Darkly Dreaming Florelius.

Training Training Logs
521

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:

[quote]florelius wrote:

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:
What’s up!

I cannot view your video???

Anyway, I find foam (or heavy pvc pipe) rolling before all my workouts and on off days. Say 10 minutes of it. Really helps my flexibility.

Also, I suggest goblet squats. Do you know how to do these? I’d do those, and really focus on getting deep between the legs, arching the back and pushing the knees out while keeping the chest high.[/quote]

Thanks for the tips Panzer :slight_smile:

To bad you could not see the video, because there are perhaps other aspects in the barbell back squat I do wrong.

  1. I dont have a foam roller or pvc pipe( dont know what that is either ) and dont know where to buy it in Norway. Do you think static stretching of my leg muscles could be a good alternativ?

  2. Yhea I do know how to goblet squat and can perhaps incorperate them into my warm up.

Btw. I will try to practice both wall squats and the third wall squat everyday before bed since I read in several threads that it will help with overcoming buttwink.

[/quote]
email it to me if you like: Jamincalvert@xtra.co.nz

I am not squatting expert - mikemike would be a better bet. But I am happy to view and comment =].

Foam roller is this:

You can use a piece of thick plumbing pipe (drainpipe) for the same purpose, though it hurts haha.

My flatmate used box squats to fix the buttwink. But he squats to just below parallel; not sure how low you squat.[/quote]

I have sent it to you on email.

Okay so any hard object in a “pipe” shape will do, I will see what I can find. Regarding that it hurts, well no pain no gain I suppose LOL

I go as deep as I can, but there is a chance I am not hitting proper depth due to crappy form. It was hard to tell from the vid( crappy angle ), but perhaps your eye is more trained to spot such things.

Do you think box squats would be a viable alternative to free squats?

522

Cycle3/3x3/Session A.

18/10 - 2012.

After warm up.

Squat to box*:
5x20kg.
5x25kg.
5x32,5kg.
3x40kg.
3x47,5kg.
3x52,5kg.
3x57,5kg.
3x52,5kg.
3x47,5kg.
5x40kg. ( without box )

  • box = adjustable bench.

Benchpress:
10x20kg.
5x30kg.
5x37,5kg.
3x45kg.
3x52,5kg.
3x60kg.
7x67,5kg. ( estimated max = 83kg )

DB rows: 3x10 x 24kg pr arm. ( 24kg felt lighter than last time )

HS squat maschine:
10 x 1 plate pr side.
10 x 2 plates pr side.
10 x 3 plates pr side.

( where not able to get anywhere close to parallel on the HS machine )

Back raises: 3x10.

Comment:

Squats to box felt great and it felt like my form was better. Only problem is I am not shure if
I got to parallel or below with that bench.

523

[quote]florelius wrote:

Comment:

Squats to box felt great and it felt like my form was better. Only problem is I am not shure if
I got to parallel or below with that bench.

[/quote]

Well, next time check in the mirror to see how deep you are getting when you touch the box.

tweet

524

[quote]florelius wrote:

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:

[quote]florelius wrote:

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:
What’s up!

I cannot view your video???

Anyway, I find foam (or heavy pvc pipe) rolling before all my workouts and on off days. Say 10 minutes of it. Really helps my flexibility.

Also, I suggest goblet squats. Do you know how to do these? I’d do those, and really focus on getting deep between the legs, arching the back and pushing the knees out while keeping the chest high.[/quote]

Thanks for the tips Panzer :slight_smile:

To bad you could not see the video, because there are perhaps other aspects in the barbell back squat I do wrong.

  1. I dont have a foam roller or pvc pipe( dont know what that is either ) and dont know where to buy it in Norway. Do you think static stretching of my leg muscles could be a good alternativ?

  2. Yhea I do know how to goblet squat and can perhaps incorperate them into my warm up.

Btw. I will try to practice both wall squats and the third wall squat everyday before bed since I read in several threads that it will help with overcoming buttwink.

[/quote]
email it to me if you like: Jamincalvert@xtra.co.nz

I am not squatting expert - mikemike would be a better bet. But I am happy to view and comment =].

Foam roller is this:

You can use a piece of thick plumbing pipe (drainpipe) for the same purpose, though it hurts haha.

My flatmate used box squats to fix the buttwink. But he squats to just below parallel; not sure how low you squat.[/quote]

I have sent it to you on email.

Okay so any hard object in a “pipe” shape will do, I will see what I can find. Regarding that it hurts, well no pain no gain I suppose LOL

I go as deep as I can, but there is a chance I am not hitting proper depth due to crappy form. It was hard to tell from the vid( crappy angle ), but perhaps your eye is more trained to spot such things.

Do you think box squats would be a viable alternative to free squats?[/quote]

Howdy Chris ;).
Thanks for the e-mail.
A more distant video which shows you from a lower angle would be better because I can’t see your depth, but a couple of things:
-I think you should slow your descent a bit. The first reps is a good speed, but as the set progresses you seem to drop very fast and lose tightness.
-Focus on arching your back. At the bottom of the movement, your lower back (butt wink) and upper back (shoulder slumping) are both curving inwards.
-Yeah for rolling, any tubular thing will work!

I think box squats are good to use for a while to see if they fix your issues. But I wouldn’t replace the free squat permanently!
(disclaimer - I am not a squat expert by any means! Mikemike will hopefully respond next time he is around)

525

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:

[quote]florelius wrote:

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:

[quote]florelius wrote:

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:
What’s up!

I cannot view your video???

Anyway, I find foam (or heavy pvc pipe) rolling before all my workouts and on off days. Say 10 minutes of it. Really helps my flexibility.

Also, I suggest goblet squats. Do you know how to do these? I’d do those, and really focus on getting deep between the legs, arching the back and pushing the knees out while keeping the chest high.[/quote]

Thanks for the tips Panzer :slight_smile:

To bad you could not see the video, because there are perhaps other aspects in the barbell back squat I do wrong.

  1. I dont have a foam roller or pvc pipe( dont know what that is either ) and dont know where to buy it in Norway. Do you think static stretching of my leg muscles could be a good alternativ?

  2. Yhea I do know how to goblet squat and can perhaps incorperate them into my warm up.

Btw. I will try to practice both wall squats and the third wall squat everyday before bed since I read in several threads that it will help with overcoming buttwink.

[/quote]
email it to me if you like: Jamincalvert@xtra.co.nz

I am not squatting expert - mikemike would be a better bet. But I am happy to view and comment =].

Foam roller is this:

You can use a piece of thick plumbing pipe (drainpipe) for the same purpose, though it hurts haha.

My flatmate used box squats to fix the buttwink. But he squats to just below parallel; not sure how low you squat.[/quote]

I have sent it to you on email.

Okay so any hard object in a “pipe” shape will do, I will see what I can find. Regarding that it hurts, well no pain no gain I suppose LOL

I go as deep as I can, but there is a chance I am not hitting proper depth due to crappy form. It was hard to tell from the vid( crappy angle ), but perhaps your eye is more trained to spot such things.

Do you think box squats would be a viable alternative to free squats?[/quote]

Howdy Chris ;).
Thanks for the e-mail.
A more distant video which shows you from a lower angle would be better because I can’t see your depth, but a couple of things:
-I think you should slow your descent a bit. The first reps is a good speed, but as the set progresses you seem to drop very fast and lose tightness.
-Focus on arching your back. At the bottom of the movement, your lower back (butt wink) and upper back (shoulder slumping) are both curving inwards.
-Yeah for rolling, any tubular thing will work!

I think box squats are good to use for a while to see if they fix your issues. But I wouldn’t replace the free squat permanently!
(disclaimer - I am not a squat expert by any means! Mikemike will hopefully respond next time he is around)
[/quote]

Hey Panzer thanks for getting back to me on this :slight_smile:

I will take your tips with me in next squat session.

I tried squatting to a box/bench today and it felt like I was able to arch my back better and the descent felt also slower, but offcourse I can be mistaken and a video or a partner to watch my form would be more precise. Still it felt better.

I will try not to fall in love with box squats and eventually get back to free squat.

Thanks again for taking your time to help me out :slight_smile:

526

No worries man!! I wish I had more experience to provide better information.
What is your 1RM - have you ever tested it?
Also one other thing, are you bracing correctly? As in, taking a deep belly breath and holding it through each rep, tightening your abs as if your life depended on it?

527

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:
No worries man!! I wish I had more experience to provide better information.
What is your 1RM - have you ever tested it?
Also one other thing, are you bracing correctly? As in, taking a deep belly breath and holding it through each rep, tightening your abs as if your life depended on it?

[/quote]

Well you are more experienced with squats than me so I am shure you are more than competent to help an awfull sqautter like myself out :wink:

No I have never tried a true 1 rep max in the squat for several reasons:

  1. I train alone and are therefor hesitant to do this, or I might be a pussy.

  2. My gym dont have safety pins, so again I am hesitant to test it or I am a pussy( your pick )

  3. I am though playing with the thought of doing 3/5/1 the last cycel of this semester and then work up to heavy single on the 5/3/1 week. Just need to get a spot.

Regarding bracing my abs. I dont do this I think and is probably one of many things I can improve regarding squats. Thanks for the reminder, havent thought of that actually even though I have read it several times.

528

Brace those abs, buddy!!! It’s CRITICAL. At the top of each rep, take a massive breath into your belly and hold it, and flex the hell out of your abs. Hold this breath throughout the entire rep, and really focus on holding that tension. This will help you a LOT.

529

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:
Brace those abs, buddy!!! It’s CRITICAL. At the top of each rep, take a massive breath into your belly and hold it, and flex the hell out of your abs. Hold this breath throughout the entire rep, and really focus on holding that tension. This will help you a LOT.[/quote]

Okay I will keep that in mind.

530

[quote]theBird wrote:

[quote]florelius wrote:

Comment:

Squats to box felt great and it felt like my form was better. Only problem is I am not shure if
I got to parallel or below with that bench.

[/quote]

Well, next time check in the mirror to see how deep you are getting when you touch the box.

tweet[/quote]

Didnt see this before now.

I will do that thebird :slight_smile:

531

[quote]florelius wrote:

[quote]theBird wrote:

[quote]florelius wrote:

Comment:

Squats to box felt great and it felt like my form was better. Only problem is I am not shure if
I got to parallel or below with that bench.

[/quote]

Well, next time check in the mirror to see how deep you are getting when you touch the box.

tweet[/quote]

Didnt see this before now.

I will do that thebird :slight_smile:
[/quote]
Or just ask a random viking to check you are hitting parallel =]

532

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:

[quote]florelius wrote:

[quote]theBird wrote:

[quote]florelius wrote:

Comment:

Squats to box felt great and it felt like my form was better. Only problem is I am not shure if
I got to parallel or below with that bench.

[/quote]

Well, next time check in the mirror to see how deep you are getting when you touch the box.

tweet[/quote]

Didnt see this before now.

I will do that thebird :slight_smile:
[/quote]
Or just ask a random viking to check you are hitting parallel =][/quote]

Many of the random vikings in my gym are not even close to parellel so not shure if I can trust their opinion, but if I am lucky there might be someone there who can squat properly that can help me :wink:

533

Hi Florelius. It looks like your OHP is slowly progressing. You should be happy 'cause it’s a man lift.

Your squat looks good. The butt wink (I don’t know who came up with that name but it’s ridiculous.) I don’t believe is a massive issue but might take some weight off your lift. Some observations of mine regarding butt wink:

I only ever see it when someone is seriously squatting ATG so I doubt depth is an issue, and if you can squat ATG then mobility, flexibility, tightness or whatever you want to call is an unlikely problem IMO.

Personally I think it’s caused by exagerating the arch in the lower back when lifting, and the movement you see when the butt moves inward are the hips, butt, and lower back going to a neutral position. Look at the lower back arching in your posted video and compare to mine or panzerfaust. Yours is more severe so in the end the butt wink is much more obvious. Ours won’t be so obvious because the lower back isn’t as arched. Yes, I’m saying I believe we all have some butt wink if we are squatting low enough.

I think looking at from a mobility stand point is off. Stability is what matter. There does need to be flexing at the lower back, but there also must be some going with the abs. If the lower back is excessively arched it does so because the abs are relaxed (or flexed) to a lessor degree. However you can’t have that.

The biggest correction is to learn to feel and flex your abs during the squat. Take in a breath. Experiment with how much air to take in. Try a full breath one set, a half breath the next set. I don’t take in a full breath personally.

When you stand with the weight try to learn to feel your hips moving. Practice trying to roll them under the bar slightly more as you stand. Flexing your abs during this time may help.

534

Hi Mike and thanks for popping in and helping me out :slight_smile:

Okay so the take home point from your post is that I need to practice engaging my abs more during the lift
and stability all over if I understand you correctly and that my squat looks good/okay except for that?

I have a follow up question since I have your attention:

  1. Would a bit wider stance help and make it easier to maintain a flat back?

Ps. Yes the OHP is doing well at the moment and I attribute it to two things:

  1. I switched to a false grip.

  2. I think I am living off the training I did last semester.

Thanks again Mike :slight_smile:

535

Mikemike’s points all make perfect sense actually! Good advice, and an interesting read =].

He’s also correct; I do not consciously arch my lower back at all. Just my upper back. And I’d say you are squatting lower than I do, Florelius, so that may explain the more obvious “buttwink”.

I agree, false grip for OHP is badass.

536

Hey Florelius, I had a few more points but had to go to work for a bit.

Pretty much you understand. It’s a pretty sure thing you aren’t flexing abs as much as you need to. At first it won’t be instictive when you lift. Before every set tell yourself to flex. After you unrack tell yourself to flex. Between each rep tell yourself to flex. After doing it so many times it will just become your standard.

I think it would be beneficial if you actually relaxed the arch in your low back slightly. It sounds like the opposite of what you want but I would give it a try.

Definatley give the wider stance a try, but most importantly are the knees. The second most effective way to decrease the butt wink seems to be to push the knees out more as you squat. Your feet point out enough. Combine that with a slightly wider stance and mentally telling yourself to push the knees out.

Even for a high bar squat the bar placement seems kind of high. Of course the clothing obscures where it really is (not suggesting a vid of you squatting nekkid please keep the clothes on!). It’s elementary but it isn’t on the neck is it? There is a boney protrudance the bar shouldn’t rise past preferably.

Last, I think your drive can improve when squatting. When you lift the weight you probably think of lifting the weight as if the weight is on your shoulders. That’s probably because the weight is on your shoulders. Think of this when you squat. Instead of the weight being on your shoulders the weight is on top of your butt. So drive the butt up first rather than the shoulders. DON’T do a squat morning. The back shouldn’t lose its angle too much but if you lose a little angle that’s ok.

Bullet Points:

That’s a lot of stuff to remember so don’t try to plug in all of this info in one squat session. Number one priority is to learn to flex abs and take and hold a breath during a squat.

When you get to the point that it becomes the way you squat without thinking then the number two priority is squat knees out, wider stance.

When that becomes the way you squat without thinking then point number three is squat butt up first, shoulders come along for the ride.

Hopefully something there will help.

And a little edit since I was typing long enough I forgot to mention that the false grip OHP is brillant and seems to me infinately more efficient but I’m too afraid the bar will slip from my hand. That would be embarrasing lol.

And yes your squat really would be ok as is but improvements are always good too.

537

Wow thanks for that detailed post Mike, much appreciated :slight_smile:

Its a lot of info, so it will take me some time to digest it all, but I will practice bracing my abs
next session.

Thanks so much man :slight_smile:

538

Two things I would add. Make sure you get a belly full of air when you flex/brace your abs. And on a completely different note, I found good mornings helped with the low back rounding as well. I guess anything that can help strengthen your lower back.

539

[quote]MightyMouse17 wrote:
Two things I would add. Make sure you get a belly full of air when you flex/brace your abs. And on a completely different note, I found good mornings helped with the low back rounding as well. I guess anything that can help strengthen your lower back. [/quote]

Thanks for the tip mightymouse17, I will keep that in mind.

I am allready doing back raises, but can offcourse increase the volum on those and add some
weight if that helps.

540

Cycle3/3x3/session B.

22/10 - 2012.

After warm up.

OHP:
5x17,5kg.
5x22,5kg.
3x27,5kg.
3x30kg.
3x35kg.
9x40kg. ( estimated max = 51kg )

DL:
5x60kg.
3x75kg.
3x85kg.
5x95kg. ( estimated max = 110kg )

Pull ups:
8 x bw.
8 x bw.
8 x bw.

Sit ups: 3x10.

Comment:
Good workout.