Question about squats

[Needhelp]

I'm squatting with no rack, and no spotter. So far, it's worked good. Of course, i'm just getting my form back with REALLY LIGHT weight (~100lbs)...

I figure all the rack does is:
A.) If it falls, the supports near the bottom catch it--So it doesn't scrape up the FLOOR

B.) If you fally foward you dont kill yourself

I do them near a doorway though, so assuming I was stupid enough to let the weight fall foward, I wouldn't be trapped. If the weight gets too heavy, I'll just drop it off the back...

Sound good?

I'll be moving up on weights soon, probably another week or so before I get my form good enough to move up to 180 or so (I'm weak, my max squat a year ago was 220).

 

[Welsh power house]

I can imagine how you can use any serious weight without a rack or smith machine. when i first started lifting...training at home....i used to power clean the weight up to my cheat and push press it so that i could position it on my neck.....could not do that with the weight i use now and im a shite squater so.....GO TO A GYM!!!!!

 

[Needhelp]

Well, I rack the weight off my bench, it inclines to about my height so I just squat slightly under it, then go up and then just squat like normal....

And, I wish I could go to a gym...Nearest one is 45 minutes--If I didnt work and have school, I could possibly do that but unless I drop out of school or quit my job (And then come up with a magic way to pay for gas and other shit) it aint gonna happen.

 

[gymtime]

Long as you stay light, you're ok. But as you get stronger, you're gonna want to add more challenging weight. And IMO, it's a mistake to do real squats w/o a rack.

 

[Needhelp]

I was thinking that too, but really.. What does the rack do?

The support bars near the bottom don't really do anything. The actual cage is the only thing that protects you from killing yourself. And to be more specific, IMO, the front bars are the only real safety feature. And for me, I have a doorway lol

I don't care about my floor, so dropping weight BEHIND isn't a problem (This will probably be rare anyway).

 

[gymtime]

First of all, falling forward isn't particularly likely, neither is falling backward for that matter. The trouble comes most often when you lose balance, pull a muscle, whatever, and the weight goes straight down on top of you. I've actually seen that happen and it's pretty damn unpleasant.

In all my years of lifting, I've never dropped a weight on the squat rack. But I'll tell you what, I'm damn glad it's there if I ever do. Squatting in front of a doorway is of little help. If you were to fall forward, the bar would land directly on your legs. The rack is there to protect you, period. If you want to squat without one, that is up to you. But again, I think it's a mistake, especially for a newbie.

 

[Needhelp]

Well, know of any CHEAP squat racks that would be safe?

I have about $600 now, but I need a lot of it for other stuff...

 

[The Dude]

Oil drums. No rack for safety, but you can always stay a little higher on reps and go one or two reps short of failure. It's not ideal, but if you have little cash, it can work. Otherwise, check the classifieds on the internet for cities around your area and places like ebay.

 

[gettinlarger]

ive seen equipment with a rack for a barbell for squatting as low as 200 bro. saw a smith machine for about the same too. since you dont have the proper machinery, it may be a good idea, or when you go heavy, you might kill yourself or send the weight through the floor.

 

[b fold the truth]

Oil drums.

I dropped 300+ and a lot of band tension a few months back...wow...thought I was gonna be killed or even worse. I survived though. There were a few other things in my gym that didn't (scales, old refrigerator, etc...).

B True