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How much do you squat?

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  • Posts: 364 Member
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    I was guessing the bar was 35lbs or more. I was close! I've watched some video's online for form and info. I'm just so new to it and doing it on my own. Looking for all the info I can get. Thanks for taking time to explain! I've been doing front loading squats too but I've only been holding 10lb plates on the shoulders (to the front) and doing reps of 10 for 3 or 4 sets.

    everyone has to start somewhere, never be discouraged by starting light and working your way up. It's better than the person trying to out do the person next to them and going home to a hurt lower back. Focus on the form. If you have to, set your iphone up and video tape yourself, that's what I did! You may THINK you are doing it right but until you see yourself doing the full motion you won't know. :) Rome wasn't built overnight :)
  • Posts: 364 Member
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    we dont have that :( (well not in the ladies area, maybe in the mens) which is really annoying!

    make that area yours too girl. i own the "men's" area!
  • Posts: 1,821 Member
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    Oh...and weigh in at 172.


    Yeah you add the bar.


    I just started with this (discovered assisted squats which solves the back issue...) Did 135 lbs last Mon for 6 reps but I know I can do more.
  • Posts: 573 Member
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    Also, don't be afraid of the "men's area". Frequently I'm the only woman there. They may look, but they aren't judging you! Probably more surprised / pleased to see a woman lifting.
    Men, back me up?

    I am usually the only girl over there. I do get sorta weirded out when there gets t be more than a few guys around me. Too many people walking back and forth and getting weights and makes me nervous, like I'm in the way. But seriously.....I'm glad I got the courage to do it there instead of being stuck in the freezing ladies room. Plus, more eye candy =) Today there was a gorgeous man near me....ahhhhhhh!
  • Posts: 1,821 Member
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    we dont have that :( (well not in the ladies area, maybe in the mens) which is really annoying!

    Yeah I don't think it's safe to squat without a rack for any real weight... try Hack Squats instead (hold the bar behind you at waist level; careful with your back and wrists) or use dumbbells at your sides.
  • Posts: 41,865 Member
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    Agreed. Pretty sure it's not a "men's area" just that mostly men use it. They won't call you names or kick you out :)

    Yeah...we don't bite. I always like to give a thumbs up when I see a lady doing it right and lifting heavy free weights.
  • Posts: 4
    Yeah I don't think it's safe to squat without a rack for any real weight... try Hack Squats instead (hold the bar behind you at waist level; careful with your back and wrists) or use dumbbells at your sides.

    How do dumbbells compare to the barbell? I have both, but I don't have a barbell stand to lift from. Is it worth investing in (or building) a barbell stand or would dumbbells be reasonably sufficient?

    I imagine the way you hold them would be different, though.
  • Posts: 511 Member
    I know its been said...don't use the smith machine! Go to that "men's area", I guarantee once you get the hang of it, you'll feel very confident and awesome :)

    Regular olympic bar should weigh 45 lbs. My last squat was 95lbs.
  • Posts: 2,197 Member
    320 not including the bar, but now that I do dead lifts I prefer going heavy on those and only going up to 225 and going hypertrophy reps and a bajillion sets.
  • Posts: 4,021 Member
    I just bought a squat rack for my home gym, and honestly, I think it's going to be my best fitness investment yet. I've been using kettlebells for goblet squats and front squats for a long time, so I have a lot of strength and good squat form, but being able to do heavy barbell back and front squats (not to mention all the other uses for a squat rack) is awesome.

    You can definitely make it work with dumbbells or kettlebells, though, if you don't have the room or money for a rack. You can't use as much weight as you could with a barbell, but you can still get an effective workout.
  • Posts: 854 Member
    I don't really go that heavy for squats. The lower back generally will go out before the quads, and limit how much you can squat, thus lessening how much stress you can put on the quads. So I do a lot of front squats and one-legged squats instead. You can't go as heavy with them, but you will see better results. Also my balance is s***, so the one-legged version helps me out a lot. Front squats also help more with your posture.
  • Posts: 296 Member
    not meaning to be too picky.. but the true answer to your question "how much does an Olympic bar weigh" would be:
    15 kilo's (33lbs) for a womens bar
    20 Kilo's (44lbs) for a mens bar.

    this is true for Olympic weightlifting where the only two measured lifts are the clean&jerk and the snatch. this is not to be confused with powerlifting, which is not an Olympic sport. (and can use different bar specs)

    in the typical box gym in anytown usa, you will probably find an American standard bar at 45lbs. this is the same size in terms of bar thickness (50mm aka 2 inches for outer edges, and 28mm aka 1.1 inches for grip) as an Olympic standard bar. Nice Olympic standard bars are a bit pricey for a gym where its used for bench press and the occasional squat. you can get a generic "American standard" bar for about $100 but a decent Olympic standard bar can start at $500 and go north of $1,000 depending on the manufacturer.
  • Posts: 10,413 Member
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    everyone has to start somewhere, never be discouraged by starting light and working your way up. It's better than the person trying to out do the person next to them and going home to a hurt lower back. Focus on the form. If you have to, set your iphone up and video tape yourself, that's what I did! You may THINK you are doing it right but until you see yourself doing the full motion you won't know. :) Rome wasn't built overnight :)

    Completely agree. Even after lifting for a year, I still have times when I feel bad about my numbers/weights compared to others. But it's not about them, it's about my progress... as long as I'm lifting more now than I was last month, I'm good with that.

    So just do what you can do. Then do more next week/month.
  • Posts: 781 Member
    I would rather not say as legs is not really my strong point regarding weights...don't necessarily hit legs with strong lifts in mind - aim for 10-12 reps instead of 5...
  • Posts: 469
    About 350
  • Posts: 2,197 Member
    Ego squats

    anigif_enhanced-buzz-32561-1366052600-6.gif
  • Posts: 781 Member
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    How do dumbbells compare to the barbell? I have both, but I don't have a barbell stand to lift from. Is it worth investing in (or building) a barbell stand or would dumbbells be reasonably sufficient?

    I imagine the way you hold them would be different, though.

    To be honest, both do the same job in theory, however with a barbell you usually can add a lot more weight as you have more surface area along the back to support the weights... I would only see the barbell stand used for squats and chest movements but it will help you progress through the weights quicker and safer than stand alone barbells - imagine lifting a heavy barbell and having to do a variation of a shoulder press then placing it on your back nicely ... You would be tired before hitting your legs!
  • Posts: 25 Member
    5'3", 120 lbs and my max squat is 120 lbs.

    However, I rarely squat my max. A typical squat sessions is 3 sets of 10-12 reps at 60-70 lbs, and I prefer barbell over Smith machine by far.

    Unfortunately I usually get light-headed squatting, which is a little off topic, but does anyone have any tips on getting over that? I really focus on breathing but don't know what I'm doing wrong.
  • Posts: 77 Member
    When I started about 3 months ago I was doing 3 sets of 10 at 135 lbs. Last week I finally broke the 300 lb mark. I am now doing 3 sets of 10 at 315 lbs, I have thighs like tree trunks. My current weight is about 230 lbs
  • Posts: 225 Member
    Managed to get 435 last night without too much struggle. Not saying it wasn't hard, and I'm sure I could have gotten 450, but it was nice to try heavy singles on top of my normal SL5x5

    ETA: 25 years old, 5'10", ~215lbs
  • Posts: 1,314 Member
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    To be honest, both do the same job in theory, however with a barbell you usually can add a lot more weight as you have more surface area along the back to support the weights... I would only see the barbell stand used for squats and chest movements but it will help you progress through the weights quicker and safer than stand alone barbells - imagine lifting a heavy barbell and having to do a variation of a shoulder press then placing it on your back nicely ... You would be tired before hitting your legs!

    I would also add that barbell squats engage more of your core and stabilizing muscles since you are holding the weight on your upper back rather than in your hands between your knees and hips.
  • Posts: 64 Member
    I'm switching from resistance bands to free weights as we just got a set. I was at 100lb with the bands but started with the empty bar (45lb) yesterday and plan to start over. Whole world of difference having to balance that bar!
  • Posts: 364 Member
    5'3", 120 lbs and my max squat is 120 lbs.

    However, I rarely squat my max. A typical squat sessions is 3 sets of 10-12 reps at 60-70 lbs, and I prefer barbell over Smith machine by far.

    Unfortunately I usually get light-headed squatting, which is a little off topic, but does anyone have any tips on getting over that? I really focus on breathing but don't know what I'm doing wrong.

    i usually walk around and sip some water in between sets. the legs are the largest muscles in the body so when you are working doing heavy squats the blood flowing there is going to make you dizzy. this is why i usually want to vomit after a hard leg day. i do get dizzy as well so i have to walk it off.

    i also am a big advocate of drinking aminos while working out.
  • Posts: 771 Member
    I've been heavy lifting since about December 2012. My progess is kind of slow, I think, but I started just squatting a 35-pound women's bar, gradually adding a little weight as I worked on my form. I just did 115 pounds yesterday for 3 sets (10 reps, 8 reps, 6 reps). My 1RM the last time I checked a month or so ago was 135 pounds.
  • Posts: 25 Member
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    i usually walk around and sip some water in between sets. the legs are the largest muscles in the body so when you are working doing heavy squats the blood flowing there is going to make you dizzy. this is why i usually want to vomit after a hard leg day. i do get dizzy as well so i have to walk it off.

    i also am a big advocate of drinking aminos while working out.

    Awesome - makes sense. Thank you for the reply! I'll try some aminos next time, and walking more between sets.
  • Posts: 1,314 Member
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    Awesome - makes sense. Thank you for the reply! I'll try some aminos next time, and walking more between sets.

    Aminos are amazing. They really help with muscle recovery, and if you're eating at a deficit they help to preserve LBM.
    Vtamin Shoppe has good ones that are less expensive and on sale this month. Also Xtend tastes really good.
  • Posts: 781 Member
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    I would also add that barbell squats engage more of your core and stabilizing muscles since you are holding the weight on your upper back rather than in your hands between your knees and hips.

    I use two dumbbells and hold them in a 90degree angle hoisted by my shoulder... Sort of the same concept but not as forgiving on the arms
  • Posts: 4
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    I use two dumbbells and hold them in a 90degree angle hoisted by my shoulder... Sort of the same concept but not as forgiving on the arms

    Thanks for the suggestions! I'll give my dumbbells a shot and see how I fare with them. I've got pretty weak shoulders, but maybe that's all the more reason to take this route
  • Posts: 1,821 Member
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    How do dumbbells compare to the barbell? I have both, but I don't have a barbell stand to lift from. Is it worth investing in (or building) a barbell stand or would dumbbells be reasonably sufficient?

    I imagine the way you hold them would be different, though.

    You would hold the dumbbells at your sides or between your legs as you squat. You probably won't be able to do as much weight as you would with a barbell (since you'll be limited by grip strength) but if you don't have a rack, it's much safer and managable.
  • Posts: 573 Member
    Ego squats

    anigif_enhanced-buzz-32561-1366052600-6.gif

    Oh dang. That is my fear! LOL! Falling flat on butt or face!
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