[quote]Modi wrote:
AlphaDragon wrote:
Hi guys (and gals?):
I know I said i’d start doing Westside a few months ago…well, my “training partner” copped out before we even started and I just lost another one (after doing 2 weeks of Total Body 3x/week and 2 “booster workouts”/week).
I was SO hoping the 2nd dude would last through the TBT so we could do the westside template you all helped me with WAAYYYY back on like page 171 or something.
“Another one bites the dust.”
May I ask 2 questions, please?
-
How many of you train alone/solo? What do you do to push yourself on “those days?” (this type of training DOES find more benefit with a partner, no? I don’t know if I have it in me to do it solo. I have enough drive to work hard…but to work hard like i see you all doing, well…that’s something all together different).
-
I’m doing box squats these days. I know you sit down and back…but I tend to shift my weight forward to get up. My stance is as wide as the squat rack. Is that normal?
thanks
AD
[/quote]
Modi certainly has a strong opinion on training partners and for good reason. All too often you’ll find somebody that expresses a lot of interest in training and agrees to train with you; they usually lose focus and begin to show up late, ditch sessions altogether, etc. after time passes.
In other words, they end up being like 75% of the people that sign up for a gym membership just after January 1st of each year - they don’t stick with it because they don’t like to work hard. But if you do happen to find that training partner who is eager to train with you and makes you work harder to get a tough, grinding PR lift, consider yourself a lucky person.
I do have a training partner on my Friday and Sunday training sessions and that has been invaluable to me. He’s been lifting far longer than I have and has a lot of experience under the bar. I’ve recently surpassed him in weight on the big 3 lifts, but I have to give a lot of the credit to him as he’s been there coaching me on form and advising me on the programming of my training cycles.
One thing you could try to do is post a Q&A on Elitefts.com asking if there are any private gyms in your area that would allow you to train there. That way, you could possibly find at least one person, maybe even an entire crew, stronger than you to lift with.
As for your box squat rock, it is usually a combination of form and weaknesses. Formwise, don’t get too loosey-goosey on the box as that will force you to rock forward to try and regain leverage. Just sit back briefly enough to release the hip flexors while keeping your core tight, knees out, elbows down and lower/upper back arched.
To reverse, first push your head back into the bar while simultaneously applying force to the heels/outside of your feet. Once you get about halfway up push your hips through like you’re humping the air. It seems complicated and it can be for a while, but keep working at it with submaximal weights at first to reinforce your good habits while trying to fix your bad ones.
Also, if you want, we have enough armchair squatters on here that taking vids and posting them in this thread would allow for better advice.
Good luck.
