[quote]63Galaxie wrote:
I have one for ya. It seems I’ve messed up my rotor cuff, so I’ll have some rehab time. I thought I’d take this time and work on improving form. My arch sucks. You got any tips on how to improve it? Now let me say my back is bad, so give me as many as you can, so if I can’t use some of them I’ll have others. Thanks a bunch.[/quote]
i don’t know what to tell you. how bad is your back. my back is fine but after arching, my back feels like a bag of mashed assholes. the only way i know how to increase an arch is to practice it every chance i get. i’m never happy with my setup and am always striving to make it better. the only time i’ll be happy with it is when my feet are directly under my head… and that ain’t ever going to happen but i still strive to get it that way.
if you’ve ever seen my setup. i lay down on the bench and pull myself under the bar. each time i pull myself under the bar i take a mental note of what part of my back is at the edge of the top of the bench. at that point i spike my toes into the floor. i then (and this is new last night)put my hands on the smooth part of the middle of the bar and push as hard as i can until my upper back is as far down the bench as i can get it. then i set my hands. at this point i can’t wait to get started on the set so i can be finished and get up out of this hellacious position.
on the next set i try to move just a little bit more under that bar so that the top of the bench is even lower on my back. sometimes i set my feet too high on the bench and i can’t, no matter how hard i push, get myself setup. that’s when i know i’m really working to get setup. if you are getting set up on the first try,then you ain’t gett’n tight enough.
hope that helps. unfortunately there isn’t a majic solution. it’s just a lot of work and a hell of a lot of pain.
That’s a lot to work on. I think I’m going to have to break it up into smaller chunks to learn it all. I’ll post new vids when I feel I’m following your advice and see what you have to say. Thanks!
MM- in the spirit of learning this elbows down, then forward technique…would it be possible for you to maybe tape yourself doing a squat, to SHOW us Maybe with lighter weight so you can do it in slow motion
That would be awesome!!
I think I’ve got the elbow down thing, but am finding this also cocks my wrists back…It’s not bothersome, and I didn’t even realize I was doing it!
[quote]mom-in-MD wrote:
Thanks MM-
I can already see now, that I was exaggerating the elbows down/forward technique…[/quote]
the key is getting them down and then keeping pressure forward on them the entire time. if done correctly they shouldn’t move. it’s kinda like when you set your feet for a bench, you are driving your heels down but they shouldn’t move. it’s constant pressure. that’s how you stay tight. it’s a constant contraction. contracting the muscles is how to stay tight.
A question of the box squat:
Should I go very wide stance for these to really stress glutes/hips and assist deadlift, or should I keep my normal squat stance width?
I didn’t vid my last squat session, but I wish I did. I don’t think I had any forward momentum getting up, but I really couldn’t figure out the most effective stance. Maybe both are effective, don’t know.
I really felt the hips/ass fire on the wider stance, but that’s not my normal squat stance (although it was approaching my sumo stance).
A question of the box squat:
Should I go very wide stance for these to really stress glutes/hips and assist deadlift, or should I keep my normal squat stance width?
I didn’t vid my last squat session, but I wish I did. I don’t think I had any forward momentum getting up, but I really couldn’t figure out the most effective stance. Maybe both are effective, don’t know.
I really felt the hips/ass fire on the wider stance, but that’s not my normal squat stance (although it was approaching my sumo stance).
Thoughts?
THANKS![/quote]
obviously you realize that different stances are going to work different areas. i would ask yourself this question- do i want to do box squats as a variation to improve upon my squat or do i want to do box squats as a supplement to my deadlift? either way you can’t go wrong. there’s nothing wrong with doing both. you could rotate them in as either a first movement using your normal squat stance and then maybe rotate them in as a second movement with a wider stance to supplement your deadlift. the great thing is that it’s a win, win either way.
if you had to choose, i would make that decision based on which movement is more important to you. do you need more work on your squat or deadlift?
I did DLs today, and focused on my hip drive per your suggestion. I also didn’t do the touch and go, but set up after each rep.
Problem is, I got one rep less than I did almost a month ago, when I was expecting to get at least one more. I was thinking it was due to the longer set up, and relaxing my muscles after each rep, just as a pause at the bottom for a squat or bench press takes out the reflex.
Does that make sense? On the other hand, I could have just been weak today, but I felt pretty good.
I did DLs today, and focused on my hip drive per your suggestion. I also didn’t do the touch and go, but set up after each rep.
Problem is, I got one rep less than I did almost a month ago, when I was expecting to get at least one more. I was thinking it was due to the longer set up, and relaxing my muscles after each rep, just as a pause at the bottom for a squat or bench press takes out the reflex.
Does that make sense? On the other hand, I could have just been weak today, but I felt pretty good.[/quote]
i’m suprised it was only one rep. setting up after every rep eliminates the stretch reflex. i’m sure you’ve noticed that the first rep in a set of touch and go is always harder then the ones right after it.
I did DLs today, and focused on my hip drive per your suggestion. I also didn’t do the touch and go, but set up after each rep.
Problem is, I got one rep less than I did almost a month ago, when I was expecting to get at least one more. I was thinking it was due to the longer set up, and relaxing my muscles after each rep, just as a pause at the bottom for a squat or bench press takes out the reflex.
Does that make sense? On the other hand, I could have just been weak today, but I felt pretty good.
i’m suprised it was only one rep. setting up after every rep eliminates the stretch reflex. i’m sure you’ve noticed that the first rep in a set of touch and go is always harder then the ones right after it.
[/quote]
Absolutely I noticed! Glad to know my line of thinking isn’t faulty. Or rather, glad to know I probably haven’t gotten any weaker.
Seriously, hip drive felt much better, thanks to your advice, and I’ll try and post a video next time.
I been tryin’ real hard to fix my squats and was hoping to get your critique on my progerse [sic]. The weight is light, but it did let me concentrate on the form.
Back Squat - side view
Back Squat - 3/4 rear view (ain’t that fine for spoonin’?)
I been tryin’ real hard to fix my squats and was hoping to get your critique on my progerse [sic]. The weight is light, but it did let me concentrate on the form.
Back Squat - side view
Back Squat - 3/4 rear view (ain’t that fine for spoonin’?)
Front Squat
Thanks.[/quote]
it’s very apparent that you have been working hard. those are much better. your hips still rise a little early and that’s because the elbows drift on you some once you reverse it but not nearly as much as before. i’m just nitpicking here. just keep working on keeping those elbows forward with constant pressure and you will be golden.
the front squats look really good. the only thing i noticed was on the first one or two, you didn’t have your head back and that made you lean forward a bit. it looked like you corrected yourself though.
I been tryin’ real hard to fix my squats and was hoping to get your critique on my progerse [sic]. The weight is light, but it did let me concentrate on the form.
Back Squat - side view
Back Squat - 3/4 rear view (ain’t that fine for spoonin’?)
Front Squat
Thanks.
it’s very apparent that you have been working hard. those are much better. your hips still rise a little early and that’s because the elbows drift on you some once you reverse it but not nearly as much as before. i’m just nitpicking here. just keep working on keeping those elbows forward with constant pressure and you will be golden.
the front squats look really good. the only thing i noticed was on the first one or two, you didn’t have your head back and that made you lean forward a bit. it looked like you corrected yourself though.
great work skid!!
[/quote]
Thanks Meat.
The interesting thing about the setup is how you feel like a human-sized spring hinge. I’m feeling a bunch of power in the hole from it, but am encountering a weakness just out of it and I think that’s where the elbow-wibble occurs. Gonna have to look into that.
Finally got a camera going, so I recorded my last set of deads from today
It’s pretty weird watching yourself, looks urky jurky to me, and back is rounded
I was kind of tired by this set but I don’t think it was too different from the first 2
I been tryin’ real hard to fix my squats and was hoping to get your critique on my progerse [sic]. The weight is light, but it did let me concentrate on the form.
Back Squat - side view
Back Squat - 3/4 rear view (ain’t that fine for spoonin’?)
Front Squat
Thanks.
it’s very apparent that you have been working hard. those are much better. your hips still rise a little early and that’s because the elbows drift on you some once you reverse it but not nearly as much as before. i’m just nitpicking here. just keep working on keeping those elbows forward with constant pressure and you will be golden.
the front squats look really good. the only thing i noticed was on the first one or two, you didn’t have your head back and that made you lean forward a bit. it looked like you corrected yourself though.
great work skid!!
Thanks Meat.
The interesting thing about the setup is how you feel like a human-sized spring hinge. I’m feeling a bunch of power in the hole from it, but am encountering a weakness just out of it and I think that’s where the elbow-wibble occurs. Gonna have to look into that.[/quote]
Maybe with lighter weight so you can do it in slow motion 
