is it a poor core is holding me back

GERMAN ROCKS

I don't do squats or deadlifts just because i never got the right hang of them and was afraid of fecking myself up.

Anyway for legs would do lunges, leg press (260kg on it for 3-4 sets of 12) and leg curls with machines, calf raises etc.

then last week did a chest workout and a friend entered the gym and was warming up doing squats warming up with no weight on the bar but just the 20kg bar itself. anyway as i was finished up and talking to him i jumped in and i was worn out after 10 reps with nothing on the board. Now i am on a bulk but was wondering how was i so hopeless. now i know i was after a full chest and arm workout but i didn't expect i would be that bad. Is it all down to never exercising the core which i don't?

Hanley

Nope. In that situation it's almost certainly not your core that was the problem.

...that's not to say it might not be the issue. Just that what you did wouldn't indicate it.

GERMAN ROCKS

Hanley wrote: »

Nope. In that situation it's almost certainly not your core that was the problem.

...that's not to say it might not be the issue. Just that what you did wouldn't indicate it.

it just felt that it was the core area which is holding me back and when I say core I mean the layer of fat which covers it which seemed to make them hard

Mellor

GERMAN ROCKS wrote: »

it just felt that it was the core area which is holding me back and when I say core I mean the layer of fat which covers it which seemed to make them hard

A layer of fat isn't going to cause the issue you describe either. You core wasn't giving out with a 20kg bar.

Most likely you simply struggled because you never squat. Mobility issues, motor pattern, etc.

Todd Toddington III

I used to hate squats but suffered through them for ages. It's only in the past couple of months that I've actually begun to enjoy squating. Op, take up squats and dls as part of your training regime. Get a Pt to show you proper from and you'll be grand. Two best lifts you can do imo.

deadlybuzzman

Is it really a surprise that you're bad at something that you yourself said you don't do?
If you want to get better at something do it more often, that applies to almost everything.
I thought my own squat was ok and then I went from squatting once a week to 3 times a week ( as part of a planned programme not my own random thing) and my squat took a pretty good jump aprox +20%
Part of that was because to complete the prescribed reps I had to push myself really hard but also I definitely benefited from just practicing squatting over and over.
You can to leg extentions till the cows come home but they'll never make you strong. Squatting on the other hand will

LuckyLloyd

I hated squats, I got tendinitis and couldn't squat, I battled with squats, then I started to enjoy squats once I had the mobility to do them properly and regularly, then I started to push hard on squats to get stronger at them, now I hate them again...because they're heavy and hard.

It's the exercise that is the most beneficial though imo. To squat proficiently to depth under load you need to have very good mobility, be able to brace yourself well and have good trunk strength generally. And every step forward you make squatting contributes to the improvement of those elements.

To put it another way, if you can get to the point where you can squat well, you will probably be able to Deadlift and Press well also so can confidently build your training around the most useful compound exercises.

Transform

GERMAN ROCKS wrote: »

it just felt that it was the core area which is holding me back and when I say core I mean the layer of fat which covers it which seemed to make them hard

whut!!!

Transform

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

I hated squats, I got tendinitis and couldn't squat, I battled with squats, then I started to enjoy squats once I had the mobility to do them properly and regularly, then I started to push hard on squats to get stronger at them, now I hate them again...because they're heavy and hard.

It's the exercise that is the most beneficial though imo. To squat proficiently to depth under load you need to have very good mobility, be able to brace yourself well and have good trunk strength generally. And every step forward you make squatting contributes to the improvement of those elements.

To put it another way, if you can get to the point where you can squat well, you will probably be able to Deadlift and Press well also so can confidently build your training around the most useful compound exercises.

all of this ^^^

IMO leg press is an accessory exercise to squatting NOT a primary lift unless there's an injury in play

BrokenArrows

Squatting is easier to get right then dead lifts.
I enjoy squats but still struggle with not rounding my back for the deadlift.

If you're able to do a 20kg bar then do your 10 reps. Next week do it with 30kg, next 35, 40 etc.

You're not going to go from 20 - 100+ in an instant.

I was out of the gym for 2 years. Just got back 2 months ago and started squatting again.

Day 1 in the gym i was doing 60kg. Ive always had strong legs.
two months later im doing 110kg. I could probably do more but squats hurt. haha.

Squatting really does take a lot out of the body. If you hit it hard you will really feel it immediately.

Mellor

BrokenArrows wrote: »

Squatting is easier to get right then dead lifts.
I enjoy squats but still struggle with not rounding my back for the deadlift.

You can't really state that one is easier than the other, its a highly personal preference. Some are more predisposed to one than the other.

And that said, there could be a error equal to back rounding in deadlifts that you don't realise is happening.