Erm....Squats anyone?

davyjose wrote:

Perhaps, to be honest I can't really remember; just realised that at the time I was squatting in a Smith Machine - perhaps that makes a difference?

Ohhh.. yeah, they're 2 completly different exercises.

Transform wrote:

Guys you are all completely missing the point in regards to squats.

The squat (as i learned from going to see Charles Poliquin) can be used as an assessment tool to check where and what you need to work on



If you are bowing forwards as you squat your erectors need work - massage and strengthening

I don't really agree with this. I thought the squat was a leg exercise, not an assesment tool.

And I also wouldn't really agree that if you're going forwards then your erectors need work.

At least in my experience goign forward's caused by 3 things;
1) bad form
2) weak core
3) weaker legs than erectors (hence the hips shoot up and you GM the weight up cos the erectors are strong enough to do this, but the legs aren't).

Whatcha think?

Transform wrote:

1- what is bad form exactly? How is it caused?

2- Agreed but when you get someone to do a squat with no weight and no bar then a weak core does not come into it

3 - can also be caused by ankle and calf tightness and again refer back to point 2

All i know is that i can now get more people squatting safely as a result of a sqaut assessment and through working on single leg movements so they can squat properly as its such an important exercise

I didn't realise you were takling about GETTING someone to sqaut. I thought you meant fixing problems when people are using weight.

1) Bad form = leading up with your hips rising faster than your shoulders. Ideally leading out of the hole with your chest and head means you won't be in danger of losing the bar forward at any stage.

2) miscommunication!!

3) Agreed

Good stuff.

First things first, ditch the shoes and get something with a harder sole to squat in if you can. As you progress up in weight the soles of those shoes are gonna get really squidgy, I know they're good for running, but less than optimal for squatting.

Get the box in the squat rack out of the way. Why is it there?? You need to be able to get your hips under the bar and stand straight up with it to unrack it when the bar starts to get heavy or it's just gonna pull you forward and make your chest drop.

Also, with the unrack, I count 9 foot movements I think. It's just wasted enegy. No more than 4, a step back with each foot and an adjustment if needed (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL_dl4w52XM)

Now... onto the lift it self...

It's actually pretty good. Just a few things I picked up on;

-You're breaking at your knees first which is pushing them way forward. Again, watch the vid i linked above, the first movement comes from the hips breaking and "sitting back" (like you would onto the toilet) as the knees are forced out.

-You're dropping too fast. I used to dive-bomb like you, but found it was hard to keep good position on it. Some guys can get away with it but they generally have cores made out of solid granite and have years of experience (look at the top oly lifters for this!). I think you should slow it down a bit. Not super slow, just more controlled.

-You're going TOO deep, which is probably why you're back's rounding out. Looking at the vid it gets worse and worse as you go deeper. Just a bit below parrallel is sufficinet imo.

-I tell this to pretty much EVERYONE I see squat, but it's worth saying again, you need to force your elbows forward. As if you're trying to rotate them forward of the bar. It'll cause alot of stress on the shoulders at first so take it easy and don't push it too hard. The reason for doing it is it'll pop your chest up and keep your upper bakc arched which without fail leads to better squatting.

Some points to consider... hope they help.

Btw, as a final point; If you want to squat more, then squat more. Nothing'll help you more than that.