Anyone else just starting out?
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Ok, I can't find a good link to Rippetoe on my phone, I will keep looking. I found the following pic though that shows how to get used to how the bottom of the squat should be. Get down in a squat, heels on the floor, put your elbows inside your knees and push your knees out. Pushing those knees out makes room for you to squat deeper. When squatting with the bar, really concentrate on pushing your knees out.
![2kJ8p.jpg[\img]](http://i.imgur.com/2kJ8p.jpg[\img])
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Ok, I can't find a good link to Rippetoe on my phone, I will keep looking. I found the following pic though that shows how to get used to how the bottom of the squat should be. Get down in a squat, heels on the floor, put your elbows inside your knees and push your knees out. Pushing those knees out makes room for you to squat deeper. When squatting with the bar, really concentrate on pushing your knees out.
I also really like that as a stretch for after a run.0 -
Brianna716 wrote: »I'm brand spanking new! I'm trying to figure out how to squat correctly before I move on to the other lifts. I just tried a 45 pound bar for the first time last night. So I'm right there with you! I posted in the form check thread but no responses yet.
about this . . . i really find that i never know if someone's done that, because it's a sticky thread so i don't get the nice little yellow highlight which is pretty much the only way i navigate in here. so please don't feel ignored. maybe just make a post (like this one) so that people will know that there's something you'd like some feedback about.
i'm not the best to advise you (totally starting from fresh after a year of guessing and goofing it up without getting any official coaching), but i'll go look.
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blackcoffeeandcherrypie wrote: »Yeah I always go up on my toes too. I think it might be tight hamstrings, or excess body weight. I'm hoping it will sort itself out as I lose weight and get fitter.
I know thin and fit people who can't fully squat, it's totally a flexibility/tightness thing, not a body weight thing. I can ATG squat with heels flat and I'm not fit at all, yet.
Best to get the form sooner than later when you get injured from it.
skip to 18:00 on how to squat low and stretch for flexibility. TLDR: have proper foot wear, stretch your calves and ankles.
I also found warming up helps a lot - do some body weight squats or some goblet squats. Foam roll your legs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs_Ej32IYgo
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toe-centred squatting puts a lot of stress on my quads, which ends up translating itself to my knees and it's no fun at all.
i'm trying to fix this myself currently, and the thing i'm suspecting atm is that something in my glute complex is tight. when i hit about the halfway point for depth it's a wall. my hips just won't open/drop any further with exactly the same trajectory. i think i end up tipping forward instead and transferring the work of continuing downwards to my front hip flexors. that's my story anyway.
my best trigger point for improving that is right behind the bone of my pelvic girdle. you know how your hip bones jut out in front? find that point, and then work your way down against the back 'edge' of the bone. sooner or later you run across the place where your glutes/etc attach, and with me anyway, impressive things suddenly happen when i enter that zone. a lacrosse ball up against the wall is a good way of doing it if your own hands aren't strong enough. glutes are powerful muscles; they fight back against a touch that's too light.
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I'm new...again. I had extensive foot, ankle, calf surgery 13months ago and I'm just getting back to semi-normal. I used to be super active but have been more or less sedentary since the surgery. Been back cycling for few months, and I'm starting back on Stronglifts tomorrow, I think at 45lbs for everything to see how it goes. Here goes...0
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Good luck with your fresh start, I hope it goes well. I'm training at a gym in South Africa at the moment that has a fantastic weights section and the instructors are very keen so hopefully I will see some more improvements. Everything is at 17.5kg at the moment and building up slowly.0
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Well, I finally got up to 20kg for my lifts, woo! Took a little longer than most people, but I feel comfortable with where I'm at.
Also, as regards the lifting up heels when squatting; the instructor gave me a good tip today. He put weights just under my heels so that I'm still pressing down through my heels when I lift. It felt good, stronger and more correct. My feet stay flat till parallel, it's just when I drop below parallel then my heels come up.0 -
NoAnalHere wrote: »Hi everyone! I'm very new to free weights and stronglifts. I've just used weight machines and circuit training. I've watched a lot of how to videos to preform the exercises correctly. But when I get to the gym I cannot squat. If i take the weights out of my hands I cannot squat. The only way I can squat is with my back against a wall and going downwards.
The issue is I go on my tippy toes when lowering myself so i look and am unbalanced. So anytime I go to squat someone is helpful to point out in doing it wrong and tries to help me at my gym. But I cannot help for my feet to tip forward.
So should I do squats regardless of this and be careful when it starts to get heavy? Or fix my form before I start doing squats?
and has anyone ever heard of tippy toe squats? Its so frustrating D;
I am not doing SL yet but plan to start soon. If you mean your heels come off the ground, I have the same issue too. You are not alone! I could hardly break parallel on my squat or squat all the way down without falling on my butt. My problem is a combination of tightness around my hips but specially my ankles/calf. Things that have helped me are stretching them really well before squatting or every time I remember, using a wider stance, and pushing the knees out as far as I can seemed to help a lot. Another thing I like to do that is shown on the video^ is holding on to the stair rail at home an squat all the way down and hold it for a few mins. I'm still not completely ATG but I have seen a lot of improvement. It does take time and like the other poster said lots of stretching, foam rolling and mobility work.
Hopefully, I will be back soon with questions or sharing my journey once I officially start the program!0 -
Just realized I posted in wrong thread. Disregard. lol
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Did a crash course with the other half today on the different lifts.
Starting on Tuesday! Can't wait to have an awesome after pic!0 -
Hi, I new to this too. Started on Tuesday! Can I ask - how long does the typical standard 3 exercise routine take people?
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Newbie here...I'm also wondering how long the routine takes (or should take) on average.0
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I just started on Monday! I had been doing dumbbell work for a couple months before, so I started with all of the recommended weights that were programmed into the app, so we'll see how that works out.
I go when the gym is not crowded at all, but it has taken me about 30 minutes total just starting out. I know it'll take longer when it's heavier weights and longer warm-up times, but I'm not expecting that for a little while.0 -
Hi, I new to this too. Started on Tuesday! Can I ask - how long does the typical standard 3 exercise routine take people?
Thanks
Early on, say 30 to 45 minutes. SL goes quick and the warmup sets are light. As the weight goes up, the more warmup sets you need, longer rest inbetween sets and if you fail a set that means an even longer rest. I've had 1.5 hour long sessions.
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awkwardsoul wrote: »Hi, I new to this too. Started on Tuesday! Can I ask - how long does the typical standard 3 exercise routine take people?
Thanks
Early on, say 30 to 45 minutes. SL goes quick and the warmup sets are light. As the weight goes up, the more warmup sets you need, longer rest inbetween sets and if you fail a set that means an even longer rest. I've had 1.5 hour long sessions.
I agree. The workout is pretty fast when you're starting out because a minute and a half rest is doable and warm-ups are short. When you are really working to complete that last rep, you look forward to those 3 minutes! When you fail you get 5 and it DOES make a difference for your next set...so take it. I'll do 5-6 warm ups on squats but 1-2 for the other lifts, with full rests during working weight, and the whole workout is about 1.5 hrs. I'm getting into the heavier weights as a beginner, but not ridiculously heavy
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^^^ also, as you get into it (me anyway) you start finding more pre-workout stuff you like/need to do, for mobility and so forth. so that kind of grows the time you need too, although i do try to be efficient and do some of my stretching during those rest breaks.0
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I tend to do the dynamic stretches before going to the gym, since I have that kind of leeway. We bought a foam roller from our chiropractor (DH's really) and use that at home, too.0
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awkwardsoul wrote: »Hi, I new to this too. Started on Tuesday! Can I ask - how long does the typical standard 3 exercise routine take people?
Thanks
Early on, say 30 to 45 minutes. SL goes quick and the warmup sets are light. As the weight goes up, the more warmup sets you need, longer rest inbetween sets and if you fail a set that means an even longer rest. I've had 1.5 hour long sessions.
I agree. The workout is pretty fast when you're starting out because a minute and a half rest is doable and warm-ups are short. When you are really working to complete that last rep, you look forward to those 3 minutes! When you fail you get 5 and it DOES make a difference for your next set...so take it. I'll do 5-6 warm ups on squats but 1-2 for the other lifts, with full rests during working weight, and the whole workout is about 1.5 hrs. I'm getting into the heavier weights as a beginner, but not ridiculously heavy
Thanks all.
So it should be a 3 min rest between sets?? When you say 5-6 warm ups - is that 5-6 sets of 5 reps (sorry newbie question!)0 -
awkwardsoul wrote: »Hi, I new to this too. Started on Tuesday! Can I ask - how long does the typical standard 3 exercise routine take people?
Thanks
Early on, say 30 to 45 minutes. SL goes quick and the warmup sets are light. As the weight goes up, the more warmup sets you need, longer rest inbetween sets and if you fail a set that means an even longer rest. I've had 1.5 hour long sessions.
I agree. The workout is pretty fast when you're starting out because a minute and a half rest is doable and warm-ups are short. When you are really working to complete that last rep, you look forward to those 3 minutes! When you fail you get 5 and it DOES make a difference for your next set...so take it. I'll do 5-6 warm ups on squats but 1-2 for the other lifts, with full rests during working weight, and the whole workout is about 1.5 hrs. I'm getting into the heavier weights as a beginner, but not ridiculously heavy
Thanks all.
So it should be a 3 min rest between sets?? When you say 5-6 warm ups - is that 5-6 sets of 5 reps (sorry newbie question!)
If the sets are easy, you rest 90 sec. If it was hard, you rest 3 min. If you failed before completing the set, you rest 5 min. The app keeps the time for you.
When I warm up for squats, I start with the bar by itself. The first 3 sets I will do 5 reps, and add some weight each set. Once it starts to get heavy, I do 3 reps. I don't want to tire myself out before I reach working weight but I don't want to jump to working weight really quickly and go "OOOMPH" when I pick it up!
For example, today on squats I did about 10 bodyweight to get the hips loose. Got under the 45 lb bar for 5, added 10 lbs for 5, switched to 25 lb plate for 3, switched to 35 lb plate for 3, then put on my working weight of 47.5 on each side.
For Bench, I warmed up with 10 lb plates, then went to my working weight of 22.5 on each side.
I didn't warm up any more for row and went straight to working weight, as I was as warmed up as I was going to get.
You'll find what works for you.0
