Squating advice needed - Help!

[mark! 449]

Quick reply before leaving for work: Look up ghetto glute ham raise, it sucks but it's possible. I've used a GHR machine maybe 3 times in my life, and my squats aren't too bad, so it's not necessary. The BIGGEST thing I'd do is squat more and more and more with either body weight, or just the bar. Get a broom stick, keep it in the bedroom and squat with the broom stick each night, just 5-10 reps. I had a problem with coming up on my toes until I started squatting either barefoot, or with flat soled shoes. If I squat in tennis shoes, my knee screams at me pretty bad.

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Quick reply before leaving for work: Look up ghetto glute ham raise' date=' it sucks but it's possible. I've used a GHR machine maybe 3 times in my life, and my squats aren't too bad, so it's not necessary. The BIGGEST thing I'd do is squat more and more and more with either body weight, or just the bar. Get a broom stick, keep it in the bedroom and squat with the broom stick each night, just 5-10 reps. I had a problem with coming up on my toes until I started squatting either barefoot, or with flat soled shoes. If I squat in tennis shoes, my knee screams at me pretty bad.[/quote']

I will check that out.

If you've read any of my running posts, you'll know all I wear are flat soled shoes. So at least I have that going for me.

[Fiddleman 4,376]

I will check that out.

If you've read any of my running posts' date=' you'll know all I wear are flat soled shoes. So at least I have that going for me.[/quote']

That is a great suggestion to practice form with a broom stick. Hadn't thought of that. In cross fit, we practice squat form with PVC pipe to start out with and then a 35 or 50 lb bar. I am still taking baby steps, but looking forward to when I can do a squat with body weight (e.g. 180 lb). I am going to use a broom from now on at home to practice when away from the gym instead of air squats.

One minor thing that helps me is leading with my butt and trusting where it is going. You can also put a medicine ball under where you are standing and practice squatting to where your butt touches it. That is actually below parallel. The worst that can happen is you fall on the medicine ball in a seated position. However, just a little bit of trust will go a long ways in going low.

[mark! 449]

Box squats will also help with form and depth. Like the medicine ball, but you can use either a home made box or a bench to squat down to. I like turning the bench to where the head is facing towards the squat rack instead of it laying across it, that way there's a narrowing bench in between my legs and it doesn't effect my stance or anything. It's so much easier going under weight with a bench under you knowing it'll support all you can throw at it.

Also, for ham and glute development if you're having trouble there, try dead stop squats. Start with the bar on some safety pins a bit higher than the bar would rest at parallel, get under the bar in position and lift the bar. You're doing a full squat but you're starting at the bottom, going up, and back down to the pins. These are harder to do multiple reps with, but you can do fast singles if you want. When I feel like I'm getting out of the hole slowly, or having trouble with explosiveness, I'll do these. There's no way to get the weight up unless you explode off the bottom. I use dead stop for bench as well.

[Butterthebean 8,146]

My problem is I cannot even get down that low to begin with. I cannot do a proper squat even with a broomstick. I tried squatting down and sitting back on my bench. That felt good, but in order to get up I had to rock forward. I read somewhere that I'm not supposed to do that. Tomorrow I'll try to make a vid and post it here so you can see what a train wreck it is.

[Fiddleman 4,376]

My problem is I cannot even get down that low to begin with. I cannot do a proper squat even with a broomstick. I tried squatting down and sitting back on my bench. That felt good' date=' but in order to get up I had to rock forward. I read somewhere that I'm not supposed to do that. Tomorrow I'll try to make a vid and post it here so you can see what a train wreck it is.[/quote']

BTB - the entire purpose of starting this thread is because I am really bad at squats. So that makes two of us. It must have a lot to do with our weekly running. I do roll out my muscles after running, but everything is still so tight. I cannot straighten out my leg when sitting on a flat surface when stretching.

My flexibility issues are getting in the way of my lifting at cross fit. Part of it also has to do with a lifelong career of chair sitting behind a computer. Better now then never to get more flexible and stronger. Yoga is helping, but my cross fit PT is also working hard on my mobility. Maybe a PT would also be beneficial to you while your are really honing in on good lifting form post op.

My comment may be out of place ( let me know), but lifting post op is different now that we have lost 100+ lb and we run so much. Balance is so much different and there may be some overcompensating we did before because of larger bodies. A PT can help us find the right form and balance again given the new body dynamics.

[mark! 449]

Butterbean, how wide is your stance? It may solve your problem to squat with a wider stance than most, it gives more stability to some. Check out some Sumo Squat vids on youtube. I squat halfway sumo but can't deadlift sumo to save my life unless I'm just doing it to a) screw around or work my back as an accessory lift.

[SleeveDreamer 383]

I remember someone posted a link to the proper way to do squats for dead lifts (Mark?) a while back. I was not able to locate it with search.

Here is my problem: my flexibility stinks so when I try and even do air squats my natural inclination is to bend forward instead of going straight down, as is sitting in a chair. My flexibility might stink because of all the running I do. Hoping yoga will make it easier. I know how to do the squats but my body just does not want to do them very well.

Does anyone have advice on how to fix this squat flexibility issue?

I really have to self talk and focus in order to get the form close to right. Even then my butt is still not getting close to the ground. I want to get really good at this fundamental move because so many lifting and cross fit type exercises build on proper execution of the squat.

Thanks for your input!

I had a personal trainer who had me doing squats by putting one of those huge plastic balls on the wall and then I stood in front of it and did squats that way. I can get much lower to the ground using that ball.

[fatnomo 102]

All about form. Just hold onto the kitchen counter and do body weight squats. Focus on form even if you are totally using your arms. It trumps "wasted" weights any day. You'll feel it and feel it fast. I've done the machines at gym for past three weeks with no burn. Did three sets at home last week, body weight only holding onto chair and my quads were on fire last week.

[mark! 449]

All about form. Just hold onto the kitchen counter and do body weight squats. Focus on form even if you are totally using your arms. It trumps "wasted" weights any day. You'll feel it and feel it fast. I've done the machines at gym for past three weeks with no burn. Did three sets at home last week, body weight only holding onto chair and my quads were on fire last week.

Bodyweight squats have a place in every lifters routine, but you saying it "trumps wasted weights any day" is 110% pure ignorance.

[fatnomo 102]

Wow! I'm not just 100% ignorant. I'm 110% ignorant. Thanks for that constructive feedback friend. Perhaps I should be more specific, then maybe I'll get downgraded to 90 or even 85% ignorance.

If you take the time to read what I wrote, I didn't say body weight squats are better than weighted squats. I said proper form trumps a bunch of weight being done incorrectly.

If you're loaded up with a huge stack of weights and doing the exercise all wrong versus less weight with fantastic form then yes, I believe that trumps the other. It's fairly common sense but what can I say...I'm 110% ignorant.

[rosehips 121]

This thread has been great for me. I have one knee replaced and the other one got 2 meniscus clean outs after doing squats and what not at crossfit w/ 100 xtra lbs on me.

My legs are stronger now & squatting is so important to me. I take photos & I want to and have been squatting like a crazy woman. But w/ the help of all of you I am going to work on keeping my upper body straighter.

It was a learning process to stick my butt out like I was gonna sit on a toilet, what girl wants to stick their big butt out, but I am thankful I have that part down.

Here's to having fun with squatting, easier to do hard work too

[Fiddleman 4,376]

This thread has been great for me. I have one knee replaced and the other one got 2 meniscus clean outs after doing squats and what not at crossfit w/ 100 xtra lbs on me.

My legs are stronger now & squatting is so important to me. I take photos & I want to and have been squatting like a crazy woman. But w/ the help of all of you I am going to work on keeping my upper body straighter.

It was a learning process to stick my butt out like I was gonna sit on a toilet' date=' what girl wants to stick their big butt out, but I am thankful I have that part down.

Here's to having fun with squatting, easier to do hard work too[/quote']

We have no excuse with our squatting when you are clearly the gold standard! Way to go even with those injuries. I agree that sticking your butt out far is key to a good squat execution. Luckily I can do this in the privacy of my own home. Lol.

[mark! 449]

Wow! I'm not just 100% ignorant. I'm 110% ignorant. Thanks for that constructive feedback friend. Perhaps I should be more specific, then maybe I'll get downgraded to 90 or even 85% ignorance.

If you take the time to read what I wrote, I didn't say body weight squats are better than weighted squats. I said proper form trumps a bunch of weight being done incorrectly.

If you're loaded up with a huge stack of weights and doing the exercise all wrong versus less weight with fantastic form then yes, I believe that trumps the other. It's fairly common sense but what can I say...I'm 110% ignorant.

Calm down "friend". The statement was ignorance when read the way it was typed out. I don't know you nor care about your personal ignorance level, only making sure someone doesn't start spewing convoluted BS about the biggest compound lift in the lifting community.

[fatnomo 102]

I'm really feeling better now. Your original reply that comes straight to my email had you saying "calm down Sally". Glad you decided to edit it as if I had to question both my ignorance level and my masculinity I might start to get the idea you don't like me Mark. That's impossible since a simple response about proper form couldn't have made a person respond that way. Anyway, thanks for toning down your original post even if it still made its way to my inbox. I'm headed to the gym to do some squats with weights and proper form. All the best kind sir.