The cambered squat bar is an excellent variation to a straight bar for several reasons. First, because of the camber of the bar, there's more stress on your posterior chain and less on your upper back. Because your hands are near your waist when squatting, it's very difficult to squeeze your upper back. This will force you to keep your middle and upper back arched.
Second, the cambered squat bar is great to relieve stress on your shoulders. With a straight bar, your shoulders are held statically in an external rotation. This stress can be grueling for a larger lifter and those wishing to increase their bench press.
Finally, the cambered squat bar requires you to remain extremely tight when you squat. This is because the weight tends to swing forward and back when lifting. The box height can vary when using this bar: below parallel, parallel, or several inches above. A close to medium stance is used when using the cambered squat on max effort day.
Training Mistakes
• Rocking on the box. Sit solid, pause for one second, and squat up.