Getting lower on squats?
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Question My squat is getting less low as the weight gets heavy. Do you think I should continue to increase (as I feel I have it in me), or should I deload and work on form before things get worse?
Your form will always break down a bit when the weight gets heavy. If you never push through a bit it'll be harder to gain strength. So it's about finding a happy medium between okay form and the challenge. When you reach the point where the reps are ugly per your risk vs rewards standard, is when you should deload. But just because you had one grinder or squatted an inch higher than usual doesn't mean you have to regress. Take a note and try to correct it the next workout. Chances are it'll be a little tighter the next time around.
That's my take on it, anyway
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Question My squat is getting less low as the weight gets heavy. Do you think I should continue to increase (as I feel I have it in me), or should I deload and work on form before things get worse?
i'm having that with the 100lb sets of my mixed 95-and-100 experiment. not depth, but i'll start to fold in the middle like a cheap paperclip as i come out of the hole for the last rep of the last couple of sets ;-)
i guess i hold myself to about an 80 or 90% rule: out of the 25 reps in a given workout, i need to have at least 20 reps that are good and solid. and so long as i'm getting at least one more good rep each time compared with last time, i'll call that 'progress' and stay at that weight. but if i can't get 20, and/or i just don't seem to ever get any more than 20, then i guess i take it as time to back up. i don't want to be stuck for the rest of my life in an endless loop of never-improving 100lb squats.
that assumes that my form isn't getting the kind of ugly that scares bystanders too, of course.
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Thanks folks, appreciate those tips. I think I'm still doing ok.0
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So I deloaded a bunch on squats and have been really trying to get my form right. After all of your helpful suggestions and working on it while video taping myself, I think I finally have it mostly down. My thighs are now consistently getting parallel to the ground. Whew! No that I know what 'right' feels like, I think I'll do much better now. Thanks everyone! And good luck to everybody else trying to get lower too!0
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So I deloaded a bunch on squats and have been really trying to get my form right. After all of your helpful suggestions and working on it while video taping myself, I think I finally have it mostly down. My thighs are now consistently getting parallel to the ground. Whew! No that I know what 'right' feels like, I think I'll do much better now. Thanks everyone! And good luck to everybody else trying to get lower too!
Just a side-note: as your weight increases you may find it harder to keep your form correct. If that happens, don't be afraid to "stall" on your lifts for a few sessions to get your body used to the heavier weight while doing the proper form. (I've done that a couple of times as-of-late and it really has helped me with higher weight and form.)0 -
Glad it isn't just me having issues with depth - does anyone have any good exercises to increase flexibility? I feel that depth is an issue for me because of this rather than the actual weight. I have cut my weight right back and am still only at 60% of my max to work on form. I'm not sure how to identify which muscles/ joints are causing the problem?0
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I do lots of dynamic stretches before lifting jo focusing on my hips, and during the day, when appropriate and when I remember, Asian squats. If I've just done a set I'm not happy with I do a few very low body squats, hoping to remind my body what it should be doing.
I had a tight muscle in the groin which was really holding back my form a couple of months ago. I could tell that this was a problem because it hurt and also because I found my knee tracked inwards and around in order to protect that muscle.0 -
Glad it isn't just me having issues with depth - does anyone have any good exercises to increase flexibility? I feel that depth is an issue for me because of this rather than the actual weight. I have cut my weight right back and am still only at 60% of my max to work on form. I'm not sure how to identify which muscles/ joints are causing the problem?
Yoga squat pose--where your feet are pointed to the sides, you squat down low keeping your back straight, and use your elbows to gently press your thighs outward. Great for increasing flexibility, and getting you to feel your knees pushing put. If you find your upper body falls forward while squatting, you can also do this with your back against a wall.
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Glad it isn't just me having issues with depth - does anyone have any good exercises to increase flexibility? I feel that depth is an issue for me because of this rather than the actual weight. I have cut my weight right back and am still only at 60% of my max to work on form. I'm not sure how to identify which muscles/ joints are causing the problem?
Hip openers might help you the most with increasing flexibility and, therefore, depth. Pigeon pose, frog pose, and prayer squat from yoga are good ones. Another is to lay on your back on an elevated surface (like a bed or a bench) with your rear almost hanging over the side. Then pull one knee into your chest, letting the other leg hang free. Deep lunges are also good.
I did these stretches when rehabbing my knees. My hips and IT bands get tight and was causing my knees to ache after running. I've found that they also really help me warm up for squats.
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Thanks everyone - I am going to google all these and have a go. Deep lunges are fine (easy almost) for me - but yoga squats are very tricky. I know everything is tight in my legs from the agony caused by foam rolling (just got one for Christmas!). Just figuring out how to loosen things off is harder than anticipated! Thanks again everyone0
