Core exercises for squat improvement!
kellieem
Posts: 53 Member
Hi Everyone!
As some of you may have read, I am having a lot of trouble with the squats! (And I'm sorry for complaining so much, I need to be more positive!) I think some of my issue is that my core is not strong at all. I was wondering if any of you have added core strengthening in to your exercise schedules. If so, how often and what kind of exercises do you do?? And have you noticed an improvement in your squat form because of it?
Thanks!
As some of you may have read, I am having a lot of trouble with the squats! (And I'm sorry for complaining so much, I need to be more positive!) I think some of my issue is that my core is not strong at all. I was wondering if any of you have added core strengthening in to your exercise schedules. If so, how often and what kind of exercises do you do?? And have you noticed an improvement in your squat form because of it?
Thanks!
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Replies
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I do additional core work. I'll get back and respond with some of the stuff that would help later.0
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I do yoga and do extra core work that way. It helps.
You can try glute bridges, planks, back extensions, etc., to help strengthen your core muscles. Alternately, you can just increase weights slower and let your core catch up that way, because heavy squatting etc. will work your core. It really all depends on how consistent you want to be with following the program. If you go the more aggressive route, you may need to do accessory work to support progress on the main lifts.
I personally have been in a car accident and have lower back problems, so I took my sweet time with weight increases and always make sure my core and especially my back are good to do. Lifting really has helped in that regard!
Also, when you do squat, make sure you tighten your core and support your spine properly before, during and after every squat. Don't just put a bar on your back and lower yourself. Setup matters greatly, and has everything to do with how well the squatting goes, especially at higher weights.
If I don't feel it, I rack the bar and walk away. I can always tell at the top of the squat if it's going to happen or not, and I'm not afraid to put the bar back and call it.0 -
Yep, yoga is a great way to build core strength and flexibility as are the exercises Dani mentioned.
I do extra core because I actually like doing core work. Here are some of the moves I like and had posted in a different thread:
Russian Twists
Leg lifts
Mid range situps (never going all the way down and not going all the way up)
Planks
Plank Jacks
Bicycle crunches
Woodchoppers
Toes-to-bar (advanced move)
Pikes with a exercise ball
Spiders (where one knee comes up to the elbow while in a plank)
Back extensions
Core work can be 5-10 min every other day. It doesn't need a ton of attention since you will be getting the core with the heavy lifts.0 -
I did yoga for many years (12 or so) and thought I had a strong core. Teachers told me I did. Nowadays, squats and deadlifts are pretty much all the core work I need or get. And I can still do those yoga poses, even better than before. As Martin Berkhan says, nobody is gonna be able to squat 2x bodyweight with a weak core. I am not anywhere close to 2xbw, but I feel much, much stronger in my core now that I do barbell lifts and chin-ups.
It's not the end-all or be-all, but it's pretty damn good.
I should also add that I get injured easily, especially if I overtrain. I don't feel that I either need extra exercises at the moment or could handle them and have enough recovery time for my weight work.0 -
I tend to look at yoga and barbell training as symbiotic, i.e. mutually beneficial.
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Thank you everyone!! I'm just leaving work right now, so when I get home, I'm going to read through these more thoroughly and google some of these exercises. My knowledge of this stuff is very limited :S. Workout A is tonight and I'm trying not to get too worked up over the squats :S0
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I tend to look at yoga and barbell training as symbiotic, i.e. mutually beneficial.
Like I said, I was an enthusiastic practitioner for many years. There are two reasons I stopped (not entirely relevant to this thread, but possibly of interest to people interested in fitness and weight maintenance).
First, yoga lowers your BMR:
The effect of long term combined yoga practice on the basal metabolic rate of healthy adults. MS Chaya, AV Kurpad, HR Nagendra and R Nagarathna. 2006, BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/6/28.
"The measured BMR of individuals practicing yoga through a combination of practices was compared with that of control subjects who did not practice yoga but led similar lifestyles.
The BMR of the yoga practitioners was significantly lower than that of the non-yoga group, and was lower by about 13 % when adjusted for body weight (P < 0.001). This difference persisted when the groups were stratified by gender; however, the difference in BMR adjusted for body weight was greater in women than men (about 8 and 18% respectively). In addition, the mean BMR of the yoga group was significantly lower than their predicted values, while the mean BMR of non-yoga group was comparable with their predicted values derived from 1985 WHO/FAO/UNU predictive equations."
Second, there is some research showing that stretching muscles doesn't really buy you much in terms of performance, and it can weaken muscles (at least temporarily, if done before contracting them). That has been well covered in pop science outlets, and in my own experience, the more flexible I am, the more prone to injury. It is certainly true that inflexible people get injured, too, but flexibility isn't something I need to increase, I am naturally pretty flexible. Obviously, to each their own.
Sorry for the thread hijack.0 -
As my lifts have gotten heavier, I would periodically experience a sore back. My chiro advised me to work on my core--not at ALL for the purposes of "toning up" or anything like that, but the stronger your core is, the less pressure you put on your back. And sure enough, the weeks that I work on my core also seems to be the weeks I don't have problems with my back.
I find core work dull so I just do planks--that seems to cover most of the bases. And I only do about 5 minutes worth 2-3 a week. Your core will get worked primarily through your compound lifts. I do "core" work for my back. ;- )0 -
Sorry for the thread hijack.
Hey, no problem! Actually yoga is the only thing that's kept my lower back in check for the past 10 years. so I'm not giving it up. If that means that I can't lift super heavy, then I'm cool with that. Plus I'm a western practitioner and I doubt very much that my version of it has an effect on my BMR since I don't practice meditation or relaxation; it's purely physical/stretchy/power yoga-ish.
If you're naturally flexible, I envy you. I have to work on it. especially the older I get.
Fascinating read though. Thank you so much for sharing!0 -
The planks sound like a place I could start for sure!0
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planks are amazing... also, make sure you are breathing correctly. you want a belly full of air to help "support" your middle on the way down- as you go up you breath out (of ir you are doing 1RM stuff you breathe out keeping your belly full of air) 0
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Since we're talking about yoga and core poses, Purvottanasana (intense eastward facing pose) always kicks my butt:
Instead of holding planks for 3 minutes at a time, try this one for five to ten breaths...0 -
I do front squats and soft med ball push ups for my core. The med ball is soft not the push ups.:laugh:0
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These are awesome, although some seem crazy advanced!! But thank you everyone!0
