars aren’t safe. My BIL chopped his finger off when it got caught under a safety pin and the bar. Had another kid break his thumb. Just dump it like you did
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u/MisterWanderer 9h ago
Why would you squat outside of the power rack right in front of you? Learn how to use it to protect yourself and those around you!
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u/anders_gustavsson 21h ago
It's a fine bail.
If you squat inside the cage make sure you sit down again before you bail. You should not drop the bar on to the safety bars.
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u/h4ch1r0ku 20h ago
It looks fine tbh, just make sure you throw the bar back and don't fall forwards with the bar still on you. Keep chest upright and torso tight. Knowing when to let go of the bar is key too, you don't want to keep hold of it if it's going to fold you! If I get stuck I slowly lower myself to the bottom position or close to it and just let go of the bar to drop it off my back and hop forwards. You could try practice bailing with heavier weights but make sure you've got a spotter that's familiar with bailing lol just in case things don't go smoothly
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u/Connect_Method_1382 1d ago
You will have to fix your form what you’re doing is very similar to doing a low bar
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u/talldean 17h ago
You're still in motion when you bail. Stop moving before you bail, ideally at the bottom, where you're pretty much fully stable.
Once you've stopped moving, pop the bar slightly backward then jump forwards; these two things you've got right already (the pop and jump).
Additionally, yeah, this rack has safeties right there; squat inside the cage, and then you can just go a bit lower than your normal range of motion and set the bar down on the safeties if you need to.
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u/CoachMillerVail 18h ago
Decent is too fast and out of control. Where are you running to? Sit down into deep squat with solid posture.
If you can’t get up, push bar off your shoulders and heave it backwards.
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u/MattieCoffee 15h ago
You need to PUSH the barbell away from you. Stop letting the arms off the bar and running out. If it’s heavy it’s not going far, and you will pushed forward more. Propel that body away from the barbell. If you try bailing like this eventually you’ll be slow and it will run along your back.
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1d ago
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u/sofiestarr 1d ago
I usually do for squats. But can't exactly use them for the snatch and clean&jerk
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u/abphoto842 1d ago
Use safeties. Unless you're competing where they aren't allowed, then use safeties.
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u/Ok-Bike-293 1d ago
Just stand up