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Squat help please!
ErinMLB
Posts: 100 Member
Hello! I've been doing Stronglifts for about a month now (Actually focused on it, I've tinkered with it the last three months lol) I have a little gym set up in my basement, but no squat rack and am moving withen the next 6 months so don't want to buy a squat rack/cage until I figure out what the new house will look like. So I've been doing front squats (I don't know if that's the real name, basically hold the bar at my chest level) and that's been working relatively well, however I've hit a wall, I am easily doing the squats with the weights, and feel I could up them but I have very weak wrists (and tiny) which is preventing me from upping them because it causes my wrists a good amount of pain to just hold the bar that way.
I love doing the squats but can't up the weights for the foreseeable future, what should I do to keep progressing physically, should I up my reps or sets?
Any advise is appreciated!
I love doing the squats but can't up the weights for the foreseeable future, what should I do to keep progressing physically, should I up my reps or sets?
Any advise is appreciated!
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Replies
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Can you hold the bar like this instead?
That way, it's resting on your shoulders and held in place by the arms.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/front-barbell-squat0 -
Thank you! I will give it a try to see how it feels! Looks like it'll feel weird the first few times but would definitely be a solution.0
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If you have two flat back sturdy chairs, you could also turn them back to back and rest the bar across the top to pick up...0
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Attempted to hold the bar in the link, it did not go well. Did not feel even remotely comfortable. I don't overly have a problem picking up the bar , it's a matter of holding on. I want to do the squats with the bar on my back, but that's not in the cards right now.
I think I'm going to add maybe one or two more sets at the current weight and see where I go from there.
Silly little weak wrists, but I've got to be careful with them, I've had tons of problems with them before.0 -
The reason your wrists hurt is because you're trying to support the bar with you wrists, which is wrong. The bar should be supported by the shoulders with the bar against your throat-the hands are just along for the ride. If the bar is in the right position you should be able to squat with no hands on it at all (wouldn't suggest this!) Google Frankenstein Squats for an example of what I'm talking about. So keep the shoulders forward, chest up, elbows up (and they should stay up throughout the entire movement) & stay as upright as possible when squatting. Also, you may need to work on you wrist flexibility. You should get to a point where you're flexible enough that just the finger tips are under the bar.0
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Thanks I'll have to try that! Gotta work on my form
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Before my equipment was delivered I had my boyfriend stand behind me to hold the bar while I squatted. This only works for so long though! Also, try split squats with your front squats.0
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I've done front squats with the bar more resting on my upper arms, and me crossing my arms in front and supporting them. I hate anything directly against my throats. You should definitely not support the bar with your wrists, though.
Either way, you're not going to lift near as much with front squats as you would with back squats, and you're going to progress much slower. However, don't let that discourage you. Front squats can be a great exercise when it comes to teaching you how to hold your upper body more upright as well as sitting back properly without the fear of toppling backwards. They're a good lift, so if that's what you have the equipment for and if you can get the form down properly, go for it.
You could also try hack squats or other squat variations and adjust the program accordingly. Sometimes you gotta adapt and make do with what you have. It's not the end of the world, really. My girlfriend does supersets with the overhead press and back squats by doing the press first, then lowering the bar onto her back and squatting, then lifting it back overhead and down onto the floor and resting for a bit before the next set. It's a very slow weight progression for her obviously, but she's getting stronger and enjoying it. so I'm not going to argue with her if it works for her. Even if you add 1 pound a week, or 1 rep every couple weeks, you may not be doing "Stronglifts", but you're getting stronger, and ultimately that's the point, yes?0 -
I deloaded pretty much completely today to work on my form, I have a decent amount of flexibility in my wrist so was able to bring the bar back so it was resting near my throat and resting on my arms.... gotta say... Much better. I was able to focus on my form more because my wrists didn't feel like crap.0
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I deloaded pretty much completely today to work on my form, I have a decent amount of flexibility in my wrist so was able to bring the bar back so it was resting near my throat and resting on my arms.... gotta say... Much better. I was able to focus on my form more because my wrists didn't feel like crap.
Good to hear! 0
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