Squatting with Limited Shoulder ROM

Why It Matters

These adaptations enable aging or injured athletes to continue progressive resistance training, preserving mobility and reducing long‑term healthcare costs.

Key Takeaways

• Custom handles let limited‑ROM clients maintain low‑bar squat
• Forward‑positioned grips prevent bar roll when shoulders restrict
• Straps enable high‑bar squats for clients with shoulder/hip issues
• Progressive loading and programming mitigate arthritis‑related pain during training
• Adaptive equipment preserves strength training for older or injured lifters

Summary

The video from Witchaw Falls Athletic Club demonstrates how coaches adapt squat technique for clients with limited shoulder range of motion, using custom equipment and modified cues.

Coach Rusty shows Phil using aluminum handles that shift his hand position forward, allowing a low‑bar squat despite neck and shoulder bony changes; Carmen demonstrates a client with arthritis and bilateral hip replacements using straps, a higher bar placement, a close grip, and a lighter 22‑lb bar for control.

Notable quotes include “You can still get them to do these movements” and “We want them to lift like the book, but adapt when necessary,” underscoring the emphasis on scapular retraction, careful loading, and pain‑free depth.

The broader implication is that trainers can preserve strength programming for older or injured populations through simple, low‑cost modifications, reducing dropout risk, supporting functional independence, and avoiding unsafe improvisations.

Original Description

What do you do when injuries and structural changes make it so that holding the bar in the squat is limiting? Rusty and Carmen show a couple options they use so that clients can still train the squat.