I was squatting in the high 300s and low 400s for reps earlier in the summer to parallel and I used the pad occasionally. It really comes down to if you are in the mood for feeling the steel. Sometimes it's good to feel the weight on your back and sometimes it's annoying.
yeah, i agree with that. If you're training with a partner, getting all pumped up, going for max, etc, feeling the pain from the bar would def help.
me... I put on the mp3 player and try to be as mellow as possible. high adrenaline = a high cortisol spike when it crashes. I'd rather just plug away seriously for an hour then have an insane 15 minutes then be worn out.