Resting the bar on back while squatting...

[Stubby2]

This is killing my back... just the pressure of the bar on my shoulders. I find during squatting im concertrating more on the uncomfortable feeling of the bar than the squat... we have foam pads at the gym (which have seen better days) but they help only slightly... its affecting the weight im lifting pretty severly... ive only recently started doing squats so am building up... but damn this is annoying...

STUBS

 

[DaCypher]

Make sure you are resting the bar on the lower part of your traps. If the bar is too high its not only uncomfortable but it can be dangerous for your neck. Also, do your shoulders bother you? You might need to work on your shoulder flexibility so you can grab the bar more comfortably.

 

[edgecrusher]

No flame intended bro. But try building up your traps more. I used to go through the same thing, but once i began shruging heavy weights, that problem slowly decreased till it was gone.

sometimes it is also just getting used to aving a heavy bar sit on your shoulders. not exactly a comfortable feeling to begin with.

 

[Stubby2]

me traps are pretty good IMO... i think i may be holding it to high... ive experimented before though with lite weights but its when i add more... i started heavy shrugs a few weeks back...

STUBS

 

[Stryc-9]

This is not really a solution to your problem....

...but try front squats...with the bar across your upper chest....killer move!

 

[gymtime]

Your traps could be mountains and that bar will still hurt your shoulders if you're not used to it. But that's the thing, if you keep doing squats, you will get used to it. That pain does go away eventually.

Also, like Stryc9 said, front squats are also an option.

 

[alptraum]

At ASU's gym we have foam bars and also "Mantarays", which are a piece of hard plastic that goes over your shoulders and upper back with a notch that the olympic bar fits in, I find this to be alot better than foam or a towel over the bar. But yeah, just keep up and eventually you get used to it and it doesn't hurt anymore

 

[Blood&Iron]

I suspect you are holding the bar too high. If you've got a reasonable amount of mass in your traps it shouldn't be a problem. Try crunching your shoulder blades together and placing the bar in the space between your medial and posterior deltoid. This should aleviate any pain. I think using a towel or foam padding is a bad idea, and although the Manta Ray is decent, I still think it better to just position the bar correctly.

Some people also find that they need to perform some light overhead presses to get the shoulders loosened up, although I've never found this necessary.

 

[BigDdaGanjalist]

You might need to work on your shoulder flexibility so you can grab the bar more comfortably.

Yeah I had this problem when i first started doing squats.

 

[needsize]

I remember when squatting with any weight hurt my traps, but over time I got used to it and now can squat up to 405lbs for reps without noticing it, it will get better.