Squats from the Bottom Position

chimera182 · January 20, 2009, 11:08pm

I just tried doing squats with the bar in the bottom position in the squat rack (the bar resting on the safety bars) and holy crap are they hard. I could barely get 300 for 5 when my max for regular squats is 450x3. Although I guess I wasn’t going low enough prior to this.

I’m not sure if it’s the going lower or just that it’s harder to start at the bottom, either way I’d definitely recommend doing these.

Ramo · January 20, 2009, 1:29pm

I am actually taking the opposite approach, and doing half squats out of the rack to get more weight on my back.

I do a lot of squats and pause squats and take these a few inches below legal depth, but am throwing in the rack work to overload the top and get used to holding big weight on my back.

A lot of old timers, Paul Anderson most notably, did lots of rack work to condition their bodies for huge loads. If you’ve walked out 800 lbs., 600 doesn’t feel like that much.

However, what you’re doing is brutally hard work…I’ve done those before but not for awhile. They will probably help you stay super tight in the hole which is important.

chimera182 · January 20, 2009, 6:35pm

[quote]Ramo wrote:
I am actually taking the opposite approach, and doing half squats out of the rack to get more weight on my back.

I do a lot of squats and pause squats and take these a few inches below legal depth, but am throwing in the rack work to overload the top and get used to holding big weight on my back.

A lot of old timers, Paul Anderson most notably, did lots of rack work to condition their bodies for huge loads. If you’ve walked out 800 lbs., 600 doesn’t feel like that much.

However, what you’re doing is brutally hard work…I’ve done those before but not for awhile. They will probably help you stay super tight in the hole which is important. [/quote]

I know what you mean, before break I put 500 (which is a lot for me) pounds up and managed a half squat.

Have you found that doing supra-maximal loads with rack work really benefits your full squat though?

Ramo · January 20, 2009, 7:02pm

[quote]chimera182 wrote:
Ramo wrote:
I am actually taking the opposite approach, and doing half squats out of the rack to get more weight on my back.

I do a lot of squats and pause squats and take these a few inches below legal depth, but am throwing in the rack work to overload the top and get used to holding big weight on my back.

A lot of old timers, Paul Anderson most notably, did lots of rack work to condition their bodies for huge loads. If you’ve walked out 800 lbs., 600 doesn’t feel like that much.

However, what you’re doing is brutally hard work…I’ve done those before but not for awhile. They will probably help you stay super tight in the hole which is important.

I know what you mean, before break I put 500 (which is a lot for me) pounds up and managed a half squat.

Have you found that doing supra-maximal loads with rack work really benefits your full squat though?[/quote]

No clue, it’s an idea coach and me kicked around and I decided to add them in. I haven’t been using the idea for long. I should know better in a month or so.

Others report good gains from heavy lockouts or heavy walkouts but you have to see for yourself. I think it has its place so I expect good results.

masonator · January 20, 2009, 10:12pm

[quote]Ramo wrote:
chimera182 wrote:
Ramo wrote:
I am actually taking the opposite approach, and doing half squats out of the rack to get more weight on my back.

I do a lot of squats and pause squats and take these a few inches below legal depth, but am throwing in the rack work to overload the top and get used to holding big weight on my back.

A lot of old timers, Paul Anderson most notably, did lots of rack work to condition their bodies for huge loads. If you’ve walked out 800 lbs., 600 doesn’t feel like that much.

However, what you’re doing is brutally hard work…I’ve done those before but not for awhile. They will probably help you stay super tight in the hole which is important.

I know what you mean, before break I put 500 (which is a lot for me) pounds up and managed a half squat.

Have you found that doing supra-maximal loads with rack work really benefits your full squat though?

No clue, it’s an idea coach and me kicked around and I decided to add them in. I haven’t been using the idea for long. I should know better in a month or so.

Others report good gains from heavy lockouts or heavy walkouts but you have to see for yourself. I think it has its place so I expect good results.[/quote]

I used to do these every few weeks last training cycle and they helped ENORMOUSLY

rrjc5488 · January 20, 2009, 11:06pm

I think Dan John wrote about front squats from the bottom position. He said he liked them, and I think he even said he thought it was one of the best tests of strength. I could be wrong, though.

As for supra-maximal loads, I think another argument is the “spinal loading” school of thought, being that when you load 800lbs onto a bar, then load said bar on your back, your brain says “uhh, fuck, if I don’t support myself, I’m going to be crushed.” Then it releases a shit-ton of anabolic hormones into your body.

That’s the simplified version.

ouroboro_s · January 20, 2009, 11:41pm

[quote]Ramo wrote:
I am actually taking the opposite approach, and doing half squats out of the rack to get more weight on my back.
[/quote]

I love these. I start at hip height for a couple sets and then go waist height at higher weight. Just breaking the inertia of the bar at the bottom on the first rep is a killer. It’s almost like deadlifts off your back because there is no kinetic energy at all on the first one. If that makes any sense. The bar is completely dead.

I like them to practice forcing my hips through on squat.

chimera182 · January 21, 2009, 12:30am