Feeling rubbish after squat attempts!

dbmata wrote: »

mustgetmuscles1 wrote: »

I have found working on mobility helped more than just doing more squats with lighter weight.

I used a towel and did this at home multiple times per day and my comfort at depth increased a lot. I spent some time paused at the bottom and did some adjustments to find out which stance width and foot angle felt the most comfortable also.

http://youtu.be/K9VGSjFLodo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9VGSjFLodo

That's interesting and unfortunately I can't listen to his commentary. Please keep in-mind that Mr. Candito is an advanced competitive powerlifter and this might not be relevant to somebody with basic flexibility issues.

One thing that can help you activate the right muscles is to put something under your heels...a weight plate, a 2 x 4, anything just an inch or two tall and nicely stable which will help lift your heels. You'll be forced to use your glutes more, and it will help lift your chest.

mustgetmuscles1 wrote: »

Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »

dbmata wrote: »

mustgetmuscles1 wrote: »

I have found working on mobility helped more than just doing more squats with lighter weight.

I used a towel and did this at home multiple times per day and my comfort at depth increased a lot. I spent some time paused at the bottom and did some adjustments to find out which stance width and foot angle felt the most comfortable also.

http://youtu.be/K9VGSjFLodo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9VGSjFLodo

That's interesting and unfortunately I can't listen to his commentary. Please keep in-mind that Mr. Candito is an advanced competitive powerlifter and this might not be relevant to somebody with basic flexibility issues.

Thats a fair point but I dont think there was anything too advanced about the advice. Using a narrow grip overhead squat to help with flexibility/mobility issues in a below parallel back squat. He did the exercise with an empty bar and I just did it with a towel. I think the thumbnail for the video is misleading.

True. I just looked at the OP's original post about getting to parallel and I'm thinking there's just basic mobility and strength issues to be addressed first. You and DBmata are both more experienced lifters than the OP so for you two something like this is simple. When I troubleshoot something like this I like to look for the simplest answers first and then go from there. If somebody can't do a basic barbell squat, I don't see how doing an OH Squat is going to help them; especially when the OH Squat is probably a little more technical or at a minimum just as technical as the Back Squat. It's like when somebody says hey, my PC won't turn on. You check to make sure it's plugged in first before your rip out the power supply and replace it.

Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »

mustgetmuscles1 wrote: »

Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »

dbmata wrote: »

mustgetmuscles1 wrote: »

I have found working on mobility helped more than just doing more squats with lighter weight.

I used a towel and did this at home multiple times per day and my comfort at depth increased a lot. I spent some time paused at the bottom and did some adjustments to find out which stance width and foot angle felt the most comfortable also.

http://youtu.be/K9VGSjFLodo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9VGSjFLodo

That's interesting and unfortunately I can't listen to his commentary. Please keep in-mind that Mr. Candito is an advanced competitive powerlifter and this might not be relevant to somebody with basic flexibility issues.

Thats a fair point but I dont think there was anything too advanced about the advice. Using a narrow grip overhead squat to help with flexibility/mobility issues in a below parallel back squat. He did the exercise with an empty bar and I just did it with a towel. I think the thumbnail for the video is misleading.

True. I just looked at the OP's original post about getting to parallel and I'm thinking there's just basic mobility and strength issues to be addressed first. You and DBmata are both more experienced lifters than the OP so for you two something like this is simple. When I troubleshoot something like this I like to look for the simplest answers first and then go from there. If somebody can't do a basic barbell squat, I don't see how doing an OH Squat is going to help them; especially when the OH Squat is probably a little more technical or at a minimum just as technical as the Back Squat. It's like when somebody says hey, my PC won't turn on. You check to make sure it's plugged in first before your rip out the power supply and replace it.

It was definitely not simple for me when I tried it the first time. In fact I could not get anywhere near parallel. I think that is kind of the point though. Working on getting lower in this movement had a carry over right away to the back squat that I was not getting by just doing more squats, even by lowering the weight.

I am a fan of mobility/flexibility/accessory work though. I listened to people for a long time that said "just squat more" and I think it held me back. Getting used to this movement made getting deeper in a regular back squat feel almost easy.

Different thing click for different lifters. For someone else it might be box squats or wall squats. This one helped me out. It is not a difficult move that a novice cant do it. Start with a wide grip on a bar, rod, or band, raise your arms over your head, and try to squat down. Move your arms closer together as you get better at it.