How are you getting your elbows so far back? I must have shit for flexibility but I can’t imagine being able to get them back like MM is saying.
Nice squatting.
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
squats are looking better.
a few things-
-you are pushing the elbows forward when the weight starts to get in front of you. once the weight gets near a max attempt, that won’t help. it will be too late at that point. you need to keep the weight over your hips the entire time. the way to do that is to have complete control over that weight throughout the entire set. trying to constantly regroup throughout the set will eventually catch up with you.
-your knees are rolling in on you. this happens because the weight gets in front of you and your quads move in to “catch” the weight. this is a side effect of letting your form slip and the weight gets out in front of you.
here are my suggestions.
-In my opinion, you are rushing the reps. treat all weight as if it’s the same. I like the saying- “lift light weight like its heavy and heavy weight like it’s light”
I’m going to walk you through my mental checklist as i squat.
-I walk up to the bar and repeat in my head a phrase that always gets me going.
-I set my hands and then pull myself under the bar and force it as low on my traps as i can.
-I then set my feet under the bar as if i’m going to squat it out of the rack. I take a deep breath and hold it. I then stand up, take one step back with each feet.
-I then exhale and take another deep breath.
-To prepare for the decent, I force my head back into the bar, pull my elbows down under the bar which forces me into a tight arch with my chest high.
-As i start my decent I force my knees out and and continue forcing them out until i feel my elbows graze my thighs. That’s my cue to know i’ve hit depth.
-to ascend, I push out as hard as i can against my knees, force my elbows forward and flex my ass hard, trying to get the most forceful lockout that i can.
from watching your vids, your squat is more of an olympic squat. to move as much weight as possible, you need to keep that form as much like a piston as possible ( up and down). there can’t be any of the forward and backward motion. the perfect power squat has the bar going directly up and down over the hips.
get those elbows down under you and keep them there. force those knees out and keep forcing them out as hard as you can on the way down. this will build resistance in the hips. if done correctly, your decent should be slow and controlled. you should also have a pop out of the bottom. [/quote]
Thanks again for the help. The small adjustments I made yesterday made an incredible amount of difference coming out of the hole. I’m squatting again tomorrow night.
Should I keep working to force the bar lower on my traps?
If you look where my elbows are when I start ascending out of the hole, should I have them in that position from the start? Almost perpendicular to the floor?
You said my squat is more of an olympic style. Do you mean because of the positioning of the bar? Would I be better served changing that as much as possible? If so, what should I do besides forcing the bar lower?
The knees caving is an issue I’ve been battling since I started squatting. Believe it or not, what you’re seeing is a vast improvement. Last fall I spent hours and hours in the gym squatting light weights just pushing my knees apart. I suspect it will be an on-going issue that I will need to continually focus on.
I’m a big believer in time spent repeating a motion so it becomes part of your muscle memory. It’s kind of like when you learned to drive a car. There are so many things to focus on at one time that it is difficult. However, over time, with practice, your body takes over.
The problem is correcting entrenched problems like bar position.
I just ordered a pair of Rehband knee sleeves. Yay, I really liked them.
Tonight I’m making cut offs out of some old capri-style training pants that i don’t wear because they’re dopey. Is it just me or are all the shorts super tiny?
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I used to always mess up my sets and reps when I was doing the 10 second pauses too. It’s something about keeping more than 2 numbers in my head that gets me every time.
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I found that the mobility excercise where you are on your elbows and knees and you raise one arm up above your head helped a lot with loosening up my shoulders before squating. If I don’t do these, it hurts to hold onto the bar correctly.
-I suffer from the knees coming in too. I read the squat disfunction article from the other day by Mike Robertson and I’ve decided to do some squats with bands around my knees, focusing on driving my knees apart. I did them yesterday and they felt pretty good. We will see if it helps at all tomorrow when I squat heavy.
-THANKS Maurader Meat. Your checklist is very helpful. I never knew to pull my head back into the bar and my elbows down before the descent.
[quote]sbmart2 wrote:
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I used to always mess up my sets and reps when I was doing the 10 second pauses too. It’s something about keeping more than 2 numbers in my head that gets me every time.
-
I found that the mobility excercise where you are on your elbows and knees and you raise one arm up above your head helped a lot with loosening up my shoulders before squating. If I don’t do these, it hurts to hold onto the bar correctly.
-I suffer from the knees coming in too. I read the squat disfunction article from the other day by Mike Robertson and I’ve decided to do some squats with bands around my knees, focusing on driving my knees apart. I did them yesterday and they felt pretty good. We will see if it helps at all tomorrow when I squat heavy.
-THANKS Maurader Meat. Your checklist is very helpful. I never knew to pull my head back into the bar and my elbows down before the descent.
[/quote]
This is all going to be much harder than walking and chewing gum. I don’t know how Court manages it.
One meat’s check list he talks about forcing the head back you are pushing your chin up and this also causes the upper back to round, very common mistake. If you force your chin down and your head back it will help you keep your elbows forward. This was a huge key for me.
The last set on your video, it looked really good IMHO. The bar looked lower each set too.
Meat… you are freakin’ amazing. Thanks for lettin’ us inside your head. A little weird and deviant sometimes, but cool.
Ouro… I took an internet poll, concensus is you are to keep the shorts, and to also provide video of next time you do SLDL’s.
Don’t blame me… blame the web.
[quote]Free2Be wrote:
One meat’s check list he talks about forcing the head back you are pushing your chin up and this also causes the upper back to round, very common mistake. If you force your chin down and your head back it will help you keep your elbows forward. This was a huge key for me.[/quote]
I was trying the chin thing last night but really wasn’t getting it. I’ll be focusing more on it tomorrow. When i try to push my chin in, my back rounds so I’m not doing it right.
I’m sitting here in my office like an ostrich pulling my head and chin in and out. I’m glad the door shuts.
Took a poll on the net regarding your shorts, consensus is that they are to stay.
The masses also suggested and demanded that they be worn the next time you do SLDL’s, and that the session be videotaped and aired.
Just passing on the info and the demands… don’t blame me… blame the web.
edit this is not a double post… one from me, one from some 18 year old… 
[quote]bunny7568 wrote:
Took a poll on the net regarding your shorts, consensus is that they are to stay.
The masses also suggested and demanded that they be worn the next time you do SLDL’s, and that the session be videotaped and aired.
Just passing on the info and the demands… don’t blame me… blame the web.
edit this is not a double post… one from me, one from some 18 year old… :)[/quote]
I don’t do a ton of SLDLs. What about good mornings? If I wear them for those I wonder what the chances are of getting an 18 year old in my pants like you have in yours. I’m a funny, funny wench
Seriously, I’m still thinking about the 18 year old in your pants. My mind went in 10 different directions at once.
[quote]ouroboro_s wrote:
Free2Be wrote:
One meat’s check list he talks about forcing the head back you are pushing your chin up and this also causes the upper back to round, very common mistake. If you force your chin down and your head back it will help you keep your elbows forward. This was a huge key for me.
I was trying the chin thing last night but really wasn’t getting it. I’ll be focusing more on it tomorrow. When i try to push my chin in, my back rounds so I’m not doing it right.
I’m sitting here in my office like an ostrich pulling my head and chin in and out. I’m glad the door shuts.[/quote]
Stand back against the wall, butt, shoulders and head touching the wall. Tuck your chin keeping all three (butt, shoulders, head) against the wall and don’t arch your lower back. Do this for high reps and with the chin tucked press your neck into the wall, relax, repeat for sets of 15 or so. This might be a mobility/flexibility issue.
[quote]Free2Be wrote:
ouroboro_s wrote:
Free2Be wrote:
One meat’s check list he talks about forcing the head back you are pushing your chin up and this also causes the upper back to round, very common mistake. If you force your chin down and your head back it will help you keep your elbows forward. This was a huge key for me.
I was trying the chin thing last night but really wasn’t getting it. I’ll be focusing more on it tomorrow. When i try to push my chin in, my back rounds so I’m not doing it right.
I’m sitting here in my office like an ostrich pulling my head and chin in and out. I’m glad the door shuts.
Stand back against the wall, butt, shoulders and head touching the wall. Tuck your chin keeping all three (butt, shoulders, head) against the wall and don’t arch your lower back. Do this for high reps and with the chin tucked press your neck into the wall, relax, repeat for sets of 15 or so. This might be a mobility/flexibility issue.[/quote]
I just did it. I don’t think it’s a flexibility thing so much as a lack of understanding. When I did it, it definitely forced my chest out and my shoulders down.
[quote]ouroboro_s wrote:
Free2Be wrote:
ouroboro_s wrote:
Free2Be wrote:
One meat’s check list he talks about forcing the head back you are pushing your chin up and this also causes the upper back to round, very common mistake. If you force your chin down and your head back it will help you keep your elbows forward. This was a huge key for me.
I was trying the chin thing last night but really wasn’t getting it. I’ll be focusing more on it tomorrow. When i try to push my chin in, my back rounds so I’m not doing it right.
I’m sitting here in my office like an ostrich pulling my head and chin in and out. I’m glad the door shuts.
Stand back against the wall, butt, shoulders and head touching the wall. Tuck your chin keeping all three (butt, shoulders, head) against the wall and don’t arch your lower back. Do this for high reps and with the chin tucked press your neck into the wall, relax, repeat for sets of 15 or so. This might be a mobility/flexibility issue.
I just did it. I don’t think it’s a flexibility thing so much as a lack of understanding. When I did it, it definitely forced my chest out and my shoulders down.
[/quote]
EDIT: Didn’t write anything before I hit submit.
Awesome! I hope it helps you with the mind muscle connection. You could do this between sets or as a warm up.
Good thing your office door was closed when you did this… they would have had you comitted, lol!
I’m still using the topical fat burner on my ass/outer thighs. I had my daughter take a picture Apr. 23 (3 days use) and April 30 (10 days use). I’m taking pictures every week to track the effects.
I have to say that 14 year old girls generally don’t like taking photos of their mom’s asses. Go figure.
I’m also still taking Tribulus and haven’t sprouted a cock yet which is nice because my pants wouldn’t fit. However I’ve noticed that my skin has gotten very nice. It’s pink and glowing like I’m on perma ovulation.
Sorry if I missed this earlier in your log, but what topical fat burner are you using? I’ve heard good things about Napalm, but I’ve been waiting for Biotest to finally come out with theirs.
Julie, you always make me laugh!! 
[quote]ouroboro_s wrote:
I’m still using the topical fat burner on my ass/outer thighs. I had my daughter take a picture Apr. 23 (3 days use) and April 30 (10 days use). I’m taking pictures every week to track the effects.
I have to say that 14 year old girls generally don’t like taking photos of their mom’s asses. Go figure.
I’m also still taking Tribulus and haven’t sprouted a cock yet which is nice because my pants wouldn’t fit. However I’ve noticed that my skin has gotten very nice. It’s pink and glowing like I’m on perma ovulation.[/quote]
you can always pm them for evaluation-
I guess it could be proquid pro for the bacon pics.
but glowing skin is nice.
kmc
[quote]kmcnyc wrote:
ouroboro_s wrote:
I’m still using the topical fat burner on my ass/outer thighs. I had my daughter take a picture Apr. 23 (3 days use) and April 30 (10 days use). I’m taking pictures every week to track the effects.
I have to say that 14 year old girls generally don’t like taking photos of their mom’s asses. Go figure.
I’m also still taking Tribulus and haven’t sprouted a cock yet which is nice because my pants wouldn’t fit. However I’ve noticed that my skin has gotten very nice. It’s pink and glowing like I’m on perma ovulation.
you can always pm them for evaluation-
I guess it could be proquid pro for the bacon pics.
but glowing skin is nice.
kmc[/quote]
They’re on their way. You won’t be able to see, but I’m eating a bacon sandwich.
Glowing skin is lovely. I’ve got to say, the skin thing makes me feel very sexy. Most of my recent pictures on FB and the new one in my avatar have the nice skin.
[quote]ouroboro_s wrote:
I’m also still taking Tribulus and haven’t sprouted a cock yet which is nice because my pants wouldn’t fit. However I’ve noticed that my skin has gotten very nice. It’s pink and glowing like I’m on perma ovulation.[/quote]
Careful. I’ve heard stories where people have sprouted one on their nose… and it always happens right before a big date… or the prom.