Valerian root is amazing lol
[quote]chobbs wrote:
Valerian root is amazing lol[/quote]
Is it? What’s your experience with it? It’s one of those things I’ve heard of for years but never tried before.
[quote]LoRez wrote:
[quote]chobbs wrote:
Valerian root is amazing lol[/quote]
Is it? What’s your experience with it? It’s one of those things I’ve heard of for years but never tried before.[/quote]
It hits me harder than melatonin but I only take it when I have 10 or more hours to dedicate to sleeping because I’ll always wake up “sleep drunk” if you don’t let yourself just wake up.
Given the article today: Squat form check. Sorry about the angle. I’m still trying to figure that one out.
What do you see? I could really use some help.
Personal notes: it may not make sense to go so deep, since my lower back does actually round toward the bottom. Overall, my lower back still seems too mobile… pretty arched up top, slightly rounded at the bottom, not at all “tight, stable”. While I could get my elbows more under the bar, upper back stayed stable. Speed looks fine.
(I can’t believe how much it looks like that weight leans me forward though. I could definitely use another 50 pounds of bodyweight.)
[quote]chobbs wrote:
[quote]LoRez wrote:
[quote]chobbs wrote:
Valerian root is amazing lol[/quote]
Is it? What’s your experience with it? It’s one of those things I’ve heard of for years but never tried before.[/quote]
It hits me harder than melatonin but I only take it when I have 10 or more hours to dedicate to sleeping because I’ll always wake up “sleep drunk” if you don’t let yourself just wake up. [/quote]
That’s how melatonin is for me. But somehow this has 4x the amount of melatonin I used in the past, and I’m not feeling that way.
That said, I didn’t fell “alive” today, just awake and kinda zoned out. For two days there I actually felt pretty good. Back to normal today it seems.
But I slept for 8 hours instead of 10+, so it’s keeping me from oversleeping at least. I haven’t needed an alarm at all. Usually I’d hit snooze for 45 minutes or an hour.
Fasted Incline Walking
Increased the speed to 3.3. Still 20 minutes at 6.0 degrees.
300mg caffeine, 20g peptopro, 5g l-leucine
Heart rate stayed around 125, so increasing the speed tomorrow again. It’s strange how this fluctuates.
–
Shoulders are feeling iffy, and they felt worse after my overhead press session the other day. Could have been aggravated from the Savickas press more than the BTN press. Either way, I’ll skip that tonight. I felt the pain while sleeping on several occasions, mainly my left shoulder.
–
I talked to a tanning salon yesterday. I want to get a base tan before vacation, so I don’t end up burned at the pool. Plus some color would be ok.
Based on discussions on this site, I used the stand-up tanning booth. I used a recommendation from the girl up front on which tanning lotion to use, and then I went a step down from that when she told me it was almost $60 for the bottle. I used the $30 bottle (again, suggestion from either this site or bb.com). Australian Gold, Hardcore Black. It has a bronzer in it too. I only barely know what that is.
Let’s just say I had no idea what I was doing.
Manufacturer suggested starting with 3 minutes in this thing. Girl up front said I can start with 5 minutes. It ended up being more like 4 minutes since I was slow getting the lotion on.
But there were some results from the first session. Today I have a slight tan, kind of like if I spent a weekend out in the sun, but without the redness I usually get when I do that (even with lotion).
Between the arm work I started doing, the “cutting”, and the tanning, I’m starting to question a few things about myself…
[quote]LoRez wrote:
Given the article today: Squat form check. Sorry about the angle. I’m still trying to figure that one out.
What do you see? I could really use some help.
Personal notes: it may not make sense to go so deep, since my lower back does actually round toward the bottom. Overall, my lower back still seems too mobile… pretty arched up top, slightly rounded at the bottom, not at all “tight, stable”. While I could get my elbows more under the bar, upper back stayed stable. Speed looks fine.
(I can’t believe how much it looks like that weight leans me forward though. I could definitely use another 50 pounds of bodyweight.)[/quote]
You could probably pull your elbows ‘down’ more, keep them more underneath the bar if you’re going to go high bar like that. Also, I can’t really tell, but you may by overarching your lower back, when you ideal want it a bit more neutral, bracing your entire core (as in not just pushing out your stomach but also your obliques and lower back, expanding the entire area 360 degrees).
I’m not an expert on Squatting obviously, but it’s probably the lift I suck at the least. Also, I think before you continue to cut under 150 lbs, I’d get a tan. I’m serious. you’re pretty lean. A tan would help a ton. lol
[quote]Spidey22 wrote:
Also, I think before you continue to cut under 150 lbs, I’d get a tan. I’m serious. you’re pretty lean. A tan would help a ton. lol
[/quote]
Lol, yup. Started last night on the tanning. Girl up front claims 2 weeks of 3x a week to get a base tan with the equipment I’m using. I’m not so optimistic.
And thanks for looking at the squat video. I noticed the same thing about elbows. If I were to use buzzwords, it looks like “core instability” is my real problem with the squats. Could be my abs, could be my low back, but either way it needs work.
I’m already doing ab-wheel rollouts once a week and touch-n-go mat pulls from mid-shin (which hits my glutes and low back hard). I suppose I could add in some hip-flexor stretching just because it may help.
Otherwise… Farmers walks? Overhead holds/walks? Hanging knee/leg raises?
But other than that, I agree that some amount of consciously focusing on the core will help.
Since there’s no Add Favorite on this article for some reason: 4 Stronger Squat Exercises
I think I’m going to try working on the eccentric portion of the squat before/after next session.
EDIT: also Lift Big by Bracing, Not Arching
Funny how his demo video of what not to do looks a lot like exactly what I’m doing.
EDIT 2: The Lumbar Stability Thread - Powerlifting & Strength Sports - Forums - T Nation
No homo…x2 on being tan makes you look a lot leaner.
-
With the improvement of depression/other problems… I’d give it a reasonable guess that morning cardio is helping to a degree. I don’t know how other people feel about it, but for me personally when I have done that before i am MUCH more awake throughout the day and sleep better at night… So that might be a major cause because I know some people I help that I have do morning fasted walking feel the same way and want to do it almost everyday just to feel like that.
-
Stop wearing olympic shoes. I know theyre the fad and all but theyre making your squat worse. I’m glad someone said something alone these lines to me almost 6 months ago. I ditched them and it fixed some of the issues youre having. The first is bar path. Because of the shoes (or the way you squat which may be contributed to by the shoes) your knees track WAY too far forward. I dont have a problem with knee path, but because of the knee path the bar is over your toes not mid feet which is putting you out of position and forcing you to shoot your hips up and slightly bend you over. If you went heavier towards a 1rm I can guarantee that you’d probably end up looking like youre doing a GM like I did here:
As you can tell my form back then Looks like how yours does now.
My suggestions that are practical and not just saying the issues are
a) Drop the shoes and get into flat soles
b) Lower the bar. High bar might not be the best option for you strength wise.
c) Work high bar pauses and front squats as accessories. Both will FORCE you to stay straight up if you dont you will miss a lift.
d) elbows under. Dont think about elbows under only, but think about TOGETHER. Squeeze your elbows towards one another it will force your back into position.
e) Get tighter. Big breath of air into your belly and get so your body feels like a elastic band. That way when you hit the bottom at depth, if youre tight enough it will almost SPRING you out when you push up with the tension.
@PlainPat: Thank you for looking at the video.
I suppose that video made it pretty obvious how much trouble I’ve had adjusting to the shoes. I’m certainly a lot more comfortable in them now, but even so, I could do a triple with 265 barefoot easier than that 225 single was. There’s a part of me that genuinely wonders why “everyone” else has an easier time with raised heels.
It’s going to take me a bit though to truly convince myself to return them, but I think you’re right.
I’ve never tried a lower bar position, so that might take some time getting used to. You’re right about me losing the bar forward; that’s always been the problem, not leg strength.
I didn’t ignore the other comments, just don’t see any need for further comment.
7 mat pulls w/chains
135 x several; 185, 225, 285 x 3
320 x 5
These were somewhere between touch-n-go and dead stop. They were very controlled eccentrics, but I let the weight come entirely off at the bottom between reps. I think I prefer these better than either end of the spectrum. I was able to keep good positioning this way.
Low back is heavily fatigued still. (Friday moderately heavy mat pulls; Sat heavy mat pulls; Mon squats; Tues squat singles for video)
Decline Skullcrushers
20 x 9, 8
These were done without any warming up, so I kept a few reps in the tank.
[quote]LoRez wrote:
@PlainPat: Thank you for looking at the video.
I suppose that video made it pretty obvious how much trouble I’ve had adjusting to the shoes. I’m certainly a lot more comfortable in them now, but even so, I could do a triple with 265 barefoot easier than that 225 single was. There’s a part of me that genuinely wonders why “everyone” else has an easier time with raised heels.
It’s going to take me a bit though to truly convince myself to return them, but I think you’re right.
I’ve never tried a lower bar position, so that might take some time getting used to. You’re right about me losing the bar forward; that’s always been the problem, not leg strength.
I didn’t ignore the other comments, just don’t see any need for further comment.[/quote]
Most people are just caught up in this fad IMO, because they saw some top level lifters in them and were like oh shit this is gonna make me squat more when at the end of the day they can use flat sole or raised and STILL squat more just because theyre stronger.
Like literally powerlifters from all generations have been saying flat sole forever and theres deffinetely a reason. Seems to me that the heel encourages people to allow knees to drift TOO far forward and fucks everyone up rather than helps but it feels much more stable because of the shoe design so everyone has said it helps them but in reality if you video it like you did I think most people would realize its not as helpful as they think.
I felt the same way though. Blew 180 bucks on my adipowers and they just sit there now… Like em for benching though.
I mean PP is stronger than me, but I wouldn’t say rid yourself of the Oly shoes just yet. I actually love them with a slightly lower bar position. The issue IMO is you start in a not great position. Like, when you unrack the weight, do that with like a glute thrust, if that make sense, get your hips UNDER you from the very beginning. You’re unracking it with the bar already in line to go towards your toes, at least in my opinion.
With Oly shoes, knee travels over the toes a bit yea, but that’s it your push your knees forward, and now OUT like you’re supposed too. I do think some people are suited for flat footed Squatting though. Like my Squat stance is pretty damn narrow. Plain Pat’s is a decent bit wider from what i can tell in that video. I feel you maybe squatting with a narrow stance or high style, but using low-bar/wide stance cues in your head, which is screwing it up.
Also, the pulling the elbows down and in is a good cue. I warm-up for Squats by getting a band and basically doing pull aparts with it in like a BTN pull down position. Helps a lot getting that feeling of tension required in my back for Squats.
[quote]Spidey22 wrote:
I feel you maybe squatting with a narrow stance or high style, but using low-bar/wide stance cues in your head, which is screwing it up.[/quote]
Can you explain this better?
When you say “low-bar/wide stance cues”, I read that as “sit back”, “break with the hips”, “keep lower legs vertical”. So, I don’t really understand what you mean, because 1) I’m not thinking those things, and 2) I’m not sure how it looks like I’m thinking those things either.
Also, since you can’t see it in the video, my feet are shoulder width apart, knees out with nearly a 90 degree angle between them. I’ve tried having things more forward, I’ve tried wider, I’ve tried narrower, and this is so far the best.
[quote]LoRez wrote:
[quote]Spidey22 wrote:
I feel you maybe squatting with a narrow stance or high style, but using low-bar/wide stance cues in your head, which is screwing it up.[/quote]
Can you explain this better?
When you say “low-bar/wide stance cues”, I read that as “sit back”, “break with the hips”, “keep lower legs vertical”. So, I don’t really understand what you mean, because 1) I’m not thinking those things, and 2) I’m not sure how it looks like I’m thinking those things either.
Also, since you can’t see it in the video, my feet are shoulder width apart, knees out with nearly a 90 degree angle between them. I’ve tried having things more forward, I’ve tried wider, I’ve tried narrower, and this is so far the best.[/quote]
Well I mean so it looks like the over-arching of the back, and it looks like your shins were going more forward than out. Though it is a angle that kind of makes that hard to judge. I just know that GM’ing Squats has become much less of an issue for me when I stopped doing those things.
Also your legs are quite lanky, so at first I thought you were sitting ‘back’ but looking at it again it just seems you’re lanky enough that it just seems your going back but in reality you’re going down, so sorry about that.
[quote]LoRez wrote:
[quote]Spidey22 wrote:
I feel you maybe squatting with a narrow stance or high style, but using low-bar/wide stance cues in your head, which is screwing it up.[/quote]
Can you explain this better?
When you say “low-bar/wide stance cues”, I read that as “sit back”, “break with the hips”, “keep lower legs vertical”. So, I don’t really understand what you mean, because 1) I’m not thinking those things, and 2) I’m not sure how it looks like I’m thinking those things either.
Also, since you can’t see it in the video, my feet are shoulder width apart, knees out with nearly a 90 degree angle between them. I’ve tried having things more forward, I’ve tried wider, I’ve tried narrower, and this is so far the best.[/quote]
I think spidey means not necessarily the cues only but what youre actually working with. High bar narrow stance squats is mostly gonna be quad involvement, so if you push hips back at all and try to sit back even slightly instead of just sitting straight down its going to take you out of position and basically fuck your squat groove.
Also just saying that video is me at 16, I squat shoulder-width stance with low bar in flat-soles now focusing more on down then back and that works best for me by far. I also had the same issue dan green had he talked about once where he kept caving over in squats thinking it was his back was weak but really it was his legs werent strong enough to stay under and push and his positioning was wrong for the way he was squatting.
ALSO, some people DO make oly shoes work… chad smith works well in them, dan green… etc. Its more of a prefernce thing but most people IMO could benefit from sticking flat shoes as has been recommended for a long time. Not saying heels can’t help, but for some people it will mess with positioning.
LoRez your squat looked fine, don’t over think it.