Squat Sponge Blue 18" Long, 3.5” Diameter & 1.25" Thick Olympic Barbell Pad

I am a recreational (amateur) bodybuilder. As part of my overall body workout and physical conditioning I include a day to exercise and give my legs a good and complete workout. Needles to say squat is the king (or queen?) of any decent and comprehensive workout for legs. I try to squat as heavy as I safety can, and I needed something to protect my shoulders and back from bruises caused by putting a bar with heavy weight while squatting. I tried the protection pads that are half inch or so in thickness. Those pads are good, but not good enough to protect your shoulders/traps/back and neck from get a bruise and pain. I decided to get this product and after several months of using it I am pleased and happy. This product protects your shoulders/traps and back from bruises and also makes very comfortable to squat with heavy weight. Due to the thickness of the pad you don't feel the bar hurting your shoulders/traps/neck/back. However I should say that you need to get used to use this pad. It is so thick that you have to be very careful where exactly you position the bar over your traps/shoulders. While using less thick pads it is easy to feel exactly where in your shoulder/back you are resting the bar. with this pad since it is way to thick you have to be careful and be sure where exactly you are resting the bar. I recommend start using this pad with light weight to get used to the feel and thickness of the pad and gradually increment the weight until you reach the maxim load you are able to squat. It is extremely comfortable to the point you focus in your form and not on the pain or discomfort of the bar hurting your shoulders/traps or back.

I needed something to pad my hip bones for Hip Thrusts off the floor and this is incredible.It has the perfect amount of padding and the right density to handle heavy weights. The "cutout" in the middle of the pad is perfect to transfer the weight to the pelvis/ hip bones and away from the public bone as well.I tried the Airex Balance Pad first upon the recommendation of "The Glute Guy" Bret Contreras. While it's a good product, it's not the best for Hip Thrusts and it's hard to seat in the right space and even harder to balance with loaded barbells (the Airex Balance Pad that is). I've also tried the Valeo Barbell Pad, but that lacks thickness, density, and length to cover the hip bones during hip thrusts.The Squat Sponge is a great balance of all variables and perfect for Hip Thrusts.

I truly love this squat sponge because it serves the purpose to alleviate any pain caused by the barbell when doing squats. The only drawback is the opening (the gap in the sponge) should be a bit more tight.

It really is comfortable and feels great on your shoulders, but for heavy squats it felt too unstable. I do low bar squats. If you use Converse or Adidas AdiPower shoes during squats for more stability, you'll know what I mean. Tried it on my heaviest squat set and it threw me off to the point I had to take it off to finish. I think it is probably great for hip thrusts. Still a good pad. Maybe a newer release will make them more dense.

This is the best bar pad I have ever used. It's very comfortable and will definitely up your game. I started using one in a gym I was a member of a few years ago, then moved to a new area (and new gym) that didn't have this pad. I ended up getting my own to use. I still workout at my old gym occasionally and the pad there is still in good shape (I figure it must be 2-3 years old and getting way more use on a daily basis than mine will ever see since I am only using mine twice a week). I am expecting many, many years of use out of this. I have been lifting for 15+ years (off occasionally for a year here and there ;), but who doesn't take a break now and then)

The squat sponge is the best squat pad out there. i ordered the squat sponge on saturday, and got it on monday(1/19/2015). I started using it on wednesday, and the benefits of this product was excellent. The squat sponge is like a cushioned pillow for your neck,and shoulders. it got rid of the pain I normally feel on my neck and shoulder blades when i do the squat. This product allows you to do the squat properly and makes doing squat to be more enjoyable.

To small doesn't fit on bar properly causing the bar to roll out of cushion. A good idea just poorly executed. Also way over priced.

Update: After a few months of moderate use, the squat sponge has developed various longitudinal cracks on the inside. It no longer stays on the bar. I had to duct tape the inside to prevent the pad from completely splitting. So it's a nice idea, but the durability is terrible. I downgraded from 5 to 2 stars. (The original review follows.)The squat sponge is nice thick and cushy compared to a regular pad, and makes positioning the bar correctly for back squats easy. I was holding the bar too high on my back, and abusing my neck as a result. Plus, the notch in the middle makes lining up the bar side to side foolproof. I also love it for glute bridges. It stays on the bar well for me. I'm a little suspicious about long-term durability--it may be compressing slightly already, but all pads compress with the extreme psi they're exposed to. I'll update if it fails prematurely. But so far so good.