These are much more comfortable then having a barbell laying on your shoulders, but is not as stable as their rear squat wing. I think they would be better in my case if my chest was wider.

Amazing product I love using it I can lift heavier because of this product made much easier. Very comfortable.

Best fitness device I have bought and most function device I've bought in years and thousands of dollars.

After hurting my lower back doing heavy back squats, I was extremely timid to do any kind of squatting. Not wanting to neglect my legs, and after realizing the leg press was worse for a bad back than squats, as well as good at giving me hip bursitis, I turned to front squats. I'm glad I did, as the squat is much more comfortable on my back, and really blasts my quads. The only issue was holding the darn bar during the exercise without feeling like my wrists were going to snap off or my throat would be crushed. Sure, one can develop flexibility in their wrists, but with achy wrists to begin with, and not having the body of a 20 year old, I really wanted to figure out a way to make this exercise work.Thankfully, the Sting Ray was invented for people needing an easy to use, more comfortable method of front squatting. I saw a MUCH more expensive device, which I'm sure is excellent, but not having the $250.00 to invest in one, and not having enough room in my gym back for something that nearly covers your entire torso, I was more than willing to spend $40.00 on the Sting Ray whether it actually worked or not.The Sting Ray is great! It makes you do the hands crosses method, but that is only to cap a little stabilization on the top of the bar. My wrists suffer no undue stress, and the bar no longer feels like it's going to roll off my shoulders or come rushing back into my adams apple. In addition to less pain in the hands and tops of my shoulders, I can now focus on the exercise, working on proper form instead of constantly trying to juggle the loaded bar. The two cups are also portable enough to throw in your gym bag.Thanks to the Sting Ray, the front squats have strengthened my core and allowed me to incorporate back squats into my leg routine again. I will say there is still a learning curve, but it's an extremely quick one. You'll still need to exercise proper form and keep your elbows and head up like before, but I find that MUCH easier to do when my wrists and fingers don't feel like they're about to snap off.As I said above, if I had a million dollars and a gym of my own, I would try the larger device for front squats, but for $40.00, I'm very happy with the Sting Ray, and feel, for me, it was an investment well spent.I hope this review helps those seeking an effective and pain-free way of being able to front squat.

Several months ago I began weight lifting. I had tried eating low fat, eating less, etc. etc. and I was getting nowhere. I was up to 280lbs, was tired all the time, and most scary of all was starting to lose effectiveness at work and at home. I didn't like where I was headed.Two books helped change that direction. I read and learned why eating right is such an uphill battle. Gaining the knowledge in that book really helped give me the motivation to eat right, as opposed to following fad diets. Of course, I write this review after eating a Thanksgiving feast that I will be full from for a month. I just had to work out tonight... more on that later.Then I read and I thought, YES! Natural movements based on movements we do in nature are very important to avoid injury, and building muscle mass is the only way to improve metabolism, because muscle is so metabolically expensive.One of the major exercises recommended in the "New Rules" is the squat. The squat works BIG muscles, and therefore the metabolic gains you get from building muscle through the squat reap huge benefits. I didn't have a squat rack, so when I began I was doing one dead lift and then lifting the bar over my head to begin the squat. This was fine for the first month or two as I was doing very low weight; I had to start with doing the bar only. However, as my weights have increased through various workouts (the squat or some variation is omnipresent in the "New Rules" no matter what new routine you are on)I began to have problems. Not in my legs or back mind you, but my wrists.I knew I was hurting myself picking the bar up over my head, so I bought a squat rack here at Amazon. Problem solved... for a month or two...Then I began to get more pain. Not in my legs or back (I am VERY careful about form and not overdoing it) but my neck and shoulders. It just hurt like heck to do the squats because of the bar on my neck and I really wasn't looking forward to them.Then I happened upon this little device: . I was contemplating buying the very expensive safer squat bar, but this looked so much more reasonably priced and from the reviews I read seemed effective. I had to give it a try.It worked great, and is made by the same company who makes this Sting Ray Stabilizer for the front squat.Since reading those two books, and putting the ideas into practice I have lost close to 30lbs. I have been lifting the whole time with rest periods built in between phases and have some hard places where I used to have soft and flabby places. That means I have built muscle mass, and that I have put on muscle weight, which means I have lost more than 30lbs of fat off my frame. Of course, I probably put 15 of that back on this afternoon. Turkey cooked in fat.... yum....I was doing GREAT until 2 weeks ago when the New Rules book took me to a new workout regimen. I took the week off as the book demanded, and moved to the "Fat Burn II" workout. The traditional squat was dropped in favor of the front squat.I read up on the form and tried it... once.Everything hurt, and not in a good way. My wrists bent backwards, my elbows up at an unnatural angle, the bar rolled into my throat and choked me. I was in PAIN. I tried to tweak my form and went to the bar only taking off all the weight plates until I got it right. It didn't help.I tried again and again. It was NOT working. I got scared and frustrated. After two months of solid success is this where I get off the wagon because I can't do this exercise?I knew this company had made the regular squat doable for me, and I LOVE the Manta Ray (see my review of it) so I just had to try this. I ordered it and waited with anticipation.It came in a few days ago, but I am busy with visiting relatives etc. Today I ate way too much, and I KNEW I had to work out tonight or risk falling off the wagon.I took my new Sting Ray Stabilizer downstairs to my gym and got to work. I am NOT disappointed.It is like NIGHT AND DAY. I can do front squats!!! And they feel good! My muscles hurt as opposed to my joints and my throat. This is an AMAZING little invention.Best yet, it is made in the USA (thank God some things still are!)This is not an exaggeration: I could not be successful without this company's amazingly simple yet very effective products. Two simple pieces of molded plastic. It is so easy. Yet so helpful and important. I can do FRONT SQUATS, and I can stick with my program.If I could give this inventor a hug I would (or maybe just buy him a beer? want to be manly)Thanks so much for this amazing product! I am now on Fat Burn II (the third different program in the New Rules) and I know I may have used the fact that I could not do the front squat to give up. This little product ROCKS.