The front squat is a great exercise, but it presents challenges. Using a clean style grip is almost impossible for anyone with shoulder, elbow or wrist problems. And most lifters lack the necessary flexibility in these joints anyway. This grip also requires external rotation of the Humerus (upper arm bone) stressing the shoulder joint and causing even more limits on flexibility. The crossed arm grip has downsides too. It causes more crush to the shoulders and it's harder to keep the bar from rolling back into the throat, or down the arms. With either grip the bar can rest on the collar bone, press down on the sternum and cause the lifter to run out of breath long before leg strength. The Sting Ray buffers the load on the front of the shoulders by increasing the surface area of the bar over 1600% plus it lifts the bar off the collar bones to allow unrestricted breathing. And, like our Manta Ray, the Sting Ray has been made in the USA for over 25 years and is made of a high tech polyurethane polymer for years of trouble free service.
Bar Size Info:
Easy to use. Snap both sides (they are marked Right and Left) onto the bar to keep it centered on every set. Fits anywhere from the 1" (25.4mm) home gym bar up to the larger standard Olympic bars, which are 1-1/16" to 1-1/8" (or 25.4mm to 30mm). Some equipment manufacturers have started making their bars much larger, trying to do what the Sting Ray does, increase the surface area. You can determine your bar size by wrapping a cloth tape measure around your bar (or use a piece of paper and lay it flat to measure) and the device can be forced onto a bar just over 4" in circumference (101.6mm). It will not fit a 1-1/4" (32mm) or larger bar.
