New to squats

Bad form, probably. youtube 'so you think you can squat'


And why 3 lb weights? Many untrained people of typical health can generally handle a 45lb barbell in the low position to start with.

Bad form, probably. youtube 'so you think you can squat'


And why 3 lb weights? Many untrained people of typical health can generally handle a 45lb barbell in the low position to start with.

I'm guessing she's doing it at home and not many people have barbells lying around the house...

Well, if you have a Volkswagen...

Question for all you strengthening experts, I started squatting with 3lb weights 7 days ago everyday and as of the sixth day only my right leg burns during the workout even after the workout. Can anyone tell me why? Thanks

I see a lot of "make sure you have proper form" but no explanation as to what that is. make sure when doing your squat you are bringing your hip flexers just below knee level. you don't want to "bottom out" (rest at the bottom of your squat) so don't go too far. Also, ensure your shins are as straight upward as possible. if you have trouble with this then you might lose the weights, and hold on to a sturdy chair or something to help learn the balance of your body. on your way up, drive by pressing through your heals (In a good squat you should be able to lift your toes without falling backward) and make sure you are pressing your knees outward. A lot of peoples knees will buckle inward and that is what can cause knee pain and injury.

Biggest piece of advice I can give you is make sure your flexibility, balance, and range of motion will allow you to go below a 90 degree angle. If you're not there yet, stick with strictly bodyweight squats until you can. Stopping short of 90 degrees with a load on you is a good way to wreck your knees. Also, not going low enough leaves your glutes out of the equation and turns it into a strictly thigh exercise. And for that you might as well be doing leg presses which are safer. On your way back up, don't just try to stand up. Make a conscious effort to try to thrust your hips forward as you're powering your way back up. This gives more glute activation and helps you *explode* out of the hole which is the right way of doing it.

Basically--

Go deep on the way down or don't go down at all, and PELVIC THRUST! on the way up. In fact the pelvic thrust should be what's powering your upward motion more than just your legs. Sometimes while doing squats I will state what I am doing as I do it, like those characters in anime who say the name for their special move as they do it. As I'm going down I'll say (in a very strained voice of course)

--peeelviiIIIIIC THRUST!