Re: Top Squat and Texas Power Bar?
12-17-06 07:16 PM - Post#248077    

Laree,
I have not heard back from the above referenced friend (an old gym member) - sorry for the delay.

Tom

Re: Top Squat and Texas Power Bar?
12-17-06 09:19 PM - Post#248078    

Laree,
I just heard from my friend who has the Top Squat and he does use it on his Texas Power Bar. He says there is no problem with the fit.

Tom

Re: Top Squat and Texas Power Bar?
12-18-06 11:04 AM - Post#248079    

Wow, that's excellent, Tom! Thanks so much. I'll let him know.

Ed Corney
03-19-07 01:00 PM - Post#276594    

When I spoke to Ed at the Santa Cruz Bash he related how he had Hip and shoulder joint replacement surgery. I am curious to know how he trains now after these surgeries. Does anyone have experience with this or maybe Ed could check in on this subject himself?

Tim

Re: Ed Corney
03-19-07 03:04 PM - Post#276675    

• Tim Mendelsohn Said:

The shoulder replacement has limited my ability to do pressing movements. As an example, my shoulder/trap workout might now consist of front dumbbell raises, side dumbbell laterals and bent dumbbell laterals followed by heavy dumbbell shrugs and smith machine shrugs. I also use Dave's Top Squat attachment to do squats because reaching back behind my neck to grab the bar is difficult. I still go very heavy when I train. That has not changed at all. I also still work out six or seven days a week. It was the shoulder replacement surgery some years back that was the first domino in a series of events that ultimately led to my stroke. So, after having to teach myself how to walk and talk again, a fake joint here or there hardly seems like an obstacle to hard training.

- Ed

Mr. USA Mr. America Mr. Universe Masters Olympia 60+ IFBB Hall of Fame http://www.EdCorney.net

Re: Ed Corney
03-19-07 05:17 PM - Post#276737    

• Ed Corney Said:

Thanks Ed. I still love that Picture of you on the original Pumping Iron book standing with your arms raised in victory. Great meeting you at the Bash in Santa Cruz.

Tim

Top Squat
03-19-07 07:58 PM - Post#276805    

I've had one since Dave started selling them,absolutely love it. I literally probably could not do squats without it. Does anybody know how much it weighs? I thought something like 35 lbs. but not sure

03-19-07 08:00 PM - Post#276806    

15

03-19-07 08:29 PM - Post#276816    

now theres a bash im sorry i missed... the great ed corney in person... how awesome is that!!!

Have Bucket. Will Travel... R.I.P. Kris. "If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat."

03-19-07 09:16 PM - Post#276838    

thank you, that helps

03-20-07 09:11 AM - Post#276923    

any reports on folks who use it? I am strongly considering buying one in the next week or so.

"It is not an uncommon experience for people to talk and argue a great deal about something without anybody bothering to define precisely what it is." - Ross J.S. Hoffman I would like to see the truth clearly before it is too late. - Sartre We must begin by a definition, although definition involves a mental effort and therefore repels. - Hilaire Belloc

03-20-07 09:13 AM - Post#276926    

Highly recommended, Steve. Especially if you have shoulder problems.

03-20-07 10:03 AM - Post#276953    

I have one; I like it, but I feel uncomfortable using it when I 'go heavy'. I found the extra height of the bar (from it sitting within the cylinder of the Top Squat) is noticeable, and takes some getting used to. But I still don't like it when I go heavy!

BUT, it definitely is the way to go for the shoulders. And, I find I can go very low in the squat with the top squats; so I do all but my heavy sets with it.

Someone in the gym asked me, 'what _is_ that thing?' And I said "It's my weapon of mass construction "!
(sorry; had to share... )

-Red

03-20-07 10:21 AM - Post#276958    

I agree it does get some getting used to. I like the "Weapon of mass construction" line. I'm different though that I do prefer it when going heavy as people tend to lean excessively forward on heavy sets as fatigue sets in. I use it when I go beyond 225 lbs. I have become so dependent on it that I was losing my shoulder flexibility so that is why I use it for heavy sets and lighter sets I go "raw" . You will get used to it quickly though, you just need to find your groove for the heavy work.

aka SAVAGE/JDIDAN/Dan the Protein Man You can't choose your parents however you can choose your lifestyle Earn your supplements The most important stack you can do are big plates.- Sweatn

03-20-07 10:34 AM - Post#276966    

I have had my Top Squat for a couple of years and use it for both light and heavy work - it is a great piece of equipment !

03-20-07 10:44 AM - Post#276968    

Humor me, if you will, and here are my reasons for the Top Squat, in no particular order. If anybody has any recommendations for/against the Top Squat given the below, let me know.

1) I have no shoulder problems - squatting is very comfortable for me.
2) I like high bar and very upright squats, as I am squatting for bodybuilding, not powerlifting
3) I used to powerlift and squatted with the bar lower
4) Due to the years of low bar squatting, I have a comfortable 'groove' in that position.
5) Due to the years of low bar squatting, I tend to lean forward in squats to use lower back leverage which is the opposite of what I want to do, namely high bar upright squats
6) Even though I don't have shoulder problems, I like squatting with the hands in front of me, and thus I love front squats. The Top Squat would simulate this more upright position fairly effectively.

So, to summarize, I like the bar high and I like having my hands to the front. I will continue to do front squats but I think the Top Squat might be an effective weapon in my arsenal.

Thoughts?

thanks.

"It is not an uncommon experience for people to talk and argue a great deal about something without anybody bothering to define precisely what it is." - Ross J.S. Hoffman I would like to see the truth clearly before it is too late. - Sartre We must begin by a definition, although definition involves a mental effort and therefore repels. - Hilaire Belloc

03-20-07 09:13 PM - Post#277307    

There's a collection of IOL threads about the top squat here in the wiki.

03-20-07 11:09 PM - Post#277351    

likie I mentioned in the beginning, I've had mine since they came out. I'm knocking on 60's door this summer and after too many shoulder problems, the top squat saved my squatting. I use it no matter the weight and I'm 6'1" so my torso and legs are long. The top helps me stay more upright and my shins vertical as I sit back into my squats. The hands, I beleive, in front are the key to that. My balance is better, it all works well for me. I've even attached it to a bent bar I had made for squats to get something similiar to a buffalo bar but it worked better on the straight.

Will the Manta Ray fit on the Top Squat?
05-19-07 12:40 PM - Post#301381    

Peoples,

The Top Squat bar and the Manta Ray cushion-thingy both look like great ideas, but will they work together?

Wonderin...

John

05-19-07 12:43 PM - Post#301383    

Never thought about that, I have a manta ray that I have been using for years and I like the way the bar rides using it. I'd assume that if the top squat is a standard oly bar thickness then a manta ray would fit.

-- JMac's Web Design

05-19-07 01:52 PM - Post#301410    

The Top Squat fits over a standard size bar increasing the overall diameter that the Manta Ray has to fit over --is the Manta Ray flexible enough to over the larger-diameter Top Squat?

05-19-07 02:58 PM - Post#301421    

If you have a top squat you don't need a manta ray.

It don't matter

05-19-07 03:34 PM - Post#301440    

Cajin is right, that would be overkill. With the top squat the bar will naturally 'ride' high and fit properly. THus the Mantra Ray would be extraneous.

"It is not an uncommon experience for people to talk and argue a great deal about something without anybody bothering to define precisely what it is." - Ross J.S. Hoffman I would like to see the truth clearly before it is too late. - Sartre We must begin by a definition, although definition involves a mental effort and therefore repels. - Hilaire Belloc

05-19-07 03:50 PM - Post#301456    

Besides, it wouldn't fit.

05-19-07 06:45 PM - Post#301538    

Yunno, you're right... It's really not necessary with the Top Squat...

Thanks for your comments...

John

05-19-07 07:26 PM - Post#301552    

Looking at the picture, would the Top Squat work for a person who is small build (i.e. 42 inch chest)? I can't do squats anymore, due to semi-frozen shoulder, and if it works, the Top Squat may help me with my legs. thanks. NickS

It's not just football. It's Steeler football.

05-20-07 12:27 AM - Post#301620    

Only problem I've encountered with the Top Squat is that it doesn't fit on larger diameter bars on Smith Machines. Too bad. If it did one would have the equivalent of a Hackenschmidt slide. Yes, Hackenschmidt, named for George Hackenschmidt, the Hack of Hack squats, a Russian athlete of over a century ago - once turned refugee from the Bolshevik revolution, he earned PhD and taught metaphysics and published books for the rest of his very long life.

Top Squat Question
06-20-07 06:35 PM - Post#313833    

Is there anyone who has or who knows someone who has the Top Squat attachment, and lives in the Lancaster to Reading to Allentown, PA area?
I know that everyone who has one speaks highly of it, but, being vertically challenged (5'6"), and small boned, I would like to try one out before buying. thank you. NickS.

It's not just football. It's Steeler football.

06-20-07 06:43 PM - Post#313837    

You can try one in Scranton if you want, but I don't think there will be any issues. It rests on the back just like a thick bar, which is actually more comfortable on the upper back. You'll be able to reach the handles. Truth is 5'6" is definitely in the average height range.

The most important test a lifter has to pass is the test of time. -Jon Cole

06-20-07 07:52 PM - Post#313847    

I'm 5'5" and find the Top Squat very comfortable and effective.

06-21-07 11:35 AM - Post#314144    

FWIW,

I just bought it; been using it a couple of weeks. A pleasant surprise is how it works the legs better than the traditional back squat where most tend to bend over, like a powerlift squat. Top Squats are more like Olympic squats or front squats re muscles affected.

I'm looking forward to doing good mornings with it. I tended to let a bar roll up as I bent over because I lack of flexibility preventing me from holding the bar lower down the back. The last time I tried this I almost broke my neck. With the Top Squat I should be able to keep the bar lower.

A quality piece of equipment.

06-21-07 12:30 PM - Post#314187    

Hey, Jack, if you use it for good mornings and like the movement, could you re-post on that? Once in a while people ask if the top squat can be used for those, and neither Dave nor I liked it for them at all. If you find a way that works, we'd love to hear it.

06-21-07 03:01 PM - Post#314267    

Thanks for the caution; I'll let you know if it works for me and if not, why not.

06-23-07 05:55 PM - Post#315050    

Jack/Tom/et all. Thanks for the info. Will probably order one next month when I return from seeing mickey & minnie.

It's not just football. It's Steeler football.

06-26-07 09:41 PM - Post#316264    

My Top Squat is my favorite piece of gym equipment ! Well aside from the bars,plates, and dumbbells of course...
God's blessings,
Art

Art Hansen ISSA CFT http://www.bwculture.net/?Click=3157 For the USA Suspension training equipment !!

Squat question
07-03-07 10:20 AM - Post#319294    

I have quit squatting in recent weeks due to a shoulder flexibility issue I have in my right shoulder. I miss squats but I cannot think of a good way to substitute. I lift at home so I do not have access to a leg press machine. I squated for a long time (two years) through the shoulder pain (only while holding bar, no lasting pain) but recently decided it is not worth risking all of my lifting for it. My luck would surely run out at some point. I have added front squats but obviously cant go near as heavy so I still feel I am missing something. Anybody tried Dave's Top Squat or know of a good alternative? I know there is no replacement. Thanks

07-03-07 10:22 AM - Post#319295    

The top squat works great... try it...

07-03-07 10:33 AM - Post#319301    

Top squat is great I am sure. The Hatfield/Safety squat bar is great as well. Either one should do the trick.

Stick with front squats even if you get a Top Squat, I am able to do over 75% on the front squat compared to my back squat. Quite effective.

"It is not an uncommon experience for people to talk and argue a great deal about something without anybody bothering to define precisely what it is." - Ross J.S. Hoffman I would like to see the truth clearly before it is too late. - Sartre We must begin by a definition, although definition involves a mental effort and therefore repels. - Hilaire Belloc

07-03-07 12:28 PM - Post#319350    

The Top Squat works great - it is a terrific piece of equipment.

07-03-07 01:04 PM - Post#319372    

http://www.davedraper.com/fitness_products/prod uct/TTS.html

There you go pahdnuh

Have Bucket. Will Travel... R.I.P. Kris. "If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat."

Re: Squat question
07-03-07 03:40 PM - Post#319447    

James G,

Perhaps try Frank Zane's "Leg Blaster"...

www.frankzane.com

OR MAYBE NOT... I thought at first that he had the weight on his hips, but after taking a closer look at his ad, I see that it's actually on his shoulders... so...

You could rig-up a hip-harness, elevated on a platform to allow a weight to be lifted & lowered between your legs like some power-lifting stunts of old... no shoulder pressure & as much weight as you can lift (provided that your platform is sturdy enough).

2009 Motto: Thinking Positive, Being Positive "Start out easy & don't compete against anyone but yourself." -- Steve Reeves "...work up to the number of repetitions that you feel necessary to do the trick. Don't hold yourself down to any hidebound number of repetitions." -- George F. Jowett "Weight training is successful when you perservere." -- Mike Dayton

07-03-07 04:09 PM - Post#319462    

The Top Squat does work around this very handily and it's very close to a regular squat. Actually, one olympic lifter I train with believes it feels closer to the pulling movement pattern than a regular back squat because of the arm position. After he pointed this out I tried it and I think he is really on to something.

"If a horse gets a broken leg, you can shoot the horse, but that don't fix the leg." So, work on your subscapularis flexibility:

http://www.exrx.net/Stretches/Subscapular is/Broomstick.html

The safety squat is also good, but it is quite a bit different from a regular squat, something between a front and back squat. Also costs a lot more than a Top Squat.

And finally, don't give up on the front squat, once you get them down, they are fantastic.

The most important test a lifter has to pass is the test of time. -Jon Cole

07-03-07 04:23 PM - Post#319473    

I do the broomstick stretches after each upper body workout. When I began lifting I had a difficult time getting my hand parallel to my head (swearing on a bible pose), this is no longer a problem but behind my head has been unattainable without the stinging stretching feeling. I like the front squats but don't feel them through the entire length of my quads. I feel it much more in the lower area closer to the knee whereas with back squats I feel it in the entire length as well as inside and out. Maybe that is a technique issue I need to work out.

07-03-07 04:31 PM - Post#319475    

• James G Said:

It might be. Feel is subjective, of course, but I 'feel' the front squats in my thighs far more than the back squats. Certainly less involvement from the hams and glutes in the front squat.

"It is not an uncommon experience for people to talk and argue a great deal about something without anybody bothering to define precisely what it is." - Ross J.S. Hoffman I would like to see the truth clearly before it is too late. - Sartre We must begin by a definition, although definition involves a mental effort and therefore repels. - Hilaire Belloc

Top Squat Question
11-16-07 09:45 PM - Post#374458    

I'm sure this has been asked and I'm sorry (I did a quick search, but I got pages of threads): Does the Top Squat snap into place onto the bar like a Manta Ray, or are the straps that are in the pics neccesary to secure it to the bar?

Although I don't think Santa will be getting me one for Christmas, I plan on getting one soon!

http://squatrx.blogspot.com/

11-16-07 09:55 PM - Post#374460    

The straps are not needed - not if you pay any attention at all to what is going on with the Top Squat on the bar. I have one skinny bar that is a loose fit, and the Top Squat will readily fall off. On most oly bars, its a very tight fit and the Top Squat will not fall. At least, not while its new. The rubber does wear, and the fit gets looser over time. Mostly, though, once you are comfortable with it, you'll not need the included straps.

jej

11-16-07 11:35 PM - Post#374478    

What jej said. I got one and used it tonight. Good piece of equipment and in a day and age of junk well worth the money. I have two oly bars and just keep mine on my old bar all the time.

Just bought a Top Squat
03-29-08 01:33 PM - Post#426028    

I've been working on my squat form since reading the discussions on Starting Strength and hearing from others here on IOL about going deep enough. I backed off the weights and essentially started over. Progress has been good, even better thanks to Bill (Wicked Willie) and his sufferings through the toes elevated stretching routine. However, a situation with my upper arm (outer shoulder to elbow) area has caused some difficulty with just about everything else. I have recently experienced pretty severe pain in this region and thought that I had perhaps overdone it again on the presses and curls.

After yesterday's leg workout, I am fairly convinced that the low bar position that I favor in the squat is damaging the shoulder(s). I may need to work on flexibility and joint mobility here, but there has never been a problem with this before now. Old injuries may be taking their toll. I have already ditched the barbell bench press in favor of the dumbells for similar reasons.

Anyway, I refuse to stop lifting weights and will just change the way I do things. I'm hoping that the use of the Top Squat device will enable me to keep squatting and making progress.

It's a good thing I'm in this for the long haul, 'cause it just might take longer than I thought!

03-29-08 03:10 PM - Post#426057    

An alternative Squat exercise would be to elevate yourself on some cinder blocks and use the 'ol Romanian Hip Blaster or whetever they call it. The instructions for making it are on this site and is made of pipe from a hardware store. Costa abouy $5 or $ 10 and like 5 minutes to make.

Someone put a Diesel Crew video up recently to show how the exercise is done. The fella in the video is doing it with an IronHorse Harness from PDA though!! Simple you just hold onto the hip blaster and squat. ;>)

Age: 59

03-29-08 04:06 PM - Post#426080    

Topsquat worked for me, to allow me to squat when I could not get even close to the correct position without it. I worked on the shoulders and kept using Topsquat and after a couple years, returned to being able to do regular squats. Watch the video Dave has on the Topsquat page - moving the hands up and down as you go through the squat motion makes a huge difference.

jej