Barbell Squats, I shall miss thee =/
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contingencyplan
Posts: 3,639 Member
The training program I've been following (and seeing great success on) for months is primarily calisthenics based and the only weighted resistance training was doing deads and squats at the gym. I am now being forced to abandon those exercise and supplement them for calisthenics as well because my form when doing them is very poor and I do not have the motor control needed to exercise proper form when doing them. I'm not sure how I'll manage getting in a proper lower body workout without them.
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Yeah I haven't done squats for a while myself, my form isn't great either. Gotta get back to them...0
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The training program I've been following (and seeing great success on) for months is primarily calisthenics based and the only weighted resistance training was doing deads and squats at the gym. I am now being forced to abandon those exercise and supplement them for calisthenics as well because my form when doing them is very poor and I do not have the motor control needed to exercise proper form when doing them. I'm not sure how I'll manage getting in a proper lower body workout without them.
Have you tried lowering weight to work on your form?0 -
I love squats. I used to hate them, but that's because I stunk at them. I'm much better now.
Practice with lower weight or just the bar for a while, and it gets much easier.0 -
I got help with my form from one of my buddys at the gym. Stick your butt out a little before you drop down - goes much smoother and then you can focus on the up movement. Love squats! Don't give up :-) Maybe someone could help you with your form? A friend or a PT??0
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The problem has nothing to do with not knowing how. I have very poor motor control as a result of neurological dysfunctions and cannot safely do many things. Balancing with heavy loads is one of them.0
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Drop the weight until you get the form right, then work back up gradually. I have kind of a love-hate relationship with the book "Starting Strength"... it has some real gems to help you get your form right (mental cues, visualization exercises that get your motor skills working properly), but you wind up having to read through a few hundred pages of medical textbook to find them. Here are a couple of great helpful hints I got from that book:
* Visualize the bar moving in a completely vertical path over your mid-foot, and your body will make it happen. You don't have to focus on each individual part of the movement; your motor skills will take over and do all of that.
* Your heels should be about shoulder width, and your toes pointed out. Start with an angle of around 30 degrees, but adjust it to what's most comfortable for you in the bottom position.
* Focus hard on shoving your knees out through the entire movement, so they track parallel with the direction your toes are pointing. It's easy to do this on the way down, then let them collapse inward as you start to push back up.
* Practice the bottom position first! Get your feet in the right place, and while keeping your weight over your mid-foot and heels on the floor, just sit right down as far as you can go. Straighten your back and push your knees out with your elbows so they're parallel with your feet. Once your body is familiar with the bottom position, it's much easier to get back there after adding the bar. I do this every single workout as part of my warmups.0 -
The problem has nothing to do with not knowing how. I have very poor motor control as a result of neurological dysfunctions and cannot safely do many things. Balancing with heavy loads is one of them.
Hmm, tricky. Balancing is a better workout, of course, but you could make use of Smith machines as an alternative.0 -
The problem has nothing to do with not knowing how. I have very poor motor control as a result of neurological dysfunctions and cannot safely do many things. Balancing with heavy loads is one of them.
Machine hack squats might be good then. It's safer (safety catches involved) and you can still work your quads nicely.0 -
I dislike Smith Machines because of how I cannot move along a natural arc.0
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I dislike Smith Machines because of how I cannot move along a natural arc.
Well, there is that, but they could allow you to do squats (albeit not as good ones as you are used to) safely.
You're lamenting giving up squats, so why not meet your condition halfway and see if you can learn to live with less-than-perfect ones as an alternative to giving them up entirely?0 -
try split squats... but don't lose your balance..eeeek0
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Have you tried lowering weight to work on your form?
That was the first thing that came to my mind as well.0 -
try split squats... but don't lose your balance..eeeek
Split squats are ABSOLUTELY out of the question. I fall over to one side0 -
I dislike Smith Machines because of how I cannot move along a natural arc.
Well, a properly executed squat moves the bar in a vertical path, so the Smith machine shouldn't be too bad for that exercise. It's still a better option than the silly leg press machines.0 -
I dislike Smith Machines because of how I cannot move along a natural arc.
Well, there is that, but they could allow you to do squats (albeit not as good ones as you are used to) safely.
You're lamenting giving up squats, so why not meet your condition halfway and see if you can learn to live with less-than-perfect ones as an alternative to giving them up entirely?
Suppose you're right.0 -
Have you tried lowering weight to work on your form?
That was the first thing that came to my mind as well.
Form is unlikely to ever improve. I do not have the motor control needed to be that deliberate in my movements. I've been working on improving it for years and no luck =(0 -
I can't barbell squat right now due to a shoulder injury. The best (still not as good as barbell squats) substitute I've found is the hack squat machine like the third one down on the link below:
http://www.zimmerexercise.com/new-strength-equipment.shtml
Use it not with your back against the pad, but turned around facing the machine. It allows me to still bend over more than a regular hack squat and involve more of the posterior chain.0 -
Read "Starting Strength", do squats, be manly.0
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Our gym has a squat machine (not a smith machine or hack squat machine) that allows the body to move in an arc. If all else fails leg presses work without needing balance.0
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Read "Starting Strength", do squats, be manly.
Did you not read he has balance issues due to something beyond his control. Sometimes things just aren't an option.0
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