It can take a while to learn what heavy really feels like. It isn’t a number, because that’s different for each person. It’s a feeling when the bar whispers in your ear ‘we aren’t playing any more buddy, this time if you fuck up you may end up hurting’.
XXXX isn’t bad, but you get it mostly in Queensland. Here in Canberra we’re in the land of Carlton and Victoria Bitter. Tooheys is plentiful in New South Wales. Almost no pub or grog shop anywhere would dare to stock Fosters. I don’t mind a Carlton on tap now and then.
Absolutely this.
I have a semi-rule: if I’m moving below about 450 lbs I’m not allowed a spotter, especially if I’m nervous about it. This is probably a stupid rule.
I don’t find that particularly surprising. Did any of your critics have a notable squat? Have any of them successfully coached others to achieve any notable squats? If, by chance, they have, you might want to listen to them. If not, I wouldn’t place much value in their opinions.
Your squat may not be a textbook example of perfect form, but I’d call it a textbook example of what a challenging single might look like.
There’s always an element of risk with this stuff, but I believe that if you feel good, you’re good. I’d place a lot more weight on your own body’s feedback than anything you get on the internet.
Be safe my friend, it is good job but for squats I don’t venture safety. I don’t have squat rack and my wife (spotter) can’t help in squats so I don’t push myself.
Time to add weight to Krocs and Tricep push downs.
Back to work in five days, wicked depression setting in - I know I shouldn’t be so whiney, but it’s the same every year. I’m fine after the first day of class, but really struggle before then. I’m glad the gym is a habit.
I’m three days late, but reading what you said about your squats, I would second paused squats and a slower descent. Both of those helped me a lot when I was squatting frequently. As far as the weight feeling heavy on your back, I have the same problem with this as well as bench. Now I usually will load up 20-40 pounds more than I’m topping out with, walk it out and hold it so it feels way lighter to me when I go to my top set. Kind of how when you do your top set, then go back to fsl and you can kill rep PRs.
Tweaked my back again. Felt it on the second rep of my 1+ set but tried another and it was getting tight. I think it’s just a cramp that’s pulling on the vertebrae and causing some nerve pain - it radiates down my leg. I felt it getting tighter and tighter after the rep so I stretched it and foam rolled it and the piriformis and I got some relief. I have an electric stimmer so I hit it with that twice, going to ice it in a few.
Pretty sure that ends the quest for three plates during birthday week, but I’m not really that bummed. Next week is a deload and of course, now, I’m definitely going to take it. I’m not sure about cycle five. I might re-set to give my back a break. I’m pretty sure it’s a result of changing my form, trying to squat with a more horizontal spine. I think I failed to maintain neutral spine. Changing technique while squatting heavy (for me) is probably a bad idea. So, if I’m going to work on changing form, a reset might be a good idea. I kind of feel like my training maxes are too high as it is, so re-setting might work out well.
That’s a bummer. I kind of wish you’d filmed the set, though. Reading it made me think of something I’ve done to myself squatting once or twice when I dropped too fast and my lower back just locked up after. If that is indeed what happened, you probably won’t need to reset but just control your descent better.
@MarkKO, I didn’t tape the 1+ set, but I did tape the 3’s set. I’m working on some changes, but figure you’d rather not know and just see what’s going on.
That’s the 3 set at 215, which isn’t a difficult weight, but heavy enough to give you an idea what’s going on.
@The_Myth it looks pretty OK, but it does look like you do lose a slight amount of tension as you go from just above parallel intot the hole. With heavier loads that could make your back upset what with the bounce out of the hole and how you pitch forward a bit.
Here’s what I think, and it’s pretty much in line with what you said. I haven’t been getting depth and so I worked on that today.
In addition to that, my back has been too vertical because my eyes haven’t been focused in the right place. I worked on that today as well, and my spine angle was better.
The combination of depth, and spine angle, at a relatively heavy weight for me, and a lack of tightness/bracing, made me lose a neutral spine. I don’t think it was too bad, and I’m feeling much better now after stim and ice, but it was enough to trigger muscle tightness. I remember it getting tighter by the minute and feeling some relief after foam rolling.
I know I’m going to get nicked up trying to lift heavier and heavier, so I’m not bummed about it, just a part of the process. I expect deload next week will get me right, and I can decide whether to reset or not later.
I’d say you’re probably right. When it happened to me it felt like my erectors were an elastic band that had been overstretched and then snapped back. I couldn’t roll over in bed without using the headboard or sit/rise normally for about three days.
BPA’S 5X25, CGBP 5X10, LAT PD’S 3X10, BB CURLS 3X10, HAMMER CURLS 5X10, TRI PD’S 5X10.
Back is still tight - I stretched between each set and I can feel how tight it is - it starts to loosen up a little and the next time I stretch it, it’s tight again.
Planning on hitting the gym early again tomorrow and trying DL’s, but I don’t have a lot of hope. It’s weird, I feel pretty good most of the time but it acts up sleeping and it hurt today on the OHP.
