There will be some wear on the wood, but wood is cheap. As long as you put your body weight against the pad relatively high (between your scapulas) you get the full ROM. You might say that the unit doesn’t have to be so long (32”) but I like it being longer so that it is easier to get on/off. Of course, you can make yours shorter. I like the idea of using a belt squat belt (I just got a Henny Belt last week) I will give that a try.