Im having trouble getting my squat weight to increase and so have been making an attempt to find my weak points and fix them. Im pretty sure my posterior chain just needs a lot of work, that’s why it is hard for me to get the whole sitting back deal going on.
Im basically a beginner when it comes to weightlifting, im 18, have been lifting for 3 years Id say, just started westside a few months ago. Havent been progressing really fast as Ive been working on technique. Anyway, I noticed yesterday on DE squat that I get stuck about 8-12 inches off the box before blasting through. So, I need to increase speed. Would it be a good idea to get bands? Ive read before that for beginners they are not really necessary, but I think my slow bar speed is killing my numbers.
Also, ive begun to realize, with help from here and elitefts, that i really need to change up the ME lower movements, that full squatting every week isnt the best. Last week i tried zerchers for the first time and it went okay, but when I hit even 175 (max free squat of 350) i started to lean forward a bit so that my elbows would touch my knees as I neared the bottom. Is this supposed to occur, or do I need to sit back more?
Sorry for it being so longwinded, all help would be greatly appreciated.
I was having this problem in the mid-range off of the box. It was recomended that I drop the weight until I could reach the right speed. It worked. We use some little gizmo with a string and a feedback screen that measures the rate of acceleration, and use that as a reference as to when speed starts to drop.Thats a good way to guage fatigue and whether or not the load is too great.
Don’t use bands yet. I’m 19 and have been lifting for quite some time. I’d probably consider myself an intermediate. I had been training my squat for about 6 months with bands but it wasn’t a good idea. I’m taking a step back to chains so that I can make much more progress in the future. If you think you are ready then use chains.
And it sounds like you need some work on your lower back to arch, so hit some reverse hypers heavy. You are going to want to bring up your hamstring volume by adding in extra short workouts, maybe some GHR’s. The sticking point mid way up sounds like it could be an Abdominal weakness and you don’t get the best stability and power transfer out of the hole so hit your abs HEAVY and often, they take a beating. And make sure to work a ton on your form. good luck
Abs Ive certainley realized as a weak point, so now Im doing A LOT more for them. The problem is, my gym has no reverse hyper nor a GHR machine. I normally rotate between back raises, RDL, and pullthroughs.
Any thoughts on the zercher q?
you shouldn’t be leaning forward. I used to lean a lot in order to sit my butt back. You need to learn to keep a big tight arch in your back.