Barbell on a rackPhoto: Valerii__Dex (Shutterstock)

This goes to the beginner lifters out there who squat and sit on the bench but never feel as stable as the experienced lifters in the next rack. While your form might need a little work (and you could probably benefit from it Squat shoes) there’s something else you probably overlooked: the height of the hooks on the rack.

The hooks, of course, hold the bar while you load it and get ready to lift. Let’s talk about the squat rack first: you’ll likely set up the hooks so the bar is somewhere shoulder level. Then get under the bar with your knees slightly bent and straighten your legs to stand up so the bar is on your back. Then take a step or two back from the rack and start crouching.

Here’s how to know if the hooks are set incorrectly: If you have to shrug your shoulders as you step back, they are too high. If you get on your tiptoe, it’s too high. If you sometimes scratch or hit the bar against the lip of the hook as you step back, you are too high. If you use even one brain cell to ponder whether any of these things could happen during your strike, they are too high. Oh, and if you shrug your shoulders or tiptoe while you put the bar back on the rack, that counts too.

Why it matters

If the hooks are too high, you will have to shrug your shoulders or tiptoe to get off the bar. This is unsafe (and at least annoying) when you have a heavy bar on your back. That’s a problem.

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If the hooks are too low, all you have to do is bend your knees a little more to get under the bar in the first place. This is not a problem.

How to find the right height

As you approach the rack to do squats, take a minute to place the bar on your back. Get up with it. (Imagine doing your top set and it’s really hard.) When it almost hits the hooks, remove the bar and bring the hooks down a notch or two. Remember, there is no real disadvantage if the hooks are too low.

Most racks allow you to rotate and pull them J cups to move them. On some types of squats, there may be a post that moves up and down with a pin or lever. Others just have a series of solid hooks and you put the bar in the position you feel right in. If any of these hooks or holes are numbered, write the number down in your training diary (or write it down on your phone or whatever works) so that you can set it up quickly next time.

If you and a partner are working together and are of different heights or preferences, put the bar on the option below. So if Susie is 5’2 “and Timmy is 6’0” and they are both preparing to crouch on the same 300 pound bar, the hooks should be at Susie’s height and Timmy just needs to bend his knees a little more to get set up. The alternative would be to put the hooks too high for Susie, which is unsafe for her.

This also applies to the bench press

There are few things sadder than watching a new lift carefully set up for you Bench pressThey tuck their shoulder blades under themselves and set up a real arch. Then they ruin everything by reaching up to a pole that is too high.

The problem is the same as with squats, and the warning signs are similar: when you straighten your elbows with your hands in your preferred grip and your shoulders are still packed under you and you can’t clean the lip of the hook that is the bar too high. Same goes if you need to take a tighter grip than you prefer. As I mentioned beforeI spent an embarrassing time (in hindsight) sitting on the bench with too tight a grip because, as a beginner, it never occurred to me that I could lower the bar and place my hands wider.

Again, unless you have trouble taking the bar off the hook to start your lift, there is no real disadvantage in setting it too low. If this happens, ask a friendly lifter nearby to give you a handover. (This is a similar interaction as if you were Ask them to discover you, but if you just want a first handover and no space, just say so.)

Some gyms come with just a few hooks for each bank station or squat rack, which can be annoying but is rarely an insurmountable problem. Take the time to examine your options: Does one of the benches have fewer hooks than the others? Could the low hook actually turn out to be perfect? Experiment and see.

And if you hold onto a particular hook because you don’t know how to adjust the rack, ask for help. Learning the pros and cons of your equipment is good and no one whose opinion is worth anything will judge you for it.