Trouble activating glutes

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13

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  • SteveyBrule
    SteveyBrule Posts: 171 Member
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    Your grammar speaks for itself, son.

    Ah the good old grammar retort, when don't actually have any come back.

    You look like a complete idiot making generalized accusations that everyone on the internet claims they go *kitten* to grass, however, they're all liars because you've never seen it personally.
  • QueenBishOTUniverse
    QueenBishOTUniverse Posts: 14,121 Member
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    Ok, I will keep working on the hip mobility as a separate issue. I *can* get below parallel, even with weighted squats, it doesn't happen every time but I'm watching in the mirror in front of me and do the best I can. I've done yoga for a while, my ankles honestly have too much mobility, the hips just don't budge and never have :grumble:. Seriously, gymnastics was the bane of my existence as a little girl, my coach just couldn't understand what was wrong with me :laugh: .
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    if you are squatting with decent form you should not be concerned about whether or not your glutes are getting sore, this is not an issue a squat is not an isolation movement. I very rarely get glute doms as i squat fairly upright,

    There is absolutely no requirement for anyone to squat ATG, if you can do it great but don't go compromising your form just to get a few inches lower,.,it really doesn't matter. A little below parallel as you state is perfectly fine.

    Funny how everyone on the internet apparently squats ATG yet you never actually see any of these people in a gym.

    true. I do not disagree.

    But. she did ask about more glute activation- and ATG is the best way to get it. But I would agree - and I did a poor job in my original post saying what you said- it's not glute only. it's not a crisis if you can't feel them the same way you feel other things.

    I can only ATG on working weight up to about 50-60% MAYBE 70% ... after that I am breaking parallel for a legal squat and that's it- I get stuck in the hole otherwise.

    yeah at LA Fitness- there were far more people who were not even legal much less to depth but now- at a power lifting gym it's fairly common to call someone's *kitten* squat a *kitten* squat- to their face LOL about a week ago I was going pretty much to the floor on my sets- and the guys next to me were doing power curtsey's- I was embarrassed for them- the gym manager gave them *kitten* about it and the one guy goes- well my wrist hurts... I just- I can't.

    You look like a complete idiot making generalized accusations that everyone on the internet claims they go *kitten* to grass, however, they're all liars because you've never seen it personally.

    I think they sell sense of humor at wal-mart and target- you might want to try that.

    the only one who looks foolish is you- anyone who lifts regularly knows exactly what he is talking about.
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
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    Bump/in/saved for later/etc. Good advice to come back to!
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
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    This sounds gross, but I seriously was having some issues with full depth when I was getting to a high weight when I came across this video in my FB feed :laugh: from Elliot Hulse about squatting like you poop. So I use my stable squat stance now how I would poop if I were squatting in the woods. Gross, but it was very effective for me in determining my natural stance.
  • SteveyBrule
    SteveyBrule Posts: 171 Member
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    [/quote]
    I think they sell sense of humor at wal-mart and target- you might want to try that.

    the only one who looks foolish is you- anyone who lifts regularly knows exactly what he is talking about.
    [/quote]

    Are you joking? I'm not denying that people in a gym don't go ATG, he's claiming all people online say they do yet don't. But go ahead and support a gross generalization. But what do I know, olympic lifting for the last 6 years doesn't qualify as doing it regularly.
  • Hendrix7
    Hendrix7 Posts: 1,903 Member
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    Are you joking? I'm not denying that people in a gym don't go ATG, he's claiming all people online say they do yet don't. But go ahead and support a gross generalization. But what do I know, olympic lifting for the last 6 years doesn't qualify as doing it regularly.

    You do realize there is a difference between making a generalization and saying that everyone does something, right?

    I thought it pretty clear i did not literally mean that every single person on the internet says they squat A2G but none of them do.

    good luck with your A2G squatting and pedantry goals of 2014
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
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    P.S. You may think your mobility issue is in your hips when really it could be in your ankles. Practice getting in an ATG squat position, hold a weighted barbell on your legs above your knees a few inches and push down while trying to keep your back upright and your knees out over your toes. Do this regularly and you may find more ankle mobility. You can also do a prize squat where you get down into an ATG squat position and hold onto a bar or something vertical in front of you. Keep your torso as upright as possible. Do this for 2 minutes at a time, a couple of times per day. It's much like malasana (garland pose) in yoga. These are just tips to help your mobility/flexibility, as I'm not saying you have to squat ATG. You may choose to squat just below parallel, whatever you prefer.
  • SteveyBrule
    SteveyBrule Posts: 171 Member
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    You do realize there is a difference between making a generalization and saying that everyone does something, right?

    I thought it pretty clear i did not literally mean that every single person on the internet says they squat A2G but none of them do.

    I hear you man, and I know a lot of people don't have that full range of motion so you might not see it as often, but it should seem that people more concerned with good form would be pushing for that FROM.

    I know it's anecdotal, at least I haven't bothered researching studies on it, but the diminished knee pain from A2G was enough for me to work the form until it was second nature.
  • ZoeLifts
    ZoeLifts Posts: 10,347 Member
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    OMG Thanks everyone for all the responses!

    So I'm sure my form is not great, but I am definitely going at least to parallel, probably just a smidge below. I'm tall, and getting *kitten* to ground is a real challenge. Even on body weight squats, I cannot get ATG without a butt wink. Is this a huge deal?

    I'm thinking if I need to go ATG, I will definitely need to lighten up my weight. I don't think ATG is a possibility for me right now with 45 lbs. Is this normal for a beginner - to not be able to go ATG with only the bar??

    Along with some of the other great advice, I would add that you video yourself over and over to see your form as you are actually doing it. You may not be going as low as you think.

    Regarding mobility and ATG, etc, I do low bar, so I go below parallel but not ATG and I have trouble with butt wink as well, but it has taken me a while to even get comfortably below parallel due to some old groin injuries and my own lack of mobility. Some stance things that have helpe me over time include wider stance, toes pointed more at 45 degree angle, making sure knees track in line with feet and toes (meaning not caving in/out). I also find where I focus my eyes really helps. Some say that focusing up helps them, for me it is usually focusing on the ground several feet in front of me.

    Mobility exercise prior to squatting are also helpful and can get you loosened up. I go through a routine where I rotate my joints 4-5 times starting head to feet to loosen up. I really rotate my hips, because that is where I'm tightest. I do some side to side squats as though I am going under a rope and over a rope a few times. I also practice squatting w/out bar all the way down with elbows pushing knees out like this:

    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTckq6nDaTLTua-kaeJ10M7VYocPY_KNblWymcQmwcQtMjokAU5
  • thatgirlkellib
    thatgirlkellib Posts: 150 Member
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    Try a wider stance.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    this^
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    I think they sell sense of humor at wal-mart and target- you might want to try that.

    the only one who looks foolish is you- anyone who lifts regularly knows exactly what he is talking about.

    Are you joking? I'm not denying that people in a gym don't go ATG, he's claiming all people online say they do yet don't. But go ahead and support a gross generalization. But what do I know, olympic lifting for the last 6 years doesn't qualify as doing it regularly.
    [/quote]

    um yes. I was joking- for the first sentence I was. I'm glad you picked up on that.

    he wasn't CLAIMING anything- he was just pointing out something that's kind of amusing- you see/hear about this regularly on line- but in day to day the percentages of real life ATG is significantly lower.

    It was funny. Stereotypes and gross generalizations make up the world in which we live- because there is truth to them.

    Man- you need some extra coffee or something- why is this so difficult for you?
  • glitterkelly
    glitterkelly Posts: 10 Member
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    I saw a woman going ATG like a boss at my gym last week.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    No one is going to say anything about the phrase, "DOMS in my *kitten*"? Wow...
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    No one is going to say anything about the phrase, "DOMS in my *kitten*"? Wow...

    that's all you.... go for it.

    heh- I honestly missed it- and I'm usually the first to be a 16 year old about such things.

    that was a nice catch...(eh ehe he see what I did there!!!)
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    No one is going to say anything about the phrase, "DOMS in my *kitten*"? Wow...

    that's all you.... go for it.

    heh- I honestly missed it- and I'm usually the first to be a 16 year old about such things.

    that was a nice catch...(eh ehe he see what I did there!!!)

    I was going to say, "I sure hope most 16-year-olds don't know what the dom I was thinking about is"...but now that I think about it, they might. Kids today! :)
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    I was going to say, "I sure hope most 16-year-olds don't know what the dom I was thinking about is"...but now that I think about it, they might. Kids today! :)

    odds are that they that know doms more than the DOMS we normally talk about!!!
  • DPruneda17
    DPruneda17 Posts: 124 Member
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    What is 'low bar' and 'high bar'? Is this where you rest the bar bell on your shoulders/back??
  • ZoeLifts
    ZoeLifts Posts: 10,347 Member
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    What is 'low bar' and 'high bar'? Is this where you rest the bar bell on your shoulders/back??

    Yes. Low bar lies across rear delts (spine of scapula) more:

    image1.jpg

    Placement of the bar changes some of your other options, i.e. depth, chest, etc:

    High bar on left, low bar on right:

    squat-variants-e1337190816213.jpg
  • DYELB
    DYELB Posts: 7,407 Member
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    Try a wider stance.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Yeah, I was thinking OP's form might be a little off.

    dyel