Bailing out on squats in a rack

**miked187** · 01-28-2014, 12:48 PM

My gym has a peg squat rack like this:

(not enough posts to submit urls yet so you'll need to cobble this link to the image together) samimatilainen.com slash wp-content slash uploads slash 2010 slash 10 slash legend-3138-squat-rack dot jpg -- or google legend-3138-squat-rack

Been doing the 5x5 for awhile and I'm reaching a spot where I'm close to struggling to complete a round of squats, and being 6'4" that safety bar area in the front of the rack is just too damn short even bent over hard to get the bar onto, I've tried it with an empty bar and I come no where near it when I go A2G on my squats. So that's got me thinking, if I can't rep the squat weight how the hell do I bail out in this setup?

The other dynamic here is that due to some long standing shoulder issues I'm still pretty wide on my squat grip, to the point where it takes me till my 5th set to get my hands/pinky finger an inch or 2 away from the vertical bars on the rack when I set my grip on the bar. In a bail out situation I'd be worried that throwing myself forward towards the pins on the vertical part of the rack would be really high risk for smashing a hand. No spotters either, gym is usually pretty quiet at the hours I'm in there. Only one rack in the place at the moment, offered to buy them a cage and get some comp on my membership but no go so far

Suggestions on safety in this situation on a bail out?

**netfinder** · 01-29-2014, 04:41 PM

With out seeing a squat vid from you the best I could tell you is this:
if you need to bail, try to bail in the hole, or as close to the hole as you can get. Drop your hands off the bar bring them in front of you and up and you stand. The bar will fall off your back. It'll be noisy, but but it's better than falling forward with the bar on your back. Yes the rail and pegs will catch the bar if you're holding it the whole way, but you risk the bar coming over your head during the fall and could get caught on the peg allowing you to fall into it.

BG · 01-29-2014, 05:01 PM

Get a good spotter.

**kelkel** · 01-29-2014, 07:15 PM

Dump it forward, dump it back. Just get the hell out of the way of it. Who cares about the bar/plates, etc. Don't get hurt.

**Terax** · 02-21-2014, 01:32 PM

Bailing scares the hell out of me, I never go heavy without a spotter.

**FapOLantern** · 04-12-2014, 10:43 AM

Bailing on squats is dangerous. A lady near my city got squashed to death.

In a smith machine. Don`t ask me how, though.

**Hrothgar** · 04-12-2014, 02:15 PM

I would not recommend dumping the weight forward you can herniate a disk by doing that. I have safeties so I just sit down if I fail a set, if you don't have safeties then watch some videos on the proper way to bail the weight off your back and hope nobody is stupid enough to be standing right behind you.

**ghettoboyd** · 04-12-2014, 03:28 PM

Originally Posted by BG

Get a good spotter.

exactly bro...if I had a dollar for every time my partner has lifted me out of "the hole" but that's the only way to get to true failure on squats for me is to rep until I simply cant...its great cus he pulls me from under my arms so I still get to finish the rep and force a few with help but still go deep....

**miked187** · 04-13-2014, 06:38 AM

At the moment I work out alone, no spotter available for me. Working on fixing this, but until then the same issue exists.

**largerthannormal** · 04-15-2014, 01:25 PM

I will be getting to bail point 2nite... spotter is close but ill let him make me bail if imma fall. just get out of the way.. no real way to do it...

also just go in knowing your gonna hit it! dont think of bail.... bail will happen if it needs to, until then " ITS GOING UP!" what ever you put on that bar dont math it up... your head plays the biggest role on if you get back up.. dont even think of bail... if it happens just out the way ... enjoy all the smerks people give you cause 90% of them dont work till failure!

good luck brother!

**ironbeck** · 04-15-2014, 02:31 PM

Use COM.mon sense don't use weight you can't candle for at least 15 reps.

**kelkel** · 04-15-2014, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by Hrothgar

I would not recommend dumping the weight forward you can herniate a disk by doing that. I have safeties so I just sit down if I fail a set, if you don't have safeties then watch some videos on the proper way to bail the weight off your back and hope nobody is stupid enough to be standing right behind you.

No one wants to dump it forward (or back) but you do what you have to do when the time comes. You can't always plan it out. Sometimes it just sneaks up on ya!

**songdog** · 04-15-2014, 07:11 PM

Dumping is no fun.I had it slip off my back twice.Once with a spotter and once in my basement.

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**swolehead** · 12-02-2014, 09:30 AM

get outa here and research but I don't completely understand your rack but falling into a pushup position and having the safety catch it off your back is the proper way if that doesn't worj sorry I tryed

**bartman314** · 12-02-2014, 03:54 PM

hack squats and a front dump?

**FakeLove** · 01-07-2015, 03:21 AM

If you're squatting olympic lifting style (bar quite high in the neck), it's pretty easy to bail out by dumping it back. Lots of examples in Youtube. It's actually quite common in olympic lifting as most athletes there makes all the heavy squats without a spotter, but it takes some practice and requires an upright form. If your form is more traditional power lifting style, meaning bar lower in the back and torso leaning forward, it's another thing.

**prenes** · 08-19-2017, 06:39 AM

always been too scared to bail. I know it slows the growth but I havent gotten under weight that I couldnt get up. My goal is not to be injured.

**miked187** · 08-22-2017, 10:31 AM

holy 2 year old thread resurrection

I finally had a bail out at 275 a few years back, due to a technique problem with being too centered towards my toes. Was in a "gun" style rack. Stalled about halfway up, just continued to push the weight forward onto the safety bars with a big clang and dropped to a knee, no big deal in the end other than being royally pissed off that I wasn't able to get the bar up on a lift I knew I could do. And yes prenes, have to be willing to fail in order to succeed.

**Obs** · 08-22-2017, 10:08 PM

I broke an olympic bar end weight last fall. I snapped the cast right at its shoulder. I fell to my knees with 315 lb on my back (fatigued) couldnt stand or do shit and my back was gonna try funny shit if I did anything weird so I threw that bastard! Pissed me off that was my only bar at the time. I wouldnt go backand try to change anything though.

**MuscleScience** · 08-23-2017, 04:46 AM

Originally Posted by miked187

holy 2 year old thread resurrection

I finally had a bail out at 275 a few years back, due to a technique problem with being too centered towards my toes. Was in a "gun" style rack. Stalled about halfway up, just continued to push the weight forward onto the safety bars with a big clang and dropped to a knee, no big deal in the end other than being royally pissed off that I wasn't able to get the bar up on a lift I knew I could do. And yes prenes, have to be willing to fail in order to succeed.

He had one they was 16 years old a couple days ago.