Deep Squats problems
livlovra
Posts: 139 Member
Back in the gym!! Spent a good hour and a bit in the gym today dong SL 5x5 but as its almost 4 months since I was last in the gym I had to take it right back. I am hoping I will progress quicker this time although on the squats I am not aiming to go too heavy as I want to just get comfortable doing really deep squats. Anyone else struggle with deep squats?
I use plates to stand on and practice pushing my knees out and chest up. Lots of looking it up on you tube as well as hip flexion exercises and stretches. Still don't find them easy or comfortable. I watch my 10 month old and 3 year old do them and am so jealous!
I use plates to stand on and practice pushing my knees out and chest up. Lots of looking it up on you tube as well as hip flexion exercises and stretches. Still don't find them easy or comfortable. I watch my 10 month old and 3 year old do them and am so jealous!
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Replies
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One thing you could do to get yourself "comfortable" getting low is to sit in that position a few minutes every day. If your balance isn't quite there, just hold yourself with a wall or pillar, squat down, focus on keeping the heels on the floor, spine neutral, butt flexed and stick to the position for 1-2 minutes. Once you can sit for 2 minutes, try removing your anchor/balance point. It'll help you get used to the deep position, and as a bonus, you can work on stretching your hips while down below, keeping your knees out and reinforcing good posture
Also, you'll build some leg endurance to help out if you ever wanna do a wall chair xD (Gawd I hate those things! lol) 0 -
Thanks, good tip. Will be squatting with the children!0
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Wow, really good tip, I'll try that as well...0
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i'm going to piggyback a question onto this thread, since it does relate to going below parallel . . .
the info i have at this point is that you tighten your core and glutes at the top of the squat and 'hold' that tightness all the way through the movement.
the *problem* i have is that i can do that no problem, both up and down . . . until i hit parallel. as soon as my bum goes past parallel, it feels to me as if i 'lose' that tightness. it really doesn't look like my butt is winking, but that section of the movement pattern is like a kind of sensory bermuda-triangle to me. from the feeling-the-tightness point of view, my entire pelvic zone seems to fly into that part of the radar screen and just . . . disappear. it also feels like my lower abs relax too. then i start coming back out and it all shows up again at or somewhere a bit below parallel.
any ideas on what gives? am i being overly literal in interpreting 'keep your glutes and core tight throughout the whole lift'? am i doing it anyway, even though i can't feel it happening? is there something that i'm doing wrong or just have no body-awareness nerve endings for?0 -
i'm going to piggyback a question onto this thread, since it does relate to going below parallel . . .
the info i have at this point is that you tighten your core and glutes at the top of the squat and 'hold' that tightness all the way through the movement.
the *problem* i have is that i can do that no problem, both up and down . . . until i hit parallel. as soon as my bum goes past parallel, it feels to me as if i 'lose' that tightness. it really doesn't look like my butt is winking, but that section of the movement pattern is like a kind of sensory bermuda-triangle to me. from the feeling-the-tightness point of view, my entire pelvic zone seems to fly into that part of the radar screen and just . . . disappear. it also feels like my lower abs relax too. then i start coming back out and it all shows up again at or somewhere a bit below parallel.
any ideas on what gives? am i being overly literal in interpreting 'keep your glutes and core tight throughout the whole lift'? am i doing it anyway, even though i can't feel it happening? is there something that i'm doing wrong or just have no body-awareness nerve endings for?
You are being overly literal in your interpretation yes.
Well you should keep your core tight through your whole lift, but your lower abs and upper abs are one muscle so as long as you're feeling tight somewhere you should be fine.
You will lose some tightness in your butt because you're stretching it. Try it with your arm. Make the classic bicep flex muscle lady pose. Feel how tight your pipes are. Then extend your arm while keeping your bicep as tight as possible, like if you're performing a weightless curl. Now feel your bicep. You will definitely feel *some* tension in the muscle, but nothing like when you were in your muscle lady pose.0 -
You are being overly literal in your interpretation yes.
thank you!! this is why i kind of hate most trainers (and body-stuff people). they casually say the most unperformable things, and then act like i'm the one who's barely half-bright when i grimly try to do exactly whatever they told me to do and it turns out to be not-doable. i just could not figure out how to tighten something that gets stretched the way my glutes get at the deep end of a squat. not without pulling my pelvis under anyway, which would be a wink.
"muscle lady", heh. i feel all macho and mighty now. me and my intermittently-vanishing bum.0
