So i don’t fuck around in the gym, i follow Waterbury’s BBB. I lay it down hardcore.
I’m sure my nutrition is in order, in the last 3.5 months i’ve put on 30lbs LBM, but am hitting a plataeu at about 187 or so(5’10").
Heres the thing, My major lifts(DL, Bench) have practically doubled since i started, but my squat hovers around the same number.
The following are all my 5RM’s with form taking precedence over anything. Not being a bitch coming second.
ATG Squat: 175x5 (starting from about 135x5)
Deadlift: 225x5(starting from 135x5)
Benchpress: 185x5(starting from 135x5)
I know it’s ridiculous that all my lifts started at 135, but i guess thats more of just a place i decided to start at. For the deadlift i definitely could have started with more, but I wanted to exercise proper form.
I modified BBB in that I almost always doing 8x3’s with my 5RMs. It’s worked wonders for everything but my squats. I feel like i should be manning each week and add like another 10lbs to my squat like i have with my other lifts and see great results. But whenever i add weight to my squats, form suffers a great deal so i decide to drop weight.
I don’t really have a light day, i feel like i’m always busting my ass and am always on the edge of running to failure, but it’s difficult to tell because i KNOW i have more in me, so i don’t want to use an overtraining excuse.
I have been consuming about 3500 calories since the beginning, i wonder if i need to increase calories since i am hitting somewhat of a plataeu?
Works great for me. After 2 sessions, bump the weight by 5-10 lbs for every rep range. Stop trying to have perfect form. Try to use good form so you dont have to drop lbs because of some supposed advantage of perfect form
up the rep range. More reps = more practice. as you get closer to failure with lighter weight your form won’t go to total hell and it is safer. Keep pushing hard just back off on the weight a bit, your trying to go heavy when you can’t actually lift heavy weights. Build a solid foundation of technique/muscle/strength first worry about your 5rm later
Why would you want to do more weight when your form still needs work. What good is it going to do. Other than being able to say you can do 500lb 1/8 squats, when you can only do 135 ATG?
If your form is off you are:
Not going to hit the muscles you want.
Be prone to injury
Look like a jackass doing 1/8 squats.
Have very slow gains
Focus on your form, weight is just a number to track your progress. When you can do the lift properly the gains will come quickly. As the saying goes practice make perfect.
Are you sure your form is correct? When I started I used to hold the bar way too high on my back and that would make me tip forward and not be able to lift heavier.
[quote]jbodzin wrote:
Stop trying to have perfect form. Try to use good form so you dont have to drop lbs because of some supposed advantage of perfect form
Why would you want to do more weight when your form still needs work. What good is it going to do. Other than being able to say you can do 500lb 1/8 squats, when you can only do 135 ATG?
If your form is off you are:
Not going to hit the muscles you want.
Be prone to injury
Look like a jackass doing 1/8 squats.
Have very slow gains
Focus on your form, weight is just a number to track your progress. When you can do the lift properly the gains will come quickly. As the saying goes practice make perfect.[/quote]
It sounds like he is being overly cautious about his form. Let’s get serious here, how long does it take to get your squat form down? If he has been doing squats 1-2x/wk for 3.5 months, he shouldn’t have any problem with form. If he does, it is probably time to hit the leg press.
[quote]ybthere1 wrote:
It sounds like he is being overly cautious about his form. Let’s get serious here, how long does it take to get your squat form down? If he has been doing squats 1-2x/wk for 6 months, he shouldn’t have any problem with form. If he does, it is probably time to hit the leg press.
[/quote]
True. Perhaps he should try a few diffrent squat forms to improve weak areas?
Box Squats, Front Squat, Hack Squat.
You may just need to shock your system with a new exercise.
i have not been doing squats for 6 months, in fact i would say i just starting doing squats at the beginning of my bulk about 10 weeks ago.
With that said, I will take the advice i have gotten here, I will try Box squats next time as i hear many good things about them, and will lighten up the load to go for more reps.
Unfortunately, none of the douchebags in my fratfilled gym know how to do squats properly, everyone does 1/4 squats at best, so i can’t get any help from people in side the gym.
I Think it may be time to find someone who can train proper form olympically in the Norcal area. If i cannot get this down on my own, that is.
Thank you for all of your help so far, it is not taken for granted.
A good question is “Why do you fail?”. I usually fail when squatting by bending over too far when going down. This means my core has given out before my legs. I am working on strengthening my core.
Another question is it entirely possible to not sit back deep enough into the whole, even when going ATG? Even when i am squatting body weight to practice form, i find that if i REALLY try to lean back and stick my but out, when i go ATG, i almost fall backward. So i tend to be not as extreme about it when I squat with weight, i simply remind myself to keep the weight on the heels and i squat from there.
I never lean forward on the toes and my power always comes from the base of my feet. I don’t elevate my heels so i’m not sure if thats an issue either. I’m really at a point where i guess i could use someone to point out a flaw if they watched me. Maybe i should get a video of myself sometime.
Try doing good mornings for a while. This will teach you to not be afraid of bending forward with big weight, will also build up your posterior chain, teach you to push your butt back and recruit your hamstrings properly. Alternate with front squats, which will teach you to use your hip flexors to pull yourself into the hole and to keep your stomach tight.
Shit never comes easy…maybe for the genetic freaks and farm boys, you just have to keep working hard and keep your form in check. I posted for no reason…