Squats, need advice - Phase 1
cbart2818
Posts: 188 Member
So here is my issue. I can easily lift and squat the 45oly bar, with 45lbs on each side. My problem.... I can't get low enough. 90degree angle. I have progressed up from the bar but have never been able to lower to the 90degree angle. I can do it without anything, but with any weight my legs just don't get there.
What do I do.... I love that I am able to lift more, but am I doing myself any good?
Should I keep doing lifting what I am able to do, and work on opening my hips and stretching my thighs or start all over with the bar.
I am so proud at what I can squat, but sad that even with the bar my legs just can't get to where I should be.
PS.... my boyfriend said I have good form, its just I am not close to the 90 degrees. So I am not feeling the burn as much as I should.
What do I do.... I love that I am able to lift more, but am I doing myself any good?
Should I keep doing lifting what I am able to do, and work on opening my hips and stretching my thighs or start all over with the bar.
I am so proud at what I can squat, but sad that even with the bar my legs just can't get to where I should be.
PS.... my boyfriend said I have good form, its just I am not close to the 90 degrees. So I am not feeling the burn as much as I should.
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I'm slightly confused, is it that your body can't get to 90 degrees with or without weight? Or you can't get to 90 degrees with the weight?
If it's with weight personally I would try to back off a few lbs. and see if that helps.0 -
Sorry, I didn't really explain that correctly. yes with weights... doesn't seem to matter how heavy though.
I have been asking around and I think I will dial the weight back a bit. I have had mixed advice from quite a few people who do strength training. Not from on here, but outside the MFP world.
Some say as long as long as you can lift and squat it, you will eventually be able to squat lower.
and
Some say dial back the weight to where to can get your "*kitten* to the grass" and only increase when you can keep that form.
So, as sad as I am I am going to dial the weight down, so I really feel it. I think I will get better results that way even if the weight isn't as heavy as I know I can do being a little higher in the squat.
I was just so impressed I was able to get up to that.
Oh well, luckily I am only in Phase 1, half way mark. I have many more to go through, plus, this is my first strength training program EVER so I am just proud to have stuck with something for this long!!
Thanks so much for responding.0 -
I'm curious whether it's a weight thing or a balance thing. Can you not get back up from down or do you feel like you're losing your balance when you get down?0
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That is what someone else asked me too.
The weight doesn't feel too much for my legs, but then again maybe it is.
When I go too low and try to get up it is more like my core and back can keep control, but perhaps it is my legs, I really just dont feel it in my legs though. I am not sure.
Even with just the Oly bar and 15lbs plates on each side when I try to squat down to 90 degrees I can't seem to get it right to go back up. My legs aren't burning or anything, so that's why I upped it, I just can't seem to balance the total weight I guess.
Someone said I may have very poor core/back strength. Which I don't doubt. That is why I start this all lol
I know there are 1/2 squats and full squats, so I think perhaps that is why some peoples advice that I have received said lift what you can and go as deep as you can safely even if its not all the way down.
I have never lifted before and I just want to make sure do it right without going through this whole program doing it wrong. lol
My boyfriend put a high step box under me. Told me to use just the Oly bar (45lbs) and squat down and touch my rear to it. Even with the 45lb bar my body just didn't know how to push up from that low of a position. I am afraid of twisting up and losing balance. Which would result in an unwanted injury.
I widened my stance a bit and that seemed to help stable me.
I think it is just a combo that my balance/core/back strength isn't very good.
I am still going to start fresh with the squats and work up the weights again. I really want to get the most out of the workout, and only squating half way just isn't making me feel it in my legs, even at 135lbs.
Sorry if my post is confusing...not the greatest at explaining this
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That is what someone else asked me too.
The weight doesn't feel too much for my legs, but then again maybe it is.
When I go too low and try to get up it is more like my core and back can keep control, but perhaps it is my legs, I really just dont feel it in my legs though. I am not sure.
Even with just the Oly bar and 15lbs plates on each side when I try to squat down to 90 degrees I can't seem to get it right to go back up. My legs aren't burning or anything, so that's why I upped it, I just can't seem to balance the total weight I guess.
Someone said I may have very poor core/back strength. Which I don't doubt. That is why I start this all lol
I know there are 1/2 squats and full squats, so I think perhaps that is why some peoples advice that I have received said lift what you can and go as deep as you can safely even if its not all the way down.
I have never lifted before and I just want to make sure do it right without going through this whole program doing it wrong. lol
My boyfriend put a high step box under me. Told me to use just the Oly bar (45lbs) and squat down and touch my rear to it. Even with the 45lb bar my body just didn't know how to push up from that low of a position. I am afraid of twisting up and losing balance. Which would result in an unwanted injury.
I widened my stance a bit and that seemed to help stable me.
I think it is just a combo that my balance/core/back strength isn't very good.
I am still going to start fresh with the squats and work up the weights again. I really want to get the most out of the workout, and only squating half way just isn't making me feel it in my legs, even at 135lbs.
Sorry if my post is confusing...not the greatest at explaining this
No, I get it. Do me a favor next time, stick with the wider stance, put a 10 pound weight under each heal and then try it and let me know if you're still having issues. It could definitely be a core issue (which is your balance at the end of the day), and it could also be awkward positioning due to lack of ankle flexion. I would also suggest deloading until you can get to 90 and figure it out. I’ve read a few studies that have said that heavy half squats can cause great damage to the knees, they’re okay for endurance lifting but once you get quite heavy they just aren’t safe anymore (you may want to see if you can find a few studies and do some research). Also, if it’s a core issue you’ll start pulling at your back as you get higher and higher if your core isn’t ready for the weight.0 -
Thank you for posting this! I have the same problem with my squats. Two trainers have said that my squat form is good, but unless I'm on the smith machine I can't get to paralell or below.
The trainers said the depth would come with time.
That answer doesn't sit well with me because I'm a proactive NEED TO FIX IT NOW kind of person. I'm not sure what my issue is either, but I'm going to follow the advice in this thread.0 -
I have been having the same problem. I can get completely ATG with no weight or if I hold a 25 lb weight, but with the oly bar I can't get lower than thighs parallel to the ground. It is just like the OP describes -- it doesn't feel like my legs can't do it, it feels like I'm not in control and/or that I'll get stuck down there and not be able to stand. My theory, based on what I've read in Stronglifts, is that once you get below parallel a different set of muscles come in to play (back and core) and for me those muscles are underdeveloped compared to my quads, which are used for the lift above parallel.
So I do a warm up set with 25 lbs to remind myself what it feels like to get ATG, then work with bar only, trying to get lower each set. It is slowly working -- after a week I can tell I'm getting lower. It's sucky to not be able to add weight yet, but I really want to make sure I can do a full, real squat before I move on to adding weight to the bar.
OP: I'm curious to hear if the weights under the ankles worked for you. I'm guessing that's not my problem, though, since I can do a proper ATG squat with 25 lbs.0 -
@ allabtlm THANK YOU!!! I will certainly try putting small plates under my ankles and stick with the wide stance at a lower weight and see if that helps at all. I will report back to you. I truly appreciate your feed back!
It didn't seem right to me to do half squats at a high weight even though I know I can. Something inside me was telling me I am going to do more damage. We all need our knees, back etc. so I certainly want to ensure I work this properly.
I know for a fact my core strength is poor, but its a work in progress : )
@ formongo and morkiemama - at least I am not the only one. I thought there was something wrong with me. ATG with nothing I can do, add the bar and a little weight and my body is like WTH is this!? And I hear you on the sucky part with not being able to add weight. We all want to see an increase by the end of each phase, but now I understand it is all about porper form than how much increase you had. As long as it is something it is better than not lifting at all.
If I can do amazing atg squats with a lighter weight, then I can with poor form higher sitting squats with heavier weight then I have already succeeded. I just need to keep myself reminded on that.
Thanks to everyone for the helpful advice and knowing I am not alone on this one.0 -
To be fair, it could also be a stall in the hip flexors, in which case you could probably add something to work those in isolation. The weights under the heals thing allows you to get atg with a little less forward flexion in the ankles, it also changes you center of balance and moves it forward a little which can help you with leverage when taking the movement back up. I wouldn't suggest replacing these if they work for you, they're just an indicator for a couple of things that you may be able to do differently to get past this gurdle issue.0
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To be fair, it could also be a stall in the hip flexors, in which case you could probably add something to work those in isolation. The weights under the heals thing allows you to get atg with a little less forward flexion in the ankles, it also changes you center of balance and moves it forward a little which can help you with leverage when taking the movement back up. I wouldn't suggest replacing these if they work for you, they're just an indicator for a couple of things that you may be able to do differently to get past this gurdle issue.
OK, thanks. My next squat routine is Monday. I am going to try the plate thing and see if that helps any. I was already going to look into some hip flexor stretch and strength moves (someone else also mentioned this) funny that you should mention that.0 -
So here is my issue. I can easily lift and squat the 45oly bar, with 45lbs on each side. My problem.... I can't get low enough. 90degree angle. I have progressed up from the bar but have never been able to lower to the 90degree angle. I can do it without anything, but with any weight my legs just don't get there.
What do I do.... I love that I am able to lift more, but am I doing myself any good?
Should I keep doing lifting what I am able to do, and work on opening my hips and stretching my thighs or start all over with the bar.
I am so proud at what I can squat, but sad that even with the bar my legs just can't get to where I should be.
PS.... my boyfriend said I have good form, its just I am not close to the 90 degrees. So I am not feeling the burn as much as I should.
I don't get to ninety degrees either because my low back starts to lose it's natural curve before I get to ninety. That's when you should be stopping! So you might be doing it right.
I'm curious why you would start losing natural curve before ninety. My understanding is that anything less than ninety can be really tough on your knees.0
