Squat Problems

marathonic

Okay, well first off, I have to admit that I'm not yet squatting - no squat rack in my current gym. However, I will be switching gyms soon and will then be beginning Starting Strength.

I will be getting a Personal Trainer to show me the moves but, in order to have a good solid foundation and not waste money on a trainer unnecessarily, I am currently reading the Starting Strength book.

I have just completed the squats section and, just in my beginner mind, the only problem I see with my form is that I round my back when I get near, or below, parallel.

I believe this problem is primarily caused by tight hamstrings and/or calves.

Therefore, I'm considering getting a yoga belt and doing these stretches - hamstrings and calves after my daily cycle.

If any of you had similar problems, do you think this should resolve it and, if so, how long did this take for you? I'm thinking that a month of doing this daily should see significant progress.

cmyk

It could be a number of issues and doubtful anyone will be able to give you any solid advice without seeing you squat. Hamstring stretching and ankle mobilisation will possibly help you.

Try wall squats to help you understand how it should feel. Put your feet and nose almost touching against the wall, push your hips backward, the wall will stop your knees and head coming forward so it's pretty much a 'self limiting' drill. Do a few everyday, and try to sink a little deeper each time.

marathonic

Thanks for the advice. I'll try that too. I've just purchased the yoga belt from eBay as well as it's only 5 euro and, regardless of whether the hamstrings are the problem or not, it'll do no harm to do those stretches.

davyjose

Sounds like buttwink. Tight hips are usually the culprit. I tend to suffer from this myself. Keeping an eye on form helps. You need to concentrate on controlling your hips, abs, lower back and glutes as much as possible through the move, and in the meantime keep stretching out the hips and hammers. Repetition of good form is the key though.

I've seen some success with this, but on that fourth set, when i'm tired, old habits sometimes slip in.

jive

Sounds like you might have an issue with keeping your head up and chest out. If your head is up and your chest is out then your back won't round. At the top of the lift if you are looking slightly downwards it doesn't make much of a difference but the further you go down the further your back tends to round.

Try picking a spot on the wall above eye level and keep staring at it through the duration of the lift. At the top of the lift take a deep breathe and hold it in. Push your chest out so that your lower back is straight and just go straight down. This should prevent you from leaning too far forward which is probably causing the rounding of your back.

If the above doesn't fix your problem then try putting your weight on your heels as much as you can until you get used to the movement. Box squats are ideal for this

gymsoldier

No squat rack, no problem; Dumbbell Squats:

kevpants

Slight rounding of the back at the bottom is the most talked about but least serious squatting mistake to be honest. It really doesn't have much of a negative effect and plenty of good and experienced squatters have it to some degree.

Keep your upper back tight and chest out and make sure it's like that through the lift and you'll be alright.

I dunno if it's just a physiological thing that some people can't seem to not do it and some people don't ever do it. No one's ever convinced me of the dangers though so I'd say again not to worry too much about it, I'd be 99% sure you're going to do far more important things wrong once you get started.