Squats with dumbells - Need advice! (SL 5x5) HELP!

mamalovesdiamonds
mamalovesdiamonds Posts: 8 Member
edited November 19 in Fitness and Exercise
I started doing the Stronglifts 5x5 about 2 months ago. It's the first time in my life lifting weights. So far I have seen amazing progress! I have been reading a lot and watching videos to make sure I get my form correct.

So here's my question... I have access to the gym in my condo building and they have a full range of dumbbells. There are no other free weights or barbells. I also don't have the money to join another gym, so that's not an option. I seem to be able to modify all the SL5x5 lifts for dumbells except squats. Currently I do them like this - with the weights balancing on the edge of my shoulders. From an experienced weight lifter or a trainer or pro, can you please advise if this is the best way to do the squat with dumbells? I try to put the edge of the weight on my shoulders to simulate what the bar would feel like on my back. I see other people doing squats with dumbells all kinds of ways (weights totally on shoulders front to back, weights held down at sides). I'm wondering if I'm doing it right or wrong? I want to make the most of this lift. I'm currently squatting with 50 lbs (25 on each side). That probably doesn't seem like a lot, but it is a major victory for me!!

huocb3w8bh30.jpg

Replies

  • iwantmydenimback
    iwantmydenimback Posts: 194 Member
    my personal recommendation would be to switch to one dumbbell and do goblet squats. i don't know how heavy the weights in your gym go, but you're going to jack up your wrists with one in each hand like that and you're not distributing the weight over a central point like you would be with a bar. the goblet squat fixes those issues.
  • snoopjedi
    snoopjedi Posts: 1 Member
    I second the recommendation for goblet squats.
  • GiGiBeans
    GiGiBeans Posts: 1,062 Member
    When I do squats with dumbbells I bring them up to my shoulders with a hammer curl then keep going and rest them on my shoulders in that direction. Really forces you to brace your core.
    front-squat-483x300.jpg
  • dragon1ady
    dragon1ady Posts: 335 Member
    snoopjedi wrote: »
    I second the recommendation for goblet squats.

    Thirding goblet squats.

    Or you can hug a kettle bell to your chest.
  • mamalovesdiamonds
    mamalovesdiamonds Posts: 8 Member
    Thanks everyone! I'm off to google goblet squat. Never heard of that!

    And thanks gigibeans for that picture. That looks really good too. I'll give that a try!
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    edited June 2015
    Goblet squats are great but they can quickly become really cumbersome as they get heavier and heavier. I started out using those but eventually switched to the style mentioned in the original post. You can do more weight this way, and balancing them on your shoulders slightly provides a bit of stability/wrist relief. I did them very similarly except they were even closer to my shoulders for stability (especially as they got heavy), like this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FTyqTsrFU8

    Please note, in the end it really doesn't matter. You can squat a billion different ways, they are all good. Do what's comfortable and what feels best for you. You can even squat with your arms straight down and slack at your sides, but honestly that was really annoying for me. And grip strength can be an issue. All depends on what works for you. The video I posted is just to illustrate the way I found to do the heaviest DBs possible. I eventually joined a real gym and switched to BB squats because using DBs just becomes too annoying after a while.
  • AlisonH729
    AlisonH729 Posts: 558 Member
    BUMPING this post because it addressed my initial questions, but I have more:

    We have a set of the BowFlex Select Tech dumbbells at home so I have been squatting like the OP. (I've been using around 20lbs each.) The problem is because the dumbbells are adjustable from 5-50lbs, they're pretty cumbersome. So holding them to my sides to squat is hard. Cleaning them onto my shoulders isn't the easiest either, due to both their weight & size. I can, and really should, be squatting more weight but just can't work out the mechanics of how to do that with the equipment we have. But I can manage to do or modify the rest of my workout, so I don't want to (re)join the gym just for this. (Though I'm often tempted.) We had a membership but never went, and invested in this home equipment instead, but its in our guest room so we really have no room to add more right now.

    In addition to @DopeItUp's suggested technique & goblet squats, what other ways can we DB squatters modify our moves?

    -Bulgarian split squats with = or less weight?

    -Can I add weight/balance to a goblet squat, via like, a backpack full of books or something? (I feel like this is just asking to hurt yourself though...)

    -Just incorporate more variations?
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    Down to your sides, or sumo squats.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    You can do split squats with equal or more weight (or less weight.) That's really up to your own ability. There's no real correlation so I can't say "do split squats with 40% of the weight of goblet squats" or anything like that.

    Are you using the 50 lbs for goblet squats? If you're having trouble lifting it up, you could stand it on its end on a bench, squat down, and start the lift from there.

    I'm not sure about a weighted backpack for goblet squats. I would be a bit afraid of it shifting around and causing problems.
  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,406 Member
    edited October 2015
    Ask your condo to add an Olympic barbell, weights and cage? I gotta say that juggling Dumbbells for SL5x5 is a lot harder than a barbell. I bet your core is thanking you. I think my focus would be resting the weight anyway possible to maintain form.

    I like Jemhh's point on squatting down and picking up the weights from a raised surface.

    Your body will counter the goblet weight. But you can always wear a weighted vest while doing your goblet squat if you want a heavier lift.
  • _Bropollo_
    _Bropollo_ Posts: 168 Member
    I started doing the Stronglifts 5x5 about 2 months ago. It's the first time in my life lifting weights. So far I have seen amazing progress! I have been reading a lot and watching videos to make sure I get my form correct.

    So here's my question... I have access to the gym in my condo building and they have a full range of dumbbells. There are no other free weights or barbells. I also don't have the money to join another gym, so that's not an option. I seem to be able to modify all the SL5x5 lifts for dumbells except squats. Currently I do them like this - with the weights balancing on the edge of my shoulders. From an experienced weight lifter or a trainer or pro, can you please advise if this is the best way to do the squat with dumbells? I try to put the edge of the weight on my shoulders to simulate what the bar would feel like on my back. I see other people doing squats with dumbells all kinds of ways (weights totally on shoulders front to back, weights held down at sides). I'm wondering if I'm doing it right or wrong? I want to make the most of this lift. I'm currently squatting with 50 lbs (25 on each side). That probably doesn't seem like a lot, but it is a major victory for me!!

    huocb3w8bh30.jpg

    The way she is holding the weights in front of her is going to do a couple things:

    1) Cause some serious rotor cuff problems the heavier you go
    2) Cause wrist strain the heavier you go
    3) Cause the weight to be centered at (or in front) of your toes instead of the middle of your foot like a proper squat, which loads your quads up instead of your glutes and also places a lot more stress on your knees

    So I agree with everybody that you should do goblet squats for now and either ask the condo to give you a power rack, or scrounge a couple extra bucks a month and find a gym with a barbell.


  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I've done squats with my dumbbells on the shoulders but I hold them front to back. It's more like a front squat than a back squat.

    11937b08fd6f7544792c3ed5d9fb95e6.jpg
  • AlisonH729
    AlisonH729 Posts: 558 Member
    Bowflex-SelectTech-552-.jpg

    These are the weights we have. They're compact to store which is nice. But to use they're just BIG (for me at least).
    Whether I throw 25s on either shoulder, like the first photo, or use one set to 50 for goblet squats, I'm still basically maxing out at 50 which is kind of a bummer. I just add in plies, and split squats for now and see how that feels.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,021 Member
    If holding the weights are an issue, you can always substitute Bulgarian/split squats in. Most people can't do them right without weight, so just getting down the form correctly greatly will increase strength in your legs.

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

    9285851.png
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    I hold the weights front to back, resting on shoulders, not side by side. I have a problem with one tendon on my right hand, and this is what comes naturally to me, I do nto know if it is true for everyone or not.
  • littlemissorange
    littlemissorange Posts: 19 Member
    Goblets are good, but don't see anything wrong with the ones your showing in the pic, I do these with kettleball and a great core exercise
This discussion has been closed.