[quote]alexus wrote:
I am jealous of how good your squats look since I still have trouble getting such a smooth descent.
Only thing I got is about sitting your butt back from the start (breaking from the hips) and then descending the rest of the way. I think you are losing your lumbar arch a bit at the bottom but not terribly badly.
Hard to describe… But if you imagine your butt to be curled back (like a scorpian’s tail) you can kind of sit down hard into your hip flexors. Not sure if this makes sense. Sometimes people can get the feeling by just descending into a relaxed squat then wiggling around trying to set their arch (curling the butt back and up) then really feeling tension in the hip flexors. That is what you want.
You have probably seen this:
Some of what he says is controversial. Most people think that it isn’t good to let the hips rise before the shoulders (goodmorning it up). Ripptoe seems to be endorsing that way of squatting here. Think I found something at one point… Where the idea seemed to be that most people don’t use hip drive properly on squats so he is focused on getting people learning to drive up with their hips from the get-go. Then LATER once people have mastered hip drive the coach can become more of a Nazi about not letting the person goodmorning it up.
Your squat is looking pretty good though. I bet you would find breaking from the hips (sitting the butt back from the start) much easier with some weight on the bar. In my own case, anyway, I can’t balance it very well (feel like I’m gonna can over backwards) until I’ve got around half my bodyweight on the bar. At that point balance seems to sort itself out.[/quote]
Hey you snuck in while I was doing my log, probably because I stopped to eat in the middle and forgot I was in the middle of posting. Lol
Yeah I was noticing that about the focus on driving with the hips first. I think to make sure to break at the hips I will be practicing box squats tomorrow as an accessory to the squat. Squats accessorizing the squats lol, I did that with my deadlifts the other day too. Which makes sense to me too as the accessories are supposed to improve the main lifts and I need practice.
[quote]ironcross wrote:
A sprint log turned to lifting. I can get on board with this.
Your squat looks amazing from both a form and strength standpoint. A lot of women don’t fly up and down under the 45lb bar their first time practicing with it like you are. My friend was certainly struggling with the 30lb fixed barbell her first time.
From what I can see at this angle, you are rocking/leaning forward at the bottom and are slightly too far forward the whole way coming up. I think this is a problem that would cause you to fail and therefore probably not do it if you were using more weight. With lighter weights, it’s harder to identify balance issues, which is kind of what this is.
To fix the issue, just imagine driving all of your weight into your heels and remember to keep your core tight at the bottom. If that isn’t working as well, also imagine pulling your toes off of the ground during the whole squat.[/quote]
Hi, yes there is lifting!
The practice was really just experimenting with ankle flexibility(mine are very flexible and I could have moved my knees even farther forward), I’ve decided to focus on breaking at the hip while keeping my shins more vertical(easier on the knees).
I am watching a lot of Rippetoe vids to help me with my form. Thursday evening is squat day so I will be lifting more weight and putting up the vids too.
You looked really good in your last squat - now you don’t need to be hitting it that deep get a feel for past parrallel and see how that feels on your knees.
[quote]nlmain wrote:
You looked really good in your last squat - now you don’t need to be hitting it that deep get a feel for past parrallel and see how that feels on your knees.[/quote]
I think that would be where box squats will help, I was pooped after my squats today so I didn’t get too them. But next week I’m de-loading my squats so I will can practice the going deep but not too deep thing. lol
Squat day!
I practiced/warmed up with about 4 squats with just the bar. I find I need about this much to get all my squat pointers in a row.
These are based on Rippetoe vids I’ve been watching. Getting the bar in the right place, picking a spot in front of you on the floor, knees going out(over knees), then driving up with the ass.
Here is a practice/warmup vid
Here is the required saucy Frenchie angle.
And here is my 95% for 5/3/1 2reps for 100lbs (5lbs over my old 1rm). I got the giggles because I grunted during the lift and had to rack it. After this just to prove that I could kick 100lbs’ punk ass I did 2 more 2 rep sets of this.
I was so pooped after this I wanted nothing to do with accessories like the planned box squat. I did do the front foot elevated split squat for your knees (it was in a recent TN article) and I really liked it it was like a cross between a stretch and an exercise and it made my knees warm. I might add this to my warmups for both squat and dead days. And of course I did abs because I hate them so.
Nice work Charlie! I think those squats looked great! The warmup squats looks textbook, and the 100lbs (woohoo PR!) was awesome too! Great depth and you didn’t loose arch. You did have a bit of a forward lurch on they 100 though. I do this too sometimes, and it usually means that I need to remember to drive through the heels and/or push my elbows forward on the ascent - this inevitably helps keep my chest up. I high bar squat tho…so not sure if the elbows cue might work for a low bar squatter. Maybe someone else can opine.
I like when you show your lifts who’s boss, btw. rawr!
Lifting 3 days in a row is hardcore!! But what must be done, must be done. And you’re doing a great job! Hopefully you’ll give yourself some time off with the holiday
Congrats on the PR! I always find squatting hard - partly down to unfavourable leverages and partly down to being dysfunctional due to many years at a desk - but the more you work it, the better it gets. You certainly seem to be doing just fine. Keep on it.
[quote]Mascherano wrote:
Nice work Charlie! I think those squats looked great! The warmup squats looks textbook, and the 100lbs (woohoo PR!) was awesome too! Great depth and you didn’t loose arch. You did have a bit of a forward lurch on they 100 though. I do this too sometimes, and it usually means that I need to remember to drive through the heels and/or push my elbows forward on the ascent - this inevitably helps keep my chest up. I high bar squat tho…so not sure if the elbows cue might work for a low bar squatter. Maybe someone else can opine.
I like when you show your lifts who’s boss, btw. rawr!
Lifting 3 days in a row is hardcore!! But what must be done, must be done. And you’re doing a great job! Hopefully you’ll give yourself some time off with the holiday :)[/quote]
Thanks Masch.
We had our holiday last Monday, which is why the screwy gym schedule. I was supposed to do bench on friday too (so that would have been 4 in a row but I was too achy for that). So maybe medium core. lol
I’ll have to try the elbows forward thing next time. Little tweaks.
[quote]nlmain wrote:
squat PR - yeah! Those looked easy. More weight to come for sure.
and grunting is a sure sign of hard work
I would have suggested elbows forward too…[/quote]
Grunting is good as long as I’m not being silly about it and giggling.
I am going to add 10lbs to my 90%, I figure I should just add 10 to DL and squats until I am unable to do prescribed reps, then either go up by 5 or repeat the weight.
[quote]Cal Jones wrote:
Congrats on the PR! I always find squatting hard - partly down to unfavourable leverages and partly down to being dysfunctional due to many years at a desk - but the more you work it, the better it gets. You certainly seem to be doing just fine. Keep on it.[/quote]
I find for me in is the knees that are the worry, I’m hoping adding in the front foot elevated split squats will help make my knees strong. They feel good anyways. Also I find not tracking to far over my foot helps.
I was supposed to do bench on Friday but that would have been 4 days in a row and it is only recommended to do 2 days in a row (for 5/3/1). The holiday on the Monday we just had kind off screwed things up.
Schedual:
Monday-Deadlift
Tuesday-Overhead press
Wednesday-Off
Thursday-Squat
Friday-Bench
I am planning on really stagering my de-loads so that there is one every week. First will be squat next week then overhead press then DL, then bench. Because bench is the last on to be de-loaded I decided to turn this week into a de-load for bench and just did some BW chest stuff at home today but I will start back next week with week 2 for bench and just do 2 week 3s before de-loading bench. I’m just thinking out loud right now.
These songs always made me wish I could dance. lol
The little boy in the first one is so adorable.
This was a week 3 in the 5/3/1 program so I did my 75%,85%,and 95% lifts. No vids this time as my biggest lift was 150lbs and that is 5lbs lighter than my old 1RM. Next week is not going to be a de-load because I want to de-load shoulders next week and I am planing on staggering the de-loads. No next week, just for fun I’ll end with trying to rep out my old 1RM.
Workout:
Bre’s x-rated glute activation
Some sets of deads with just the bar.
75%=120lbs 5
85%=135lbs 3
95%=150lbs 3,3
then 135lbs @3 for extra practice.
I need to remember to reset after a rep so I don’t loose form.
I was really sweaty and bagged after this.
Glute bridges with 65lbs, I think I will try heavier next time
weighted planks 35lbs plate, I think I will try 45lbs next time
Tomorrow is shoulders, I will be attempting to rep out my old 1RM. I’m not sure how this will go as my shoulder(right) has been grumpy the last few shoulder workouts.
I did do the front foot elevated split squat for your knees (it was in a recent TN article) and I really liked it it was like a cross between a stretch and an exercise and it made my knees warm. I might add this to my warmups for both squat and dead days. And of course I did abs because I hate them so.