Also guys please download this one and see how my squat form is. i cant even squat all the way down (maybe a lil past parallel) with just my bodyweight. my flexibility is a problem. what stretches before i squat will help me go lower
(by the way i think you need quicktime player to view it after download)
thats a perfect basketball squat 
kidding aside you need to go down way lower. Try starting out with a parallel or slightly above parallel box squats. Looks like you have a lot of muscles on the lower extremities that need to be activated and stretched out. If you have both EC and kelly’s manual you should know how to perform some dynamic warm ups and mobility drills. Check out the Magnificent Mobility DVD
Try using a smith machine at first or a slanted hack machine to work on getting ATG.
Bad, really bad. GO read some articles on squat and check out some video. http://www.bsu.edu/webapps2/strengthlab/home.htm
its not that i dont try to go lower. its just i cant. i cant even go ass to grass body weight.
The best thing I’ve found to squat low is to practice squatting low. Do a search on Google Video for Dan John’s presentation at the LA Strength Seminar. He walks through how to do goblet squats, potato sack squats, etc. I found it very helpful.
[quote]kobe4life08 wrote:
its not that i dont try to go lower. its just i cant. i cant even go ass to grass body weight.[/quote]
Saying “I can’t” isn’t going to get you anywhere. I recommend that you start from the very beginning which is to learn the form and technique by using only a broomstick on your back. A very experienced powerlifter taught me this way the first day I started training and this is also the way it’s done at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs when new lifters are being taught the Olympic lifts. Once you have the form, technique and can go all the way down to below parallel then move up to the bar only. Once you can do that then start adding weight but never sacrifice your form.
After a period of time it will become automatic and you will just always go down to that position. You have to train your mind as well.
It appears to me that you seemed to be afraid of the weight in the video…and you should be because you don’t know what you are doing. Start from the beginning, be patient and it will come in time.
I’m not trying to personally slam you here. It’s just a warning because if you continue what you are doing you will soon get injured. Sloppy squats will bring you down in an unpleasant way.
Don’t give up and quit saying “I can’t”.
[quote]kobe4life08 wrote:
its not that i dont try to go lower. its just i cant. i cant even go ass to grass body weight.[/quote]
I had this problem. It’s likely caused by weak glutes. Start box squatting at parallel or just below. You’ll get there.
[quote]Raw Power wrote:
kobe4life08 wrote:
its not that i dont try to go lower. its just i cant. i cant even go ass to grass body weight.
Saying “I can’t” isn’t going to get you anywhere. I recommend that you start from the very beginning which is to learn the form and technique by using only a broomstick on your back. A very experienced powerlifter taught me this way the first day I started training and this is also the way it’s done at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs when new lifters are being taught the Olympic lifts. Once you have the form, technique and can go all the way down to below parallel then move up to the bar only. Once you can do that then start adding weight but never sacrifice your form.
After a period of time it will become automatic and you will just always go down to that position. You have to train your mind as well.
It appears to me that you seemed to be afraid of the weight in the video…and you should be because you don’t know what you are doing. Start from the beginning, be patient and it will come in time.
I’m not trying to personally slam you here. It’s just a warning because if you continue what you are doing you will soon get injured. Sloppy squats will bring you down in an unpleasant way.
Don’t give up and quit saying “I can’t”.[/quote]
i already said it. its a flexibility problem. i cant even go that low just body weight. jesus.
i had a very similar problem when i first started …i suggest you work on going lower with just your bodyweight throughout your day practicing every second you have…don’t make yourself tired though…the whole point of doing this is technique
when you can do that…you should work on going below parallel…watch videos of other people squatting and compare it to yourself…it may seem like a simple movement but you need to master it…
also if you still have trouble getting depth…add in low box squats…
[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
kobe4life08 wrote:
its not that i dont try to go lower. its just i cant. i cant even go ass to grass body weight.
I had this problem. It’s likely caused by weak glutes. Start box squatting at parallel or just below. You’ll get there.[/quote]
Bigtime agreed. Don’t just say, “I have a flexibility problem” and leave it at that. You don’t have a flexibility program, you are weak in a certain range of motion and you need to get stronger there.
I work with high school volleyball players in the summer and I had two girls who also couldn’t get to parallel with a bodyweight squat when they were first started. Well a lot of hard work and proper training (box squat, box squat, box squat!) and by the end of the summer one hit a 1x BW (and by this I mean, weight on the bar equal to bodyweight) squat for 3 reps and the other was just shy of that. And these are 14 and 15 year old girls.
Just put your ego aside and be willing to work at it and you’ll get it soon ehough.
I hear stretching can make you more flexible.
There’s also a good DVD about dynamic stretching called Magnificent Mobility:
http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=878989&pageNo=0#1012106
http://www.ericcressey.com/mmreviews.html
If you know that flexibility is the problem, why ask for a critique about your form?
There is no way you are that inflexible or you wouldnt be able to tie your shoes. Your body does not want to put stress on muscles that cannot handle it. You just have to get your body used to doing the motion. I would first start off much lighter, say 95 at most and work on box squatting like the other poster said. There is no question about how low you went because either you sit on the box or you dont. Also, working on flexibility would be a good idea. The magnificent mobility stuff is great and some static stretching at home, cold, wouldnt hurt. Another problem is like I said earlier, too many people want to jump right into 135 on alot of different exercises because they consider that really light and figure they can iron things out from there. Let me tell you that is not light, you dont need to worry about getting stronger now, that will come quickly when it is time for that, but for now, you are hurting your progress having that much weight on the bar. De-load, learn the exercise, let your body get accustomed to it and you will be rocketing back up in record time. But dont rush the initial process.
[quote]kobe4life08 wrote:
Raw Power wrote:
Don’t give up and quit saying “I can’t”.
i cant
[/quote]
Those words are not be used on this site, the correct words are that ‘’ i will try’’
strike those words, i can’t from your vocab and you will being doing yourself the greatest favour in your weight room development.
[quote]MrTangerineSpedo wrote:
The best thing I’ve found to squat low is to practice squatting low. Do a search on Google Video for Dan John’s presentation at the LA Strength Seminar. He walks through how to do goblet squats, potato sack squats, etc. I found it very helpful.[/quote]
Wow, that’s a great video! It took me weeks to do what he did in a couple of minutes. Kobe - that should fix you in no time.
Search for The Video FitCast- Episode 6
[quote]kobe4life08 wrote:
i already said it. its a flexibility problem. i cant even go that low just body weight. jesus.
[/quote]
Quit whining. You are 17. You have no idea what is causing your problems. I’ve seen your other posts over the past few weeks. You are truly clueless.
There is nothing wrong with ignorance: So long as you recognize and seek to overcome it.
Don’t ask for advice if you’re going to lash out like a child when you’re given advice you don’t agree with. This is T-Nation, not V-Nation.