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My Training Journal
- Thread starter ExtraMile
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progressing for the active recovery yeah, when my back feels 100% i will probably jump it 30-40lbs though and just go from there
although im thiking of changing my squat day to
sumo box squats
narrow full squats
RDL
standing calves
weighted abs
so I will have investigate how strong i am with sumo box squats. im not sure though yet i might not do that...
JDid23
New member
have you ever heard of/seen the 4 squat routine?
yep i hate overhead squats and i dont really like front squats so no thanks!
musketeer
New member
You should try and get better at them. Imagine how strong you'd be if you could front squat a weight close to your current back squat! I see front and OH squats as a bit like dips and chins. People don't 'like' them as much as bench or pulldowns, however if your a beginner of early intermediate lifter then you will really benefit from getting good at them. They involve more balance and skill and ultimately make you more all-round strong.
Give yourself a 3 month goal to reach like getting your max single front squat to equal your weight used for 5RM back squat. And your overhead 5RM to be half of your 5RM back squat. To start off you can train the lifts as an extended squat session, like an extra long warmup, and a few extra sub-maximal working sets:
(I think these weights are ballpark for you!)
OH Squat:
15 x Bar
10 x 65lbs
8 x 75
Front squat:
8 x 95
8 x 115
6 x 135
Back squat:
5 x 155
5 x 185
5 x 225
OH squat:
3 x 95
Front Squat:
3 x 155
Once you get comfortable with the movements, every now and then, replace back squats completely with the front squats. Quite a few sets of near max doubles and triples work great.
Pausing 'in the hole' of a front squat really builds control and power.
You know you've conquered a weight when you can pause for 3 seconds with your ass between your heels and then explode it up! Also seems to make my knees feel healthy and tight (in the right way) after a pausing front squat workout.
A cool thing about OH squat is how it carries over into other exercises like presses or cleans. It really strengthens the shoulder girdle and upper back as well as the abs and erectors. Because it uses them almost isometrically, it rarely causes soreness or overtraining when added reasonably. It's also great to watch guys who think they can squat heavy, you know the types, (2-3 plates for quarter reps) trying out what you do. They watch you OH squatting 135lb and decide to give it try - they usually fall over! Because you're still young, probably plenty of guys at your gym can beat you in the back squat, but wouldn't it be great to soon be the best guy at overhead squatting?
Tblock1
New member
Yeah EM I think you should at least try front squats if nothing else, they are one of the hardest exercises I do and I love them. Get you a really strong core too.
I should start adding in front squats/OH squats now that I think of it. I would be horrible at them at first because my flexibility, but itd be badass to OH squat 225 or something. You should give it a try now while youre young EM and who knows maybe you will love them when you get better at them. I would also like to say that everybody should focus on their weakpoints, not there strong ones.
thanks for that bro, props for spending the time explaining it. The thing is my workouts are structured so that I put all my effort into one of the big 4 lifts - squat, dead, bench, press and then hit some assistance stuff after to slightly higher reps. That said I dont think I would enjoy doing the above and also may limit what I can use for my main squat which will be sumo box squats now. However, I think I will hit a couple sets of front squats or overhead squats in that workout maybe a set of each or maybe a couple of sets alternating which one I do on my squat days. But besides I still cant squat or deadlift heavy so I have alot of time to think about what I will do until i can actually do it lol. so none of these ideas are certain...
Andalite
Elite Bodybuilder
Well, irrespective of whether you like OH Squats or not, the carry over both exercises have are pretty impressive. If you're a strict PL'er who only cares about his big 3, thats fine...but increasing your big 3 comes with your goals, right? You need the right big bang for your buck exercises in that case. Front Squats and OH Squats are elite lifts. And they're a lot harder than back squats...which is why I understand your logic in rejecting them - they seem a big pain to go through for little appearing rewards. But, long term, they help you out immensely.
Overhead Squats: Largely hip mobility and core strength. Try OH Squatting a weight close to your own BW...trust me, the core strength you need for that is radical. Trust me, I've OH Squatted 185 lbs @ 190 lbs. It was damn difficult.
Front Squats: The more time you spend on this, the easier your back squats become. You put a lot of emphasis on core in this exercise and it pays off because when you do back squat, it helps you hit your groove quicker and more efficiently.
I'm not pressuring you into doing anything...this is your training and I think (and this about all aspects of life) if a change must come, it should come from within you. So if you don't feel these exercises are worth the effort, thats fine. It is your prerogative and I totally respect that. We're all here to cheer each other on and help out. This is just me offering my suggestions
Overhead Squats: Largely hip mobility and core strength. Try OH Squatting a weight close to your own BW...trust me, the core strength you need for that is radical. Trust me, I've OH Squatted 185 lbs @ 190 lbs. It was damn difficult.
Front Squats: The more time you spend on this, the easier your back squats become. You put a lot of emphasis on core in this exercise and it pays off because when you do back squat, it helps you hit your groove quicker and more efficiently.
I'm not pressuring you into doing anything...this is your training and I think (and this about all aspects of life) if a change must come, it should come from within you. So if you don't feel these exercises are worth the effort, thats fine. It is your prerogative and I totally respect that. We're all here to cheer each other on and help out. This is just me offering my suggestions
Well, irrespective of whether you like OH Squats or not, the carry over both exercises have are pretty impressive. If you're a strict PL'er who only cares about his big 3, thats fine...but increasing your big 3 comes with your goals, right? You need the right big bang for your buck exercises in that case. Front Squats and OH Squats are elite lifts. And they're a lot harder than back squats...which is why I understand your logic in rejecting them - they seem a big pain to go through for little appearing rewards. But, long term, they help you out immensely.
Overhead Squats: Largely hip mobility and core strength. Try OH Squatting a weight close to your own BW...trust me, the core strength you need for that is radical. Trust me, I've OH Squatted 185 lbs @ 190 lbs. It was damn difficult.
Front Squats: The more time you spend on this, the easier your back squats become. You put a lot of emphasis on core in this exercise and it pays off because when you do back squat, it helps you hit your groove quicker and more efficiently.
I'm not pressuring you into doing anything...this is your training and I think (and this about all aspects of life) if a change must come, it should come from within you. So if you don't feel these exercises are worth the effort, thats fine. It is your prerogative and I totally respect that. We're all here to cheer each other on and help out. This is just me offering my suggestions
lol no i am not a PLer let alone a strict PLer. Im more of a powerbuilder.
yes i have tryed front squats and overhead squats in the past and I know how hard they both are. I am still unsure what my squat day will look like but I wont be squatting now until 2010. My gym is shut for 24-26th and 31st-1st for christmas so I have decided my workouts are going to be:
23rd december - overhead press day
27th december - bench day
29th december - I will probably just do some fun stuff on this day to enjoy it, probably alot of arm work because Im a clusterfucker lol
then I will just wait until monday 4th of january and continue my normal routine from there. This will allow two periods of abotu 4-5 days of rest and 2-3 weeks off from squats and deadlifts, hopefully my back will be 100% by the end
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