December Q and A
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Just a side question about front squats, because i am tall 5'10 and have long legs and a longer back then the average woman I find it difficult to squat at parallel or below under weight. I'm squatting 50kg now and when I do goblet squats (20 kg) I can go alot lower. I've read different articles about having to squat lower to get most benefit or you're just wasting your time. I've only been squatting with bar 4 weeks now. I have had to work hard on glutes and hip flexors in past.
Is it OK to not get to parallel or to do box front squats, I'm a bit worried I'll squat to deep and get stuck or do I deload weight and go for depth not weight?
One thing to keep in mind we all have to work within the realm of our own physiology (bone structure and flexibility). Not every has the hip flexibility to get 90° or below. I will say, pointing your toes slightly out can help unbind your hips a bit. That is what i do for back squat to get below 90.
But i will defer to the crew here.0 -
Hey Patrick. What's the difference between high and low bar squats and do they differin how they effect physical performance/strength gains. For example if a program recommends high bar squats for a period of 6 weeks at high reps low weight and then low bar squats for working/comp weight: does that actually make a difference to performance?
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Hey Patrick. What's the difference between high and low bar squats and do they differin how they effect physical performance/strength gains. For example if a program recommends high bar squats for a period of 6 weeks at high reps low weight and then low bar squats for working/comp weight: does that actually make a difference to performance?
Basically, the lower you place the bar, the more forward torso lean you'll tend to see in the squat, because the bar needs to be centered over the foot.
So the muscles responsible for hip extension (posterior chain primarily) will tend to have more involvement the lower the bar is placed. The further forward the bar is (high bar squat, front squat), you'll see less hip flexion/extension which means you're primarily using the quads (flexion/extension at the knee).
In full disclosure, I'm actually CRAP at biomechanics, but I find it helpful to think of joint actions when looking at questions like this.0 -
Just a side question about front squats, because i am tall 5'10 and have long legs and a longer back then the average woman I find it difficult to squat at parallel or below under weight. I'm squatting 50kg now and when I do goblet squats (20 kg) I can go alot lower. I've read different articles about having to squat lower to get most benefit or you're just wasting your time. I've only been squatting with bar 4 weeks now. I have had to work hard on glutes and hip flexors in past.
Is it OK to not get to parallel or to do box front squats, I'm a bit worried I'll squat to deep and get stuck or do I deload weight and go for depth not weight?
If you can go lower on a goblet squat vs a front squat I would see what happens when you front squat with lower weight since those are similar. There are possibly some minor postural differences and there's the added responsibility of supporting the barbell, but they are both "front squats" as far as their general mechanics. So I would anticipate that if you can bury a goblet squat, you should be able to get close on a front squat.
Off the top of my head, failure to hit depth could be a structural issue (physical limitation that isn't likely to change), a mobility issue (physical limitation that can change/improve) a balance issue (you can physically hit depth but need to learn how to do it without falling on your *kitten* -- you see this often when someone can bury a goblet squat but they can't back squat to parallel) or just a training issue in that they have all the tools they just don't know how to get to depth.
Is it OK to not hit parallel?
Sure, if you're not training in a competition that requires you to hit parallel, you can squat however you want to squat. There are benefits to squatting deeper, but everyone has limitations and not everyone can squat to parallel.
However, I SUSPECT you can, and based on that, I would deload the front squat and really focus on going deep and see what happens. Once you learn how to do this it will train up fast (you'll add weight back on rapidly).0 -
First love these q&a's.
What squat would you recommend to do instead of front squat? I am currently doing PHUL and it calls for front squat on the hypertrophy upper day and i do back squat on power upper. But since i have tendinitis in my arms, front squat seems to flare it a bit.First love these q&a's.
What squat would you recommend to do instead of front squat? I am currently doing PHUL and it calls for front squat on the hypertrophy upper day and i do back squat on power upper. But since i have tendinitis in my arms, front squat seems to flare it a bit.
This is one of those things that could have plenty of reasonable answers.
Depending on goals and what the rest of your program looks like you could just do more back squats. You could safety bar squat if you have access to one. You might be able to goblet squat in higher rep ranges, you could look at unilateral options but again it depends on your goals and what the program looks like.
All of this, except I'll add: where is the tendonitis? You could just do front squats with a crossed-arm grip if that works for you.
Thanks dope, its mainly in my wrist, but occasionally get pains throughout my forearms.
This is one variation i have tried and wasnt successful in the execution (bad form). So i hage to build up before doing this.
One thing to think about with the cross-arm grip that might help -- think about what the upper arm segment does in the olympic grip vs the cross-arm grip and it's really similar. In a cross arm grip you're just internally rotating the humerus but you're also driving the elbows UP in both grips. Keeping the humerus parallel to the floor (or close to it) is what allows the bar to not roll off and cause you to miss.
When you set the bar in an attempt to cross arm grip it, try this --- set the bar exactly where you would for oly grip. Hold your arms out in front of you extended and elevate the humerus until it's parallel to the floor. Actually unrack the bar with your arms straight out in front of you. In other words the bar is sitting in front squat position on your front delts/collarbone area/wherever you comfortably have it, and unrack it with your arms sticking out in front of you.
You'll see that you can easily balance the bar that way. (You could quite literally even squat a few reps that way, as long as the upper arm segment stays parallel to the floor the bar will stay put.)
After you unrack and while your arms are still pointing out, cross your arms over into the cross arm grip.
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^ For clarification I'm suggesting you try this a couple of times because it will teach you that you can safely squat without even touching the bar with your hands as long as the upper arm segment remains parallel with the floor.
After doing this a couple of times you should be able to get into front squat position with a cross arm grip like a normal person instead of a zombie
I've actually missed my grip in mid set on an oly grip front squat at about 225x8 and it was rep 7 where my hand flew off the bar so I just shoved my arms out and up and finished the set with my arms sticking out.0 -
Which is nothing compared to @MattBrouse who has vids of him back squatting with no hands lol0
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Thanks SideSteel, I think in my haste to increase the weight I've skipped on depth.
Will give that a go and maybe increase rep range from 5x5 to 8s or 12s.0 -
First love these q&a's.
What squat would you recommend to do instead of front squat? I am currently doing PHUL and it calls for front squat on the hypertrophy upper day and i do back squat on power upper. But since i have tendinitis in my arms, front squat seems to flare it a bit.First love these q&a's.
What squat would you recommend to do instead of front squat? I am currently doing PHUL and it calls for front squat on the hypertrophy upper day and i do back squat on power upper. But since i have tendinitis in my arms, front squat seems to flare it a bit.
This is one of those things that could have plenty of reasonable answers.
Depending on goals and what the rest of your program looks like you could just do more back squats. You could safety bar squat if you have access to one. You might be able to goblet squat in higher rep ranges, you could look at unilateral options but again it depends on your goals and what the program looks like.
All of this, except I'll add: where is the tendonitis? You could just do front squats with a crossed-arm grip if that works for you.
Thanks dope, its mainly in my wrist, but occasionally get pains throughout my forearms.
This is one variation i have tried and wasnt successful in the execution (bad form). So i hage to build up before doing this.
One thing to think about with the cross-arm grip that might help -- think about what the upper arm segment does in the olympic grip vs the cross-arm grip and it's really similar. In a cross arm grip you're just internally rotating the humerus but you're also driving the elbows UP in both grips. Keeping the humerus parallel to the floor (or close to it) is what allows the bar to not roll off and cause you to miss.
When you set the bar in an attempt to cross arm grip it, try this --- set the bar exactly where you would for oly grip. Hold your arms out in front of you extended and elevate the humerus until it's parallel to the floor. Actually unrack the bar with your arms straight out in front of you. In other words the bar is sitting in front squat position on your front delts/collarbone area/wherever you comfortably have it, and unrack it with your arms sticking out in front of you.
You'll see that you can easily balance the bar that way. (You could quite literally even squat a few reps that way, as long as the upper arm segment stays parallel to the floor the bar will stay put.)
After you unrack and while your arms are still pointing out, cross your arms over into the cross arm grip.
Thanks. I will try that today.0 -
Went and practiced squatting onto bench with various weights and discovered that up to 35kg I can touch low bench reasonably easy for 12reps, 40kg is harder and could do 5 reps. Didn't try 50kg so now have a starting point and I'm going to spend next few weeks building up weight, reps and continue to go for depth.
Thanks for all your advice.
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I have a question about mobility work.
I'm currently training for a PL competition at the end of January so I've been hitting the weights pretty heavily because I want to peak soon and then begin to taper off for the competition. I've been doing a modified version of 5/3/1. I'm 275 and my 1RM's are currently Bench: 180, Squat: 285, Deadlift: 350. I weight train 4-5 days a week and have a cardio day thrown in there somewhere. The problem is that I know I've been neglecting my mobility work.
My hip flexors are so tight that they screamed at me even during my warm up sets today (115x5, 135x5, 165x3) so I adopted a wider stance and turned my feet out slightly which helped me push through and finish my training for the day. I went home and did a little mobility work that seemed to help for a bit.
However, I know I need to put myself on some sort of schedule for mobility and stick to it. Any recommendations as to what to do and when to do it?
As a side note, in case it matters, according to a physical therapist that I had evaluate me not too long ago, I have shortened hamstrings that definitely contribute to the problems with my hips.0 -
maytehsp0rksbewithy0u wrote: »I have a question about mobility work.
I'm currently training for a PL competition at the end of January so I've been hitting the weights pretty heavily because I want to peak soon and then begin to taper off for the competition. I've been doing a modified version of 5/3/1. I'm 275 and my 1RM's are currently Bench: 180, Squat: 285, Deadlift: 350. I weight train 4-5 days a week and have a cardio day thrown in there somewhere. The problem is that I know I've been neglecting my mobility work.
My hip flexors are so tight that they screamed at me even during my warm up sets today (115x5, 135x5, 165x3) so I adopted a wider stance and turned my feet out slightly which helped me push through and finish my training for the day. I went home and did a little mobility work that seemed to help for a bit.
However, I know I need to put myself on some sort of schedule for mobility and stick to it. Any recommendations as to what to do and when to do it?
As a side note, in case it matters, according to a physical therapist that I had evaluate me not too long ago, I have shortened hamstrings that definitely contribute to the problems with my hips.
Joe DeFranco's agile 8 or Limber 11 are both good ones to look at for general mobility. There's some hip stuff in there.
Generally though, I'd take a guess that one problem could be that you're squatting too infrequently and that next training cycle you should try higher frequency squatting to see if that improves your mobility and reduces soreness by increasing your ability to recover.
How long do you typically taper for? I would think 2 weeks would likely be a reasonable target to shoot for, but if you've been peaking for meets in the past you may have a different/preferred method.0 -
maytehsp0rksbewithy0u wrote: »I have a question about mobility work.
I'm currently training for a PL competition at the end of January so I've been hitting the weights pretty heavily because I want to peak soon and then begin to taper off for the competition. I've been doing a modified version of 5/3/1. I'm 275 and my 1RM's are currently Bench: 180, Squat: 285, Deadlift: 350. I weight train 4-5 days a week and have a cardio day thrown in there somewhere. The problem is that I know I've been neglecting my mobility work.
My hip flexors are so tight that they screamed at me even during my warm up sets today (115x5, 135x5, 165x3) so I adopted a wider stance and turned my feet out slightly which helped me push through and finish my training for the day. I went home and did a little mobility work that seemed to help for a bit.
However, I know I need to put myself on some sort of schedule for mobility and stick to it. Any recommendations as to what to do and when to do it?
As a side note, in case it matters, according to a physical therapist that I had evaluate me not too long ago, I have shortened hamstrings that definitely contribute to the problems with my hips.
Joe DeFranco's agile 8 or Limber 11 are both good ones to look at for general mobility. There's some hip stuff in there.
Generally though, I'd take a guess that one problem could be that you're squatting too infrequently and that next training cycle you should try higher frequency squatting to see if that improves your mobility and reduces soreness by increasing your ability to recover.
How long do you typically taper for? I would think 2 weeks would likely be a reasonable target to shoot for, but if you've been peaking for meets in the past you may have a different/preferred method.
Thanks for the advice! I'll add some extra squats in.
As far as tapering is concerned, "soon" was relative haha! I generally taper for 3 weeks. 1st week = about 75% of normal programming, 2nd week = 5/3/1's normal deload week, 3rd week = rest.0 -
maytehsp0rksbewithy0u wrote: »I have a question about mobility work.
I'm currently training for a PL competition at the end of January so I've been hitting the weights pretty heavily because I want to peak soon and then begin to taper off for the competition. I've been doing a modified version of 5/3/1. I'm 275 and my 1RM's are currently Bench: 180, Squat: 285, Deadlift: 350. I weight train 4-5 days a week and have a cardio day thrown in there somewhere. The problem is that I know I've been neglecting my mobility work.
My hip flexors are so tight that they screamed at me even during my warm up sets today (115x5, 135x5, 165x3) so I adopted a wider stance and turned my feet out slightly which helped me push through and finish my training for the day. I went home and did a little mobility work that seemed to help for a bit.
However, I know I need to put myself on some sort of schedule for mobility and stick to it. Any recommendations as to what to do and when to do it?
As a side note, in case it matters, according to a physical therapist that I had evaluate me not too long ago, I have shortened hamstrings that definitely contribute to the problems with my hips.
Saw this and I feel I need to share a small Mobility WOD/KStarr video that has been a godsent for me (nevermind that he's doing this while wearing JEANS of all things...):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBHzXF-mVjY
I basically include this within my inchworm-push-up-superman-squat sit-hams stretch-long lunge warm-up sequence every workout I hit lower body (which is basically all the time these days) and it makes a WORLD of difference. Hits the hip flexors, activates the glutes to a degree and even touches up on the ankle while not putting too much stress on the legs. I go from barely reaching the floor with both hands to easily putting my elbow down on the inside of the front leg (and barely hitting 90 degrees on the squat to ATG with arms up in the air!) in like, 5 minutes!0 -
I generally loathe menshealth.com, but this helped my hips a great deal: http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/exercises-navy-seals-do-daily0
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I found a great way to keep some flexility due to tight hip flexors is using a hinge technique over the edge of a counter or desk. If not in this video, he has one showing someone walking in between your legs and pressing one leg down while the other relaxes(not touching the floor). In the absence of another individual you can bring the elevated leg up to the chest slowly to allow one hip flexor to 'open' the hip socket a little bit. A little/fair amount of arthritis in the hips makes me stretch and appreciate it much it more then when I was younger.maytehsp0rksbewithy0u wrote: »I have a question about mobility work.
I'm currently training for a PL competition at the end of January so I've been hitting the weights pretty heavily because I want to peak soon and then begin to taper off for the competition. I've been doing a modified version of 5/3/1. I'm 275 and my 1RM's are currently Bench: 180, Squat: 285, Deadlift: 350. I weight train 4-5 days a week and have a cardio day thrown in there somewhere. The problem is that I know I've been neglecting my mobility work.
My hip flexors are so tight that they screamed at me even during my warm up sets today (115x5, 135x5, 165x3) so I adopted a wider stance and turned my feet out slightly which helped me push through and finish my training for the day. I went home and did a little mobility work that seemed to help for a bit.
However, I know I need to put myself on some sort of schedule for mobility and stick to it. Any recommendations as to what to do and when to do it?
As a side note, in case it matters, according to a physical therapist that I had evaluate me not too long ago, I have shortened hamstrings that definitely contribute to the problems with my hips.
Saw this and I feel I need to share a small Mobility WOD/KStarr video that has been a godsent for me (nevermind that he's doing this while wearing JEANS of all things...):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBHzXF-mVjY
I basically include this within my inchworm-push-up-superman-squat sit-hams stretch-long lunge warm-up sequence every workout I hit lower body (which is basically all the time these days) and it makes a WORLD of difference. Hits the hip flexors, activates the glutes to a degree and even touches up on the ankle while not putting too much stress on the legs. I go from barely reaching the floor with both hands to easily putting my elbow down on the inside of the front leg (and barely hitting 90 degrees on the squat to ATG with arms up in the air!) in like, 5 minutes!0 -
Wrist pain post shoulder day; mainly I think from military press using a barbell with weight. Could I place the bar farther forward in my hands to avoid this or is it more a function of the movement? Right now the bar sits back in my hand as I set the bar prior to the first rep.0
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_Terrapin_ wrote: »Wrist pain post shoulder day; mainly I think from military press using a barbell with weight. Could I place the bar farther forward in my hands to avoid this or is it more a function of the movement? Right now the bar sits back in my hand as I set the bar prior to the first rep.
Do you wrap the thumb around the bar and is this seated or standing?0 -
_Terrapin_ wrote: »Wrist pain post shoulder day; mainly I think from military press using a barbell with weight. Could I place the bar farther forward in my hands to avoid this or is it more a function of the movement? Right now the bar sits back in my hand as I set the bar prior to the first rep.
Do you wrap the thumb around the bar and is this seated or standing?
Wrapped, yes. Bar sort of falls into the palm and standing. Would it help to keep it closer to where the wrist is...sort of like a bench press. When I bench the thumb doesn't get wrapped.
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_Terrapin_ wrote: »_Terrapin_ wrote: »Wrist pain post shoulder day; mainly I think from military press using a barbell with weight. Could I place the bar farther forward in my hands to avoid this or is it more a function of the movement? Right now the bar sits back in my hand as I set the bar prior to the first rep.
Do you wrap the thumb around the bar and is this seated or standing?
Wrapped, yes. Bar sort of falls into the palm and standing. Would it help to keep it closer to where the wrist is...sort of like a bench press. When I bench the thumb doesn't get wrapped.
I would wrap the thumb during bench for safety. For ohp you can get away with not wrapping because of the bar slips you can get out of the way.
But either way I would do what you can to get the bar seated over the forearm to reduce wrist strain and also improve force transfer by minimizing the lever arm between the forearm and barbell.0
