I just started doing ATG squats about 3 or 4 months ago and have plateaued a little. I know when doing ATG most of the power comes from your hips and your vastus medialis. I have been doing little hip work but have mainly been trying to go heavier and deep with everything I do. My diet is good, eating the small meals with a good ratio for summer maintanence and I am about to go on a clean bulk phase in about 4 weeks which will help my strength as well. Any suggestions to help improve this area of my work out besides time and dedication ( mainly specific exercies that might help strengthen the muscles that are used during this exercise).
This article might help you out.
Without really knowing what your training program looks like, I’d be willing to wager that your current plateau is due to the “summer maintenance” diet you’re currently on. I’ll bet you that your strength will start going up when you raise your calories in the bulking diet you’re about to start.
Good luck!
[quote]J.W. wrote:
Without really knowing what your training program looks like, I’d be willing to wager that your current plateau is due to the “summer maintenance” diet you’re currently on. I’ll bet you that your strength will start going up when you raise your calories in the bulking diet you’re about to start.
Good luck!
[/quote]
True.
And what’s your entire training routine consist of?
Like above, it’s hard to know without more info. Here are some generic suggestions: Change your set/rep/rest schemes, change your foot width and bar placement, box squats, good mornings, deadlift. Another thing I found this summer, if you have a refeed or cheat day built into your current diet, go heavy late that day or the next day. I went on restricted carbs (less than 50) for a couple weeks and my workouts suffered. I went on a 24 hr refeed and the next day I added 40 lbs to my deadlift max.
I’ve also noticed a definite sticking point when going ATG. I have good power out of the hole, but seem to hit a wall just above parallel. Any suggestions to overcome this sticking point? I thought bands might be a solution, but they are not an option at my gym.
Figure out where your weakness is. I brought my back squat up a ton after focusing on front squats for a few months.
[quote]luceb wrote:
I’ve also noticed a definite sticking point when going ATG. I have good power out of the hole, but seem to hit a wall just above parallel. Any suggestions to overcome this sticking point? I thought bands might be a solution, but they are not an option at my gym. [/quote]
Really? You have a sticking point above parallel? I don’t think I’ve seen that much. Are you losing form on the way up that causes your sticking point? For example, do you find yourself with too much of a forward lean and have to good morning the weight up?
If it is a true sticking point, bands might be a good tool. Why are they not an option at your gym? Did they tell you they are not allowed, or do you just not own any? Do you ever do any dynamic squat work?
bands are an easy option man, its 50 bucks roughly that will take your strength to places beyond what you would assume.
some people spend money on supplements when it would better spent on shit like that.
invest in the bands bro.
definitely change to front squats. Also strengthen the post. chain with hypers/rev. hypers, g/h raises, SB leg curls, etc…
My training program varies every week so that my body doesn’t adapt to everything. One week I will do back squats with reps between 3-8. The next I will do front squats with the same rep format. As for my stance, since I am trying to improve my tear drop, its around shoulder width. I don’t want to go to wide because that is mainly hips. A normal training program usually consists of:
Back squats 4 sets between 3&8 reps
Sled presses 3 sets between 5&10 reps
Walking lunges 3 sets 7-10 steps each
Exhaust extensions for 2 sets.
Like i said it varies between weeks but thats a basis of it. And don’t worry, I do my hamstrings as well but on a different day. Quads are a very exhausting workout so I split my leg day up. Thanks for the replies everyone and for any help.
[quote]bigdev121 wrote:
My training program varies every week so that my body doesn’t adapt to everything. [/quote]
I used to change my workout every week then I heard the analogy.
“Imagine trying to get real good at football so you play for 6 hours a day. Now imagine trying to excel at baseball, hockey, sprinting, boxing, basketball and football. Instead of focusing 6 hours on just one sport you now focus 1 hour on 6 different sports. Now if you choose 1 sport solely in 3 years time you will be considered an expert at that sport. Choose 6 sports and in 3 years you’ll be good at each but not outstanding at any one.”
Basically it’s saying if you want to be good at it you have to focus on it alone. I still change my workout but it’s every 5-6 weeks or when the gains stop and even then it’s just small enough changes (swapping out exercises) for growth to commense. Flex magazine will have you believe that everyone should change from week to week but truth is NOONE’S body adapts that fast. Stick with it till the gains stop and if you want to squat huge then you have to make the squat the backbone of your routine.
[quote]bigdev121 wrote:
My training program varies every week so that my body doesn’t adapt to everything. One week I will do back squats with reps between 3-8. The next I will do front squats with the same rep format. As for my stance, since I am trying to improve my tear drop, its around shoulder width. I don’t want to go to wide because that is mainly hips. A normal training program usually consists of:
Back squats 4 sets between 3&8 reps
Sled presses 3 sets between 5&10 reps
Walking lunges 3 sets 7-10 steps each
Exhaust extensions for 2 sets.
Like i said it varies between weeks but thats a basis of it. And don’t worry, I do my hamstrings as well but on a different day. Quads are a very exhausting workout so I split my leg day up. Thanks for the replies everyone and for any help.[/quote]
I really don’t see the need to split up a leg day. You only have 4 exercises there, so why not just add on a couple for the hammies?
Because I do traps with my legs and after doing quads well mostly in the middle I already feel like I am going to puke. I do my hamstrings and deads 2 days after my quads.
do much quad work imo
I guarantee this will work. I had a very hard time building a decent squat. My first powerlifting contest I weighed 145lbs at 5 foot 11 inches. My bone structure is very thin and not designed for squat. My wife has thicker knee joints than me and she’s 115 lbs. It was hell but here are 3 things that got my squat up in the mid 500 lbs range naturally. I know that aint shit but it’s big progress for some one that started out with a horrible squat. The point is no matter how disadvantaged you are you can progress.
- Never do cardio of any kind
- Do heavy dead lifts
- Hit hamstrings on a different day
- 4-5 days between heavy squat days works best for me.
also like the other guy mentioned I get sicker than hell on leg days and sometimes have to puke. What causes this? Keeping any decent training intensity once I start feeling that way was impossible that is what drove me to hamstrings on a different day.