Subject: RE: Dealing with neck pain/injury and squats -- help? Practising the front squat form would be the best, it takes a while to get used to but within a month or two of doing it consistently you should be able to load the front squat to 80-90% of your back squat. It would probably be easier if you found an olympic weightlifting coach to specifically teach you the correct form for front squats too.
If you cant do that and putting the bar lower down your back doesnt help then see if your gym has a safety bar squat this is a bar that has handles and an (optional but maybe useful in your case ) pad and it can be used in the front squat position or back squat position and will make both lifts more comfortable.
Another option is to do weighted pistol squats or goblet squats, they're not as good for building strength but if you really have problems with your neck (and cervical herniations are harder to do and more serious when they do happen than lumbar herniations then they might be an option.
Last but not least doing deadlifts with a snatch grip or with a regular grip but from a deficit (standing on a box so the bar is lower to your feet ) requires getting your hips lower and thus your quads more into the lift if you cannot squat at all.
Single leg pressing is ok too |