Bar slipping?

[eet]

Hi,

When I squat the bar doesn't grip my back as well as I want it. The bar feels slippery on certain shirts I wear.
When I bench, my shirt makes my set-up feel less stable as well due to the slipping.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Aside from chalking the back of my shirt, are there any specialty shirts, mats or techniques you guys use to get a better grip?

Thanks!

[zempey]

I train in a wife beater, i don't get any slipping. The spot between my traps and rear delts where I place the bar for squats doesn't allow any slipping, it is cradled in there good.

[Khazima]

If you're doing high bar squats the bar should sit nicely on your traps, low bar there's a nice shelf with your rear delts and traps, however with low bar you'll still need a slight lean at heavier weights.

For bench I always wear a singlet and drag the back down so my skin is in contact with the bench, otherwise as you're experiencing you'll slide. You can also put a resistance band around the bench and that'll give you more grip.

[RipOwens]

I wouldn't advise laying the bar on bare skin though. Sometimes I'll just roll a small towel around the bar. As already mentioned, try letting the bar sit comfortably on your traps.

[shaunjohn242002]

Find that sweet spot on your traps. You want to pull the bar down and bring your elbows in toward your chest to engage your lats. Keep downward pressure on the bar and this should stabilize it on your body. I never use a towel or cushion cause it makes it unstable for me. That's how I do it.

[Docd187123]

If it's slipping during squats then you're either not putting the bar in the right place or you're not using your hands and arms to secure the bar to your back properly.

[eet]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I am able to get a shelf with my back and the bar seems stable depending on the shirt I'm wearing. I think it comes down to the shirt material (100% cotton, cotton blend, etc). All the shirts I've tried are cotton in one form or another but some are just more slippery. The bar at the local gym doesn't have any knurling on the center so that may exacerbate the issue.

I may try and take a shirt and attach some material to increase the friction where the bar rests, basically around the upper and mid back. There is no substitute for a good "shelf", but this may help feel more "connected" to the bar.

If it works and helps the bar "stick" to the back and helps keeps your back arch on the bench solid, do you guys think other power lifters and gym goers would be interested in something similar? Imagine a shirt made of sweat wicking material that grips better than a cotton shirt.

Thanks!

[marcus300]

Make sure the bar is positioned right and grip the bar tight with your hands

[Khazima]

If it works and helps the bar "stick" to the back and helps keeps your back arch on the bench solid, do you guys think other power lifters and gym goers would be interested in something similar? Imagine a shirt made of sweat wicking material that grips better than a cotton shirt.

Probably not, it's not a big/common enough issue.

The bar having no knurling is probably the issue, use a different bar? Or a different gym?