[Vickie]

Ok, this is a little complicated because of the uniqueness of everyone's alignment. I will make a gross generalization but in my experience I have never worked with an avid golfer that didn't experience some shoulder displacement; i.e. misalignment. The ever prevalent anteriorly positioned gleno-humeral joint brings the shoulder blades (scapula) out of position and the upper thorasic vertebrae adapt with an exagerrated curve. Since the lumbar vertebrae are part of a chain of joint that correspond to the rest of the 27 joints comprising the spine, it, too, will adapt to the changes in the mechanical agreements; the cervicals adapt as well, we're just not focused on that at this moment.

Disclaimer: There will be people to whom this will not apply. There are also exceptions to everything so even if you can . . . it might not be a good idea for different reasons.

The best test to see if you are a candidate for back bar squats are as follows. If you can stand with an empty bar on your back (no weight plates), your hands around the bar about 6-12 inches from your shoulder, your elbows pointing down, directly toward the floor (not in the least pointed to the wall behind you), your head is lifted with no forward tilt, and you are relaxed completely in your body . . . you've passed the first test for the toughest exercise in fitness. You should be able to stand up straight with the bar across the trapezoid muscle above the shoulder blades not up on your neck not clipping the bones of the spine.

If you are unable to comply with all the criteria above you now have vertebrae that are no longer perfectly aligned to the vertebrae adjacent and the risk of disk compression and nerve impingement are unmeasurable present. The alignment issues that are represented by limited shoulder articulation should be addressed before you put put pressure on your spine. Front squats will actually address these issues and help to correct them. When you are standing under the bar (weightless) as above, cross your arms at shoulder level and grip the bar in front of your shoulders, your palms will face the shoulders. Now lift your elbows even with the shoulders and make three wishes. No really, let the bar sit on the meaty part of your shoulder at the top of the arm; not on your collar bone (clavicle). Since we are all different, your exact hand placement will be established when you are able to stand in this position with your chest to it's full breadth and your back is lifted and not rounded. Really, get an image of a genie granting a wish; just not the genie in the animated 'Aladdin' voiced over by Robin Williams, even 'I Dream of Jeannie' would be a better example just don't get too distracted.

If you qualify for back squats until you put weights on the bar then the muscles of your core just may not be strong enough to support that level of work. Reduce the weight to a level of challenge that doesn't also challenge the safety of your spine. Once you can do 12 reps with proper alignment at one weight level you can look at increasing the resistance. At the new weight you may find that you can only perform as few as six repetitions with perfect form and then on the seventh you begin to loose form, you are done with that set. Over the next workouts, as the rest of the muscles catche up to the work they have to provide you will see your repetitions come up and once you get to twelve it's time for more chllenge . . . that is if you want to keep increasing your fitness. If you compromise your form for emotional satisfaction of higher reps or manly weights you not only risk your spine but you strengthen the misappropriation of tensions and limit your progress. This is one of the primary reasons for plateaus; moving up in resistance so much that the stabilizers and secondary muscles cannot perform so you can never access the power of the muscle you are trying to develop.

Now there are a lot of ways the trainers, myself included, would manipulate this information based on the individual, their fitness level, training schedule, broader objectives, sport focus, and recovery capability (always driven by rest and nutrition). I use virtually the same exercises, at some point, with all of my clients but orchestration. application and delivery varies enough to make you wonder if, sometimes, it is true.

Hope that helps. Vik