Newbie questions!

Panda_Poptarts

Hi folks -

I'm very new to free weights, and am trying to familiarize myself with everything. So far I've ventured to the free weight section twice. Once, to bumble around like a lost puppy, and the second to actually move some things around a bit.

I enjoy squats on a machine, and figured I'd start there. I found them incredibly painful, and am not sure if I should be doing them. I have a bit of lordosis at the back of my neck / shoulders. This means that the "natural" place for the bar to rest is against my neck, which I know is incorrect. Moving the bar to the lordosis, however, is painful and causes quite a bit of spinal pressure.

Is there a way for me to do squats safely, or is that a movement I need to avoid?

canadianlbs

it sounds like you might be safer asking someone who can actually watch you in person and make suggestions tailored for you.

it doesn't sound like something you want to take too many chances with. i've been lifting for two years and have a couple of things of my own that i've struggled with. mostly old whiplash/shoulder stuff making mobility hard.

for myself, what i'm doing atm is isolating the 'grip' part of squats as a challenge in its own right. i'm currently tryign to work out a good relationship with the bar, wrt my shoulders and upper back. so i make a lot of use of the 'broomstick', i.e. just a light wooden bar that gives me the same body needs without adding in weight. that might be something you want to play around with a bit?

in the meantime, there are alternative versions of squats that should be useful at least for your learning stages. i'm still not back squatting consistently or with confidence and not adding weight yet. but i do work on front squats, goblets, box squats and things of that kind. basically anything that doesn't necessarily need me to have the bar on my back. so you could look into those, because they will still allow you to strengthen your legs and core, and learn some of the aspects of form.

canadianlbs

*** oh yeah, and i also forgot to say: hi

Panda_Poptarts

@canadianlbs Thank you for the detailed response! Hi to you too! I initially purchased 14 sessions with a trainer (who is not worth his salt), to assist with getting me acquainted with lifting. I got one session moving anything larger than a 15lb dumbell, so much of this is very new to me. Needless to say, I'm very wary of dropping more money on a trainer.

During that singular session, we moved through basic lifting moves pretty quickly. He had no complaints about my form, and said I looked good while doing box squats on an empty bar. That being said, there was little attention to my spine, or to the discomfort. I think, knowing it was our last session, he was well beyond really caring. I may consider seeking an opinion from a more professional professional at some point.

I'll definitely try the broomstick. I actually dabbled with this a bit to see if I could even do a squat - success - but I haven't been back yet. Also, my gym doesn't have the lighter bar, just the 45lb, and it's quite heavy on my shoulders. Broomstick sounds like it may be a better place to be while I work on the actual movement. Do squats feel weird on your elbows? It feels like there's so much stress on my elbows, but perhaps I'm not doing it right.

Thanks so much for the recommendations! I'll look into other leg and core moves that don't involve pressure on my shoulders right now.

annaskiski

You should consult a professional, but here's some stuff to look at:

This has a section on lordosis and squatting.
http://jonmessner.com/articles/itsthelittlethings.html

A vid on trying to correct lordosis..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCEkl9SYDj8

canadianlbs

my elbows aren't part of my problem, so that hasn't happened for me . . . for me the main restriction point is the shoulder joint. i had some impingement and wasn't really settled into the socket on the left side, so getting my upper arms far enough back was my thing. my ribs/spine tend to want to curve forward to help the bar meet my hands halfway, if that makes sense.

if you can . . . working on your rhomboids and rear shoulder cuff muscles was very helpful to me. my upper-back form problems improve quite a bit if/when i can pinch my shoulderblades together quite hard. that does something or other that takes the strain off in other ways. for rhomboids, doing 'band pulls' with a resistance band is a must for me. for the rear delts and teres muscles around my shoulder socket, there are 'external rotation' pulls that i do on the cable machine or with a band hooked over a doorknob/etc.

you can also try the 'shoulder dislocations' with that same broomstick. they sound awful, but it's so helpful for full mobility in the upper back. i NEVER lift any more without three or four sets of 12-ish rotations. it's the best way i've found of pointing out any current restrictions or tightness i have. pinches and sticking points etc are often worked out by stretching my pecs, actually.

so these are things to look into. from a personal pov, i really endorse the idea of doing air squats with just the stick. strength is one thing, but it's not going to be very useful for you unless you can first figure out how to get your body comfortable with the positions themselves. i still struggle with balance and form in my air squats, as soon as i add in a stick. so that tells me for sure that i need to keep struggling with them ;-)

Fittreelol

Lordosis is an overcurvature of your lumbar aka low back so anything you look up regarding lordosis will probably not be helpful. Perhaps you mean kyphosis? which is your thoracic spine, but wouldn't affect your neck since the neck curves in the opposite way. Can you describe where you are placing the bar and what your body is doing that is affecting it?

ETA: you can technically have lordosis of the cervical spine, but the bar shouldn't be there hence my confusion.

Panda_Poptarts

Fittreelol wrote: »

Lordosis is an overcurvature of your lumbar aka low back so anything you look up regarding lordosis will probably not be helpful. Perhaps you mean kyphosis? which is your thoracic spine, but wouldn't affect your neck since the neck curves in the opposite way. Can you describe where you are placing the bar and what your body is doing that is affecting it?

ETA: you can technically have lordosis of the cervical spine, but the bar shouldn't be there hence my confusion.

How embarrassing! I had a doctor tell me it was lordosis when I was a teen, and I went with it! Where my neck meets my shoulders, I have a bit of a protrusion. I've also heard it called a dowager hump, although it's fairly mild. Still uncomfortable, unfortunately. I'll see if I can have my husband rake a pic with a broomstick later. Maybe my form just sucks!

Fittreelol

Not embarassing at all! They're pretty specific terms. I just wanted to point out if you searched for lordosis and squat it wouldn't apply.

If you have a spinal pathology I would definitely check with a medical professional before doing back squats. However, you may have poor posture or a condition that causes more tissue to exist in the upper back area. If that is the case you want to make sure the bar is below c7 (the bump at the base of your neck). You also want to really squeeze your shoulder blades together to make sure you're creating a good "shelf" for the bar. Things to keep in mind before broomstick pic!

Panda_Poptarts

canadianlbs wrote: »

my elbows aren't part of my problem, so that hasn't happened for me . . . for me the main restriction point is the shoulder joint. i had some impingement and wasn't really settled into the socket on the left side, so getting my upper arms far enough back was my thing. my ribs/spine tend to want to curve forward to help the bar meet my hands halfway, if that makes sense.

if you can . . . working on your rhomboids and rear shoulder cuff muscles was very helpful to me. my upper-back form problems improve quite a bit if/when i can pinch my shoulderblades together quite hard. that does something or other that takes the strain off in other ways. for rhomboids, doing 'band pulls' with a resistance band is a must for me. for the rear delts and teres muscles around my shoulder socket, there are 'external rotation' pulls that i do on the cable machine or with a band hooked over a doorknob/etc.

you can also try the 'shoulder dislocations' with that same broomstick. they sound awful, but it's so helpful for full mobility in the upper back. i NEVER lift any more without three or four sets of 12-ish rotations. it's the best way i've found of pointing out any current restrictions or tightness i have. pinches and sticking points etc are often worked out by stretching my pecs, actually.

so these are things to look into. from a personal pov, i really endorse the idea of doing air squats with just the stick. strength is one thing, but it's not going to be very useful for you unless you can first figure out how to get your body comfortable with the positions themselves. i still struggle with balance and form in my air squats, as soon as i add in a stick. so that tells me for sure that i need to keep struggling with them ;-)

So sorry for the delayed reply. This week has been something else!

Great suggestions in this post. I'll definitely focus more on shoulder work and stretching in general. I spent a couple hours roto-tilling my in laws' garden over the weekend and, several days later, I'm still ridiculously sore through my shoulderblades. That needs work!

Thanks for the suggestions. I really appreciate it!