Traps, the Bar, and You

Q

quadancer

New Member
I've been a carpenter most my life, biker, sailor (USGC), mechanic, and assorted other hats. I can take a punch, a hammer hit, a fall, or slamming into a tree off a dirt bike.
But what I can't even take is a squeeze to the traps. I have a Manta Ray and am probably one of the 1/1000 it was built for, but getting into PL'ing has me wanting to bear the bar since the Manta isn't allowed in comps, and I might wanna go play with the big boyz one day.
I've loaded my squat rack at home with 315 and have started just doing walkouts with it for as long as I can stand, which isn't very long at all. I tried 405 today and was scared to unrack it, it hurt so bad.
I'm working the Korte 3x3 with the naked bar okay, but it's only past week 2 at 235 for the 8 sets. I put it low as possible on the traps as my stiff shoulder joints will allow, and I think it's where it should be.

Should I continue with the walkouts to get ready for the heavy portion of next month? Or is there something else I can do to deaden the nerves up there? (NovaCaine comes to mind...)
Anyone else have this problem?
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Are you making a shelf with your scapula and resting the bar on it?

There are some shrug techniques that can build up the traps just for squatting. I think the hiss shrug is one of them.

So long as the pain isn't due to something in the spine I'd say try the walkouts.
 
My traps exploded long ago when I started doing real power shrugs. Yes, low bar only, and it's probably just that I have more nerves in that area, like some guys have in the hands, or wherever. Feels like a stab in the back over 300 lbs., but it's not skeletal; more spread out.
Goldmill at Clutch suggested wrapping a towel on the bar at first. I envy the guys who are dead in that area.

Hey, did you like the 'toon I made for you?
 
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(quadancer @ Sep. 03 2009,7:43)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I'm working the Korte 3x3

Should I continue with the walkouts to get ready for the heavy portion of next month?</div>
In my (admittedly very limited) experience, the heavy, second part of Korte's 3x3 is much easier than the first, multi-rep part. You're going from 40 reps three times a week to nine light reps twice a week. The really heavy lifting is (only) two reps, once a week

That's not gonna make your shoulders feel any better, but it's not going to be the same sort of long, grueling workout that Korte has gotten you used to.
 
I'll look forward to it, but still want to get the back conditioned for the bar. Funny, my weight shot up a few pounds, but my stomach is harder than ever. Squats and deads at 3x/wk is definitely doing the deed.
Now I didn't say I lost the fat...just got harder. And I noticed today that the first set of squats was rough, but by the last one, I could barely feel the bar pain, so there is hope here if I warm up enough. I still don't know what it will be with the bigger weights though. Working 245 isn't that much weight to me, but squats are now my worst exersize for several reasons, all pain-related.
On the upside, my bench is now at 255x6 for the 8 sets with rigid form. Surely my max will come up on this.
 
Trapcheck1.jpg

I look like crap, and the bar is much higher than it feels. I thought I had it down where it belonged, and the elbows aren't letting me drop any more...unless I go super wide, but I doubt I'll be able to handle the weight that way.
After seeing this, I wanna go eat some ice cream. Scrooit.
 
The cartoon was funny. Thanks quad!

Looking at your pic I just had a thought: what about using an alternative bar design? Like a cambered bar or the ones with shoulder mounts and padding all over?
 
Well, I consider it a possibility to compete if I don't knot up into a ball from Arthur, or turn to a bowl of painful mush. I'm doing competition form on all lifts and and reworking anything that resembles gymrat technique.
Today I squatted with the hands outside the rings and that dropped the bar down to a definitive &quot;edge&quot; or shelf that seems like the bottom. But now I have to scar that area, since it's virgin territory. Slightly less painful than the traps though.
I tried some suggested squat shrugs, but that was unbelievably painful. No ROM either.
sad.gif
 
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