princess, stingray will helt ALOT, but I still say stick to backsquats 'cause a girl gotta have a but. peace
I think that front squats hit the glutes fairly well, since I go deep. I also want to add some deadlifts to my routine, and finally I think my butt is pretty well developed.
I don’t think it would be worth doing front squats if it meant getting big red welts across your boobs, especially if they’re that big teehee
Damn, woman! That made me horny!
Well, the proper front squat form means having the bar close to your neck, so I would have to have some huge boobs for that to happen. With that aside, I think the Sting Ray will help eliminate the marks I get on my shoulders
Well, the proper front squat form means having the bar close to your neck, so I would have to have some huge boobs for that to happen. With that aside, I think the Sting Ray will help eliminate the marks I get on my shoulders
OK - sorry for that last post then. I admit that I am intrigued - you may email me :p.
Coach, I am not falling forward really, but my abs seem to be burning and aching far more than my quads. I learned back squats from Ian King’s video and book series “How to Teach Strength Exercises”. When I do back squats I use my low abs to keep my pelvis rotated anteriorly and in line with my spine. I squat ass to ankles and can handle 405 for 3 - 5 solid reps. I never use a belt, I try to keep my head, neck, spine and pelvis all aligned throughout the motion. It has taken about a year to get this technique down and it has really helped me leg development. I attempted to add front squats as a new wrinkle and the first week I used 135 for 3 sets of 8, my abs were burning - no real quad stimulation and as I proceeded to the rest of my quad dominant leg day (more squats!) my poundages really suffered! The next week I thought I would bump up the weight to 185 - I could barely do 3 sets of 4 and my abs were wiped out! I had to do some leg presses to finish up. I thought my abs were pretty strong, being able to squat heavy without a belt, but I gueass not. As for my ab training - again I learned from Ian King - I am splitting up upper and lower abs doing Lower Mon and Thur and upper Tues and Fri. He recommmended thin tummys (low ab stabilization drills), russian twists, hip raises, and slow pedalling with trunk at 45 degrees for low abs and full sit ups, russian twists, more situps, and feet up crunches for upper abs. I haven’t progressed from these exercises yet as it still seems to be making me work! Sorry for the long post but I thouoght I would give as much info as possible! Thanks for your help! - Matt
Matt-first of all, you are a strong SOB with squat numbers like that. Fill me in on your Squat stance and if you you can try Overhead Squats and give me some feedback. I would like to identify your quad/ham ratio if possible. Do you tighten the abdominal wall at the base of the front squat and does your “rack” fall at any time during the movement. In faith, Coach Davies
Coach, I tried to keep the same positioning for front squats as back squats. I cannot hold the bar in the traditional clean position due to wrist flexibility (I am working on it!) so I place the bar across delts and put both fists together and hold the bar with my thumbs, pushing the bar into my throat while keeping my elbows as high as possible. My stance is generally shoulder width or a little wider. I do keep my abs tight for the entire range of motion and it is possible that my rack falls somewhat at the very bottom as my torso leans farthest forward. I can try overhead squats, but not til next week as this is my scheduled recovery week! Not sure what my ham/quad ratio is quads definitely stronger, but I can use 315 for stiff legged deads for sets of 3 -5! I don’t do many leg extensions or leg curls as the machines at my gym don’t seem to adjust to fit me quite right! Thanks for your help. - Matt
to Matt-that helps, I am going to plot that out but I think a lot resides in your rack position. As far as stance, I meant your squat style but the information helped - you’ve obviously got a good quad/ham ration
Matt, I think the way you’ve got the bar racked is the problem. For one thing, you shouldn’t be forcing the bar into your throat. It may press against it a little, but the bar should naturally rest across your delts and fingertips without you having to force it into position. Also, are your elbows pointing up or down? If they’re pointing down then your rack position is definitely the culprit. If I were you I’d work on your wrist flexibility with an empty bar while concentrating on getting your elbows up so that you can hold the bar properly. In the meantime you can either use a cross-hands hold on the bar, or just balance the bar across your delts while holding your arms straight out (probably the better option).
Coach Davies and Spanky, thanks for your input! I will try to adjust my “rack” and add overhead squats to see if that helps! I will get back to you next week! (Rest week this week!) Matt
Matt:
I don’t mean to make you feel bad, but even I can front squat 135 for a few reps, except now when I am dieting my butt off! My front squat is not much less than my back squat for some reason, I think I got stronger once I got used to the bar, and could focus on the legs, and not my grip/control.