To squat or not?

Cheesy567

RebeccaLansdown wrote: »

It hurts to walk the stairs because my calves are so tight and sore. I wasn't sure if resting from the squats would help. I'm still planning on doing the stairs to keep from sliding back into old elevator riding habits.

Take a few seconds at the bottom of every few flights to stretch your calves. Stand on the balls of your feet at the edge of the bottom step, and let your heels drop down below the level of the step. It will feel good!

RebeccaLansdown

stephinator92 wrote: »

I would rest if you're really sore, but definitely make sure you have good form. A trick I use is to make sure my weight is always in my heels by lifting up my toes a little bit, which forces better form. Best of luck!

I'll try this trick.

juliewatkin wrote: »

I wonder if it's the stairs making your calves hurt. Squat shouldn't really impact them but any time I've done a lot of stairs, my calves are on fire.

It's possible that it is the stairs making my calves hurt. I've been taking them for two months and just started taking them two at a time at random intervals.

questionfear

You can also try squatting with the balls of your feet on two blocks/hardcover books, etc to force you onto your heels.

DoreenaV1975

Your calves could be sore cuz of the stairs... I started walking up and down the 10 flights of stairs in my office building , 2 times a day, a couple of weeks ago and not only did it cause soreness in my bottom and thighs but my calves were killing me (it could have also been because I did all that in heels, LOL)... so I don't think, as long as your form is correct, that the squats will hurt you further...

DoreenaV1975

Oops, hahahaha! Just read your last post... but see, I helped confirm it! LOL

peaceout_aly

Keep going. Push through. Give yourself a good calf massage and do as many as you possibly can. Make sure you are using proper form though, the fact that your calves are hurting makes me wonder if the other muscles are not getting activated.

shor0814

darlswife wrote: »

I've been doing a squat challenge and did 155 today. My calves haven't been sore but my hamstrings, quads and glutes are. Make sure your knees don't go over your ankles and if you look sideways in the mirror it should look like you're about to sit. My challenge has the picture

I have heard the myth that knees shouldn't go past your toes but this is a new one. Knees can go past the toes.

kuftae

shor0814 wrote: »

darlswife wrote: »

I've been doing a squat challenge and did 155 today. My calves haven't been sore but my hamstrings, quads and glutes are. Make sure your knees don't go over your ankles and if you look sideways in the mirror it should look like you're about to sit. My challenge has the picture

I have heard the myth that knees shouldn't go past your toes but this is a new one. Knees can go past the toes.

Depending on your anatomy, knees will go past toes when doing an Olympic/ high bar squat. On low bar the knees shouldn't ever go over the toes

theWODdoll

Squat. Always squat. But make sure you squat correctly. Look up on YouTube proper squat form or anything to help make sure you're doing them correctly. Sometimes you need a trainer to watch your form and make sure you're doing them right. If your squat is not good then yea you can hurt yourself but when you get your form down then squats will be your new best friend. And if the reps are too much for you to start, scale them and try less reps in the beginning and work your way up

shor0814

kuftae wrote: »

shor0814 wrote: »

darlswife wrote: »

I've been doing a squat challenge and did 155 today. My calves haven't been sore but my hamstrings, quads and glutes are. Make sure your knees don't go over your ankles and if you look sideways in the mirror it should look like you're about to sit. My challenge has the picture

I have heard the myth that knees shouldn't go past your toes but this is a new one. Knees can go past the toes.

Depending on your anatomy, knees will go past toes when doing an Olympic/ high bar squat. On low bar the knees shouldn't ever go over the toes

Knees can go past the toes on low bar too:



Depending on your femur, tibia, and trunk dimensions, your knees could be anywhere from very slightly behind your toes, with short femurs and long tibias, to 3 or 4 inches in front of the toes, with long femurs and short tibias.

Rippetoe, Mark (2013-11-07). Starting Strength (Kindle Locations 1376-1378). The Aasgaard Company. Kindle Edition.

mjwarbeck

Not that I think squats are bad, but you have to know your body. At 44, I know my body. I have always had bad knees and have been very hesitant to squat. So I didn't for four months. Leg presses, ham string curls, calf raises, exercise bike. I have built up strength (leg press in full ROM sets with 400 lbs), lost a lot of weight. Look great in jeans (now I'm a 34 vs 40). Yesterday I decided to add squats at the end of the leg day. I went light (150lb) for 10 reps and 2 sets. The weight wasn't any issue. Today, for the first time in since working out, my knees are not happy.

RebeccaLansdown

I think it was the stairs that did it. I took two days off from double stairs at a time and my calves have calmed down. I'm also modifying the squat challenge to be a little less intense. It's still getting me moving. I do them at different times at the office which helps me sneak in a little movement when I have a desk job.

RWClary

Squat - yes, but don't engage in these absurd challenges.
Just construct a balanced strength training plan based on your goals.
Good Luck!