Embarrassing but true.I'm a weak squatter & I'm starting over from scratch. [Archive]

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S.O.Interceptor

11-04-2009, 14:27

I have spent a lot of time lately trying different methods of squatting and different exercises to help better my squat but not only has it not gotten better, I believe it has gotten worse. It seems I have been going backwards and haven't been able to handle as much weight as I did just a couple of months ago. I have spent the last few workouts dissecting my technique and trying to figure out what was wrong. I found that I had terrible form, didn't go deep enough, curved my back too much, and basically just looked terrible once I got above 245lbs. And it actually led me to hurt my lower back recently. Nothing major, but a setback that was painful and made even regular daily tasks uncomfortable for a few days.

So I spent today's workout really looking hard at my form and realized the best thing to do was start over from scratch at ground zero with virtually no weight and work my way up the ladder again using good form. So I started doing that today.

I began by using the bar only and making sure I did everything perfectly. Then I did a set of about 12 or 15 (I wasn't counting as much as looking at my form) 95lbs of the same. Then I did a set of 10 at 135lbs. Then I did another set at 145lbs and then 155lbs. Making sure my form was correct on each and every lift all the way up and all the way down

I felt better doing those lightweight sets than I have in a long time.

It's embarrassing having to lift that little weight but that's okay. Just a few months ago I was that embarrassed when I started over on my bench press.

I'm just going to keep doing this until I work my way back up. I figured a few sets of lightweight done right are more of a benefit than a thousand sets of higher weight done wrong.

BradD

11-04-2009, 14:59

Sounds smart to me.

Hey, don't feel bad. I re-started at 45 lb this past time after my hernia surgery. I'm sure the BBers in teh gym thought that was pretty funny.

Eyescream

11-04-2009, 18:37

You're doing the right thing.

People get hurt when they lift wrong because they're letting their egos talk them into more than their body's able to do. Starting over to make sure you're doing it the right way, to use the most muscles with each rep, will eventually have you stronger in a given time frame than the guy that's half-assing it and doing quarter squats in a smith machine, if everything else is equal.

BradD

11-04-2009, 20:29

Reminds me of the guy I squatted with today. We only have one cage. He's about 5'-10" or 6' and looked to be about 220-240. His squat workout was: 135x8-10, 225x8-10, 315x5-6, 365x5-6, and 405x2, all at about half depth. Then he went over to the hack squat and then leg press.

LOL, I'm just jealous because he can do everything "wrong" and is still stronger than me!

matthewa5

11-04-2009, 20:37

I'm doing the same and it sucks. I hurt my i.t. band on my right leg doing heavy squats. I'm normally good for 405x6(parallel) , but i screwed myself over by doing cardio before squatting, which i never do. I got down on the last rep and my leg just gave out. so much pain, lol. I got an mri and and nothing was torn thank god.

But after 2 months i started trying squats again. I can barely do 135 now because i still have some pain.. :(

BradD

11-04-2009, 20:46

Wow, that stinks, Matthew. Bet you'll be back up there sooner than you think, though.

Eyescream

11-04-2009, 20:52

BCR

11-05-2009, 00:46

The main thing is that you are smart enough to start over.

I've done this on my squats and bench before.

Both paid off in the long run.

Green_Manelishi

11-05-2009, 02:49

I felt better doing those lightweight sets than I have in a long time.

You have a problem with feeling better?

It's embarrassing having to lift that little weight but that's okay. Just a few months ago I was that embarrassed when I started over on my bench press.

I always was more embarrassed hurting myself doing it the wrong way. Besides, the onliest person with whom I am competing, or should be, is moi.

I'm just going to keep doing this until I work my way back up. I figured a few sets of lightweight done right are more of a benefit than a thousand sets of higher weight done wrong.

True that. Your back will thank you in the short and long term.

S.O.Interceptor

11-05-2009, 06:19

I was rushed yesterday and had to go before I completed my post.

Using proper form yesterday gave me the feeling in my quads and hamstrings that I had been missing lately which told me that I had finally got it right. I believe I will probably continue with the current weight for this entire 2 week cycle of 3 workouts(next Monday and Friday are squat days) before adding just 10lbs for the next 2 week cycle. I figured gaining 10lbs on the squat every 2 weeks, using better form will offer better results in the long run.

So lets see, 10lbs x 26-2 week periods per year, carry the 1, to the 9th power, divided by pi ........ I should be back to squating like a man sometime in the year 2019.

Sounds smart to me.

Hey, don't feel bad. I re-started at 45 lb this past time after my hernia surgery. I'm sure the BBers in teh gym thought that was pretty funny.

Ya, but you had an excuse, you were injured.

I'm doing the same and it sucks. I hurt my i.t. band on my right leg doing heavy squats. I'm normally good for 405x6(parallel) , but i screwed myself over by doing cardio before squatting, which i never do. I got down on the last rep and my leg just gave out. so much pain, lol. I got an mri and and nothing was torn thank god.

But after 2 months i started trying squats again. I can barely do 135 now because i still have some pain.. :(

See you've got an excuse too. I just suck at it.

BradD

11-05-2009, 13:35

That's not embarrassing. THIS is embarassing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS-KilDaX_E&feature=related (I was looking for a dog under there somewhere...)

ateamer

11-05-2009, 14:20

That's not embarrassing. THIS is embarassing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS-KilDaX_E&feature=related (I was looking for a dog under there somewhere...)
Obviously, that took place in a gym in the Castro district of San Francisco. :whistling:

And he didn't do 315x5. He did five singles.

BradD

11-05-2009, 18:58

I can't figure out if he psyches himself up by visualizing that he's humping something or that he's a dog taking a dump--trying to squeeze that last little nugget out, LOL.

Eyescream

11-05-2009, 19:10

My dachshund ate a rubberband once. He didn't act like that, he mostly acted annoyed and a little confused as to whye I was walking around behind him when I was trying to grab the rubberband on it's exit, but your comment reminded me of that.

:rofl:

BradD

11-05-2009, 19:40

Man, that's nasty. Not as nasty as when my dog ate something had a string. Part comes out, then he's rolling around like a crocodile death roll, trying to twist the rest of it out.

The poor OP has probably had about enough of this, LOL.

Eyescream

11-05-2009, 19:42

Man, that's nasty. Not as nasty as when my dog ate something had a string. Part comes out, then he's rolling around like a crocodile death roll, trying to twist the rest of it out.

HAHAHAHAHA!

The poor OP has probably had about enough of this, LOL.

He seems like a good sport. He's probably fine.

BCR

11-06-2009, 01:54

Eyescream

11-06-2009, 12:58

I can barely type I'm laughing/crying so bad right now.:rofl:

Croc death roll!

That broke me last night. I started laughing at it all over again today and now my girlfriend's looking at me like I've lost my mind.

S.O.Interceptor

11-08-2009, 20:55

The poor OP has probably had about enough of this, LOL.

He seems like a good sport. He's probably fine.

Argh, I be highjack I is!!!!! :arg: Evast ya scurvy dogs, I may squat like a girl but I'm taking me thread back!!! :duel:

BradD

11-08-2009, 23:13

This guy should start over on DL like you are on squats:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSvaUTOTdc4&feature=fvw

S.O.Interceptor

11-09-2009, 02:20

This guy should start over on DL like you are on squats:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSvaUTOTdc4&feature=fvw

That has to be a spoof. No way that guy picks up 480 with that form. I almost called BS on it actually being 480 but the bar does bend as if under actual weight. He actually has decent form until 33 seconds when he starts shaking. I think he's an actual lifter who was making a funny.

BradD

11-09-2009, 06:15

Perhaps. A pretty good spoof, though.

I don't remember if the official PLing rules would disallow a DL because of a massive hitch like that. I hope not because I like the black-and-white nature of the deadlift. The guy either ends up in the top position or he doesn't.

ateamer

11-09-2009, 12:19

Right at about :35, the bar dips slightly. Red lights.

S.O.Interceptor

11-09-2009, 12:42

What's sad is that I can't deadlift 480 at all with any amount of hitching and bucking and convulsing. And there is another video of him seizing his way to 525lbs lift.

BradD

11-09-2009, 13:36

What's sad is that I can't deadlift 480 at all with any amount of hitching and bucking and convulsing. ...
See, that's the beauty of the DL. With the DL, if I see someone lift 100 lb more than my PR, I KNOW that he's really 100 lb better than me. No amount of cheating gets the bar up.

On the other hand, if I see someone quarter-squatting 100 lb more than my parallel squat PR, I figure that I am *probably* stronger than him. Same with bench press.

That being said, ateamer, I am saddened that his lift would've received red lights! It might be there, but I can't see the slight drop. It's definitely totally stuck at about that timeframe. The inclusion of this rule makes the deadlift not quite as pure as I had thought.

S.O.Interceptor

11-09-2009, 15:24

The inclusion of this rule makes the deadlift not quite as pure as I had thought.

I see it the other way around. I like the fact that you have to cleanly lift the weight. A few times in the past I have found myself cheating the weight up. I didn't count those in my rep count and had to do it all over again. It's no different than if you don't have control over the bar at lockout on the bench press.

S.O.Interceptor

11-09-2009, 15:28

Just an update:

I had another day of low weight proper form squats today. I followed with deficit deadlifts and hanging knee raises and I feel good.

Lowering the weight is really helping me keep my form together.

BradD

11-09-2009, 17:02

I see it the other way around. I like the fact that you have to cleanly lift the weight. A few times in the past I have found myself cheating the weight up. I didn't count those in my rep count and had to do it all over again. It's no different than if you don't have control over the bar at lockout on the bench press.
Eh, a matter of opinion. I liked the binary nature of the lift: 1=he's up; 0=he's not. I guess there is no pure on/off in this way, though. Even in the Olifts, if I understand it correctly, people can be DQed for having butt touching the ground.

Eyescream

11-09-2009, 19:19

I can understand the difference between lifting for place in a competition and just lifting to get stronger. You have to have some method by which to measure accomplishment, so making sure the knees and hips are locked out and there's no hitch in the bar's travel to lockout are your yardsticks.

I approach lifting to get strong differently. I don't care how ugly it is (within reason, you know; your butt can't come off the bench and you really shouldn't turn a press into a push press if you can help it), but if I lock it out, that's a rep as far as I'm concerned.

LoadToadBoss

11-10-2009, 19:22

cgwahl

11-13-2009, 03:31

At least you aren't this guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er5GBIg2s8k

S.O.Interceptor

11-13-2009, 14:03

I just got back from leg day and I feel great. I did my usual workout and then added 10 lbs for another set just to get a good burn. As big of a wuss as I feel like with others around, I am finally squatting as deep as I need and for the first time in years I am figuring out the form that works best for me.

At least you aren't this guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er5GBIg2s8k

Holy cripes!!!!! No human back is supposed to bend like that! HE'S A WITCH!!!!!

Eyescream

11-13-2009, 15:45

That's almost EXACTLY like the kid at my gym that benches all screwed up. That's hilarious. I didn't know he had a doppelganger.

cgwahl

11-13-2009, 19:38

Holy cripes!!!!! No human back is supposed to bend like that! HE'S A WITCH!!!!!

According to the info, the guys a chiropractor too...heh.

Looking at the bad form videos on youtube is fairly funny.

Eyescream

11-14-2009, 08:50

Amen, brother! Preach it!

:thanks:

S.O.Interceptor

11-14-2009, 14:41

According to the info, the guys a chiropractor too...heh.

Looking at the bad form videos on youtube is fairly funny.

I'm thinking I could bench 500+ lbs right now if I could just figure out a way to get my chest to come to the bar without having to actually move the weight. Huhm???:strong:

I think we need a smiley like that. Instead of :nsb: have a smiley arching his back to the weights.

BradD

11-14-2009, 14:48

I'm thinking I could bench 500+ lbs right now if I could just figure out a way to get my chest to come to the bar without having to actually move the weight. Huhm???.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qHTaUHZqE0

I propose that his torso is not moving and he is actually bench pressing the earth, perhaps the known universe.

Eyescream

11-14-2009, 14:54

It's creepy how that guy's louging with one leg down and the other one up.