High Bar vs. Low Bar squat....which is better?

I get this question asked occasionally and here's how we're going to tackle it.

High Bar
This squat is the preferred choice for Olympic lifters. Quads play a massive role in moving the weight. You see many high bar squatters with very well developed quads. Take a look at Weightlifters (Olympic). The back angle is practically vertical thus reducing any kind of shear forces on the back. However, in order to execute the high bar you must have flexible ankles to shift the knees forward in order to maintain an upright torso. If not, it will be very hard to execute this squat and will be very top heavy causing the barbell weight to shift forward causing you to lose stability and balance.

You should not do this squat if you have tight ankles, tight hips, limited range of motion in the hips, knees and ankles. Do this squat with lifting shoes. The lifting shoes have an elevated sole which allows for ease of travel of the knees to shift forward causing the back angle to be much more upright.

You should do this squat if you are an Olympic Weightlifter or are going to be one. You should do this squat if you can naturally do it. Form follows function.

Low Bar
This squat potentially allows for greater weight to be moved. Ideally, you can squat more weight using low bar for several reasons. One, the bar placed lower on the back places a large demand on the hips to produce the force needed to move the weight. Second, low bar squats allow you to open up hips reducing the moment arm of the length of the knees, femur, and hip socket in relation to the barbell. You can squat very, very wide with low bar. This places a large loading on the hips and glutes.

You should do this squat if you're not very flexible. You should do this squat if your goal is move large amounts of weight. You should do this squat if you're a Powerlifter or are going to be a Powerlifter.

Which one is better?
The one you can naturally do better is the one probably you were designed to do when you came into this world. Many would argue that you need genetics to do high bar. Maybe, but you see people from all over the world, black and white, male and female doing high bar. Once again, you should do the one you can naturally and effectively execute. When I first started as a Weightlifter I could not high bar squat because my flexibility wasn't there. It took years to develop over time. Now, I only do high bar squats. Get out there, take that guy off the bicep curling in the squat rack...and squat!!!!

Coach Cano