[quote]mom-in-MD wrote:
squat press?
Did you mean leg press? [/quote]
I was wondering about that, too. How you squatted 150lbs and failed at 8, yet you could squat press 270lbs…
Squat press=leg press at a very slight incline. I think it’s a little easier.
As for squatting vs leg press- I think there’s more back and core involved in the first.
Also, I was leaning forward too much on the squats at the bottom and two inches out of the bottom is where I failed.
If there was one advantage of doing the tabata sets, it was that the speed made me find the easiest way of moving, which was not the way I’d previously been doing it.
thought squat press = thrusters
oh well…
[quote]Oleena wrote:
Squat press=leg press at a very slight incline. I think it’s a little easier.
As for squatting vs leg press- I think there’s more back and core involved in the first.
Also, I was leaning forward too much on the squats at the bottom and two inches out of the bottom is where I failed.
If there was one advantage of doing the tabata sets, it was that the speed made me find the easiest way of moving, which was not the way I’d previously been doing it.
[/quote]
Oleena’s right in that there is a squat press machine, but it basically interchangeable with the leg press. It is easier then the leg press and when people don’t take this into account, it is usually just an excuse for jackasses (refer to the infamous chain gym douchebag) to load to up and try to look strong. However, as far as form, I wouldn’t necessarily think it does anything to train the movement, so if the leg press is more of a challenge and the goal is to activate the quads, I would gear towards that. The whole machine strikes me as similar to the Smith (read devil), the hack squat, etc., where they restrict correct movement and limit the benefits acquired by a full range squat.
Oleena, there is absolutely no question whatsoever that the free form squat involves more core and back…well, if done correctly. Not sure if that was what you were referencing in squatting vs. leg press, but if that IS how it reads, then yes, yes it ABSOLUTELY does. If you feel that those things are not extremely engaged during your lift, I would recommend really training your squat set-up. Check out dejavued’s log…she showed some video and I tried as much as I could through typing, how she might improve her form. Now I am not any kind of master on the topic, but it is always helpful to hear what other people see. Form weaknesses are often unique to an individual’s body, but it always usually results in folding, knees jacking out, and superficial depth. Correct set-up is key in getting the wegde in your back, back tight, and stomach out. This will get you chest out and upper body straight just by default. If you want real critique, I would recommend posting videos so we can see.
Just hoping to be helpful.
shauna, feel free to be helpful on my log! 
Okay TMUSCLE, have at me. You know you want to 
Fine. Let’s try this:
Today’s workout:
bench press:
85x3
100x3
110x7
DB upright single arm chest press: 40lb dbsx2repsx3 sets (hillariously, I could do 6 reps two weeks ago. I guess the benching until exhaustion must have affected it.)
Bar dips: 10repsx3
And then 100 push-up burpees into pullups in 19:44<< I was very happy with this time, even though I just about threw up afterwards. I’m still feeling pretty good about it. Crossfit isn’t getting easier, but I do seem to be getting a little faster.
PS The videos are from my set of 7 at 155.
Damn that music sucks.
But good work, yer gettin’ pretty strong.
[quote]PB Andy wrote:
Damn that music sucks.
But good work, yer gettin’ pretty strong.[/quote]
This was not squat criticism.
We can’t see shit.
[quote]rcfromdb wrote:
We can’t see shit.[/quote]
All you can see is from the hips down, and I will get a better shot next time, but this is all I have to work with.
Well, the comment I’ve already received based on this video in real life is that I’m collapsing at the bottom and I need to hold my core tight at the very bottom, instead of letting go and shifting forward (knees).
It is kind of a crappy video. But your depth look greats. However, this form in particular looks like a quad dominate squat, meaning due to your stance and the folding motion the form takes, the majority of the weight and dominate force used to get up comes from the quads. The squat is meant to be a posterior chain dominate movement, meaning hams, glutes, lower back, and up through the spine.
From what the video shows, while your depth is good, the weight rests flat on your back in such a way that you folds down instead of staying straight up (imagine you are squatting back and down, while a string is pulling the top of your back up to be perpendicular to the ground). This is also affected by your stance, which is relatively narrow. Some people prefer that, but I do feel one can build up strength and form more efficiently through a wider squat. This then tends to make your knees jut forward farther than necessary. The more the knee stays perpendicular to the ground, the more the squat is grounded in the posterior chain. This is what make the squat absolutely dependent on stance, back tightness, ham and hip strength and flexibility, and pushing the knees out to “spread the floor with your feet.”
This all is what makes the squat an incredibly complicated movement. Honestly, it can take years to master it, not because the concepts of it are difficult to understand, but taking the training time to build up the hips and hamstrings. I am sure you have checked it out, but the more you can read on the squat, not just videos, is SO beneficial, at least it has been for me. Elitefts.com, stumptuous.com, powerlifting.com, Defranco training, many others, and the book Supertraining by Mel Siff. However, the most beneficial way to learn is to train with people who have experience. I am lucky enough to train with powerlifters who have perfect form (it’s like their knees don’t even move!). I am still a learner too.
Some people can remain content with squat form that is, well, incorrect. However, if one wants to seriously lift heavy weight, prevent injury, and build overall strength, learning correct form must be done. Achieving perfect form is my long term goal.
yes, core also. That, along with the hips and hams, are the most crucial areas to have developed. Both cbear and molly (mmbgal something something, sorry molly I forget) have squat videos…I am pretty sure? I forget if you have them on your logs.
Have you tried a belt? I don’t think you need them for real use unless you do heavier weight, but just to have it on will really help with showcasing breathing and pushing your belly out with air to form a solid core. If you back is tight, core is out, chest is up, shoulders back, and elbows into your body, this will set up the rest of the movement for you.
Also, you may look at videos where I have found many people keep the bar high on their neck. I prefer to have it lower almost resting on the backs of my tris (kind of I guess, not that low though). it is mostly back tightness which then keeps my chest out and back upright.
Just be wary of the videos or information you trust. A true squat is rare to find.
Shaunar25- Thanks for the advice. The bar is actually behind and slightly inferior to my shoulder girdle. It pretty much rests on my traps, which have blown up since I started performing the movement.
What I found was happening was that I was watching my hips in the mirror, and collapsing my core trying to get depth. When I focused on a steady point, and using proprioception instead of vision during my tabata sets, I was staying verticle and tight. Of course, I am no where near good. As always, a work in progress.
[quote]Oleena wrote:
PB Andy wrote:
Damn that music sucks.
But good work, yer gettin’ pretty strong.
This was not squat criticism.
[/quote]
sorry, can’t tell from the vids
Sorry about the poor video quality. There’s only so much you can do with a cell phone, and video taping is kind of illegal in my gym. I’ll try to get a better one next time.
Speaking of next time, I am taking a break from tmuscle until I pass the test for my third cert. Arguing online is a fantastic waste of time, and now I need to go pay for it.
I’ll probably be back in about a week. In the mean time, I’ll keep up this log on paper, and then post results, and probably another couple videos when I get back
what cert are you studying for?
Im doin group training and weight management…and going to school and being a Mom…you can still post! But good luck, and happy training!
[quote]mom-in-MD wrote:
what cert are you studying for?
Im doin group training and weight management…and going to school and being a Mom…you can still post! But good luck, and happy training![/quote]
Thanks! You’re quite the time manager!
I’m getting the ACE Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant certification- it specializes in psychology and obesity. I also had a life-changing realization about four days ago. I basically realized that I’d trailed off of career path which I was good at, and loved more than anything else I’d done, because of someone’s opinion. Granted, this person was a bit of a mentor, and I’ve spent most of my life taking good advice from the much older/experienced/educated persons I worked with, but sometimes you just have to do what makes you happy and say “fuck you” to anyone who tries to mess with that. (It’s a long story)
To summarize- I just spent the last 3 days applying to the best school in the state at which to finish out my degree in zoology.
I also realized that posting here is a huge motivation to keep after my training goals. In the last week:
Deadlifts:
193 max
145x5
165x3
185x8 then Christine (500m row, 12 bw deadlifts, 21 20â?? box jumps) in 14:50
It was this week that I figured out why you shouldn’t put OHP day after deadlifts:
OHP:
78 max
60x5
65x3
75x4
Even though this wasn’t a new rep pr, I’ve never lifted 170lbs, so getting 4 and 1/2 reps felt good.
Squats:
178 max
135x5
150x3
170x4 (on the fifth rep I got half way up and stalled. This was one of the weirdest experiences I’ve had in the gym to date. Basically, I kept pushing and pushing while it didn’t budge and I was about half-way up. Then, it was as if my CP pathway just short-circuited and was like “nope. No more energy for you” and I just sunk down to the bars. It didn’t feel like the weight overcame me, or my muscles couldn’t hold up; it simply felt like a power switch turned off.
Today:
Benchi:
119 max
90x5
100x3
115x1 (or however many I can bang out).
Wish me luck or try to piss me off. Either way, it will be more motivation than I feel right now.