Squatting At A Gym?

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  • celebrity328
    celebrity328 Posts: 377 Member
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    My husband bought me 24 sessions with a PT and I have been having her show me all different kinds of things :) Last week was the Squat rack, how to use it, what form to use, and how to not kill myself. The bar at my gym weights about 45lbs with no weights on it, she show me how to put the weights on it correctly etc.

    Honestly its very simple to figure out with youtube/or asking other people in the gym. Many times I have had fellow lifters show me things that improve my work outs. The only reason I got a PT in the first place is because I have a knee problem/shoulder injury from a car accident and I needed exercises around these injuries until I got stronger. My gym is family owned and many of the staff have been around for a long time, they will help when asked or you cant find something :)
  • wigglypeaches
    wigglypeaches Posts: 146 Member
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    Please get a personal trainer, even if it's only a session or two. It's risky and frustrating to try to start working with equipment you're unfamiliar with before you've talked to someone, and the risk of hurting yourself is high until you've established good form. Save yourself the headaches and spend a couple of sessions with someone who can condense the learning curve for you.
  • funforsports
    funforsports Posts: 2,656 Member
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    There are many places you can learn proper form.

    dog-squat-form_zpscc8377dd.jpg
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    Squatting is a fairly technical exercise and will require some investment of time and education on your part. You can start by asking the gym staff for with some starting points, but it would also behoove you to do some reading about proper form, watch some videos, get coaching if possible.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    The gym staff should get you started. Most gyms also offer 1 free training session that you might be able to take advantage of. The other thing you can do is ask another gym member to help you. Most lifters I know will always pause their workout to help out a fellow lifter.
    watch some vids on youtube on how to squat.

    "so you think you can squat" would be a good start.
    avoid anything with Mark Rippetoe, as he can't squat.....

    He writes a good book, but he doesn't seem to notice in his videos when his students have really awful habits/form that are contrary to his own writing.

    Someone posted a YouTube of him squatting 315 for 10 reps that had me laughing for an entire week.

    At least he ain't Medhi. :)
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    watch some vids on youtube on how to squat.

    "so you think you can squat" would be a good start.
    avoid anything with Mark Rippetoe, as he can't squat.....

    aw come on
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVKEl4Wxoqc
  • wildfirediva
    wildfirediva Posts: 212
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    This is one of my favorite sites recently with regards to weight training and form/technique for beginners.

    http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki
  • elprincipito
    elprincipito Posts: 1,200 Member
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    i watched this vid to learn perfect squatting form.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPfRacm6Jxc
  • beastboy16
    beastboy16 Posts: 2
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    You can paralell squat with dumbbells
  • Taimarra
    Taimarra Posts: 60
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    Can I ask the staff to show me how to load the bar ect, or do I need to hire a personal trainer for an hour to teach me? Not sure of gym etiquette!

    I'm on limited time, so wasn't able to read to see if anyone had already said this, my apologies if I'm repeating what others have said :D

    First off, congratulations on moving to the dark side of the gym. It's my newest addiction and boy do I get grumpy if I don't get my strength training in!

    Secondly, I don't know about your gym, but at mine I can always go ask a staff member to check my form and/or give me a quick "how to" on one or more machines. I've even had a couple of them approach me to offer assistance, and one approach me when my form was just off enough that I wasn't going to be doing myself any favors. Obviously, there are also plenty of gyms where they'd expect you to hire someone to walk you through the process, so the best option is to ask the front desk person at your particular gym.

    Good luck!
  • drgndancer
    drgndancer Posts: 426 Member
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    if you ask a gym trainer, he will spend an hour making you believe that you cannot ever progress without him by your side, make you cry and feel weak and dependent and then all of a sudden you'll be believing him.

    You're using the wrong trainer, and/or not adequately describing what you want them to do for you. Personal training is like any other professional service, there are good PTs and bad PTs, and even the best PT can't help you more than you're willing to let them. If you go in and say "I want to get in shape", the PT will respond with what he or she thinks is the best way to get you into whatever he or she defines as "in shape". If you go in and say that you want help designing and executing a weight training program to help build muscles, improve strength, etc. you're more likely to get what you want (assuming that is what you want).

    Assuming you can afford it, and assuming you have a good PT, they are invaluable resources. They can help motivate you to go beyond what you think you're capable of, check form and recommend improvements, provide tracking of progress, recommend new exercises or focuses when something isn't working for you... Lots of things. You can do all of that for yourself, just like you can build your own house rather than hiring a contractor. For some people that might even be a good idea; others can't or won't afford the service. For most people who can afford it though, a PT appointment once a week or every couple of weeks isn't a bad idea.

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