Squat

[the People's Champ]

SQUAT! SQUAT! SQUAT! if you are feeling a little shy of squatting, go light. practice doing squats with just the bar, then start adding weight. you'll only hurt yourself if you don't. once you get your form down, it is a real confidence booster (at least for me), to get your squat ON! I can't help it, but my legs are starting to outgrow the rest of my body. I love squats, what can I say? also, deadlifts.

did I mention SQUATS?!

 

[Jon.W.]

Well said mate, you cant beat the feeling you get after a leg workout with squats, I wish I wasnt having problems with them myself.

 

[BodybuildingUniverse]

squat, eat, rest, repeat! All hail the squat!

 

[sysopt]

(bow bow)

 

[b fold the truth]

Ya know...I hate squatting. You know what I love though? The feeling when I am done

B True

 

[Beleriand_K]

I'm having big time problem with my squats. First of all, it's extremely difficult to keep my balance when I'm going up, and secondly my knees tend to smack together unless I really concentrate on keeping them apart.

I'm currently trying to apply kind of a semi-sumo style to the squats to compensate for these problems, which makes everybody in the gym shake their heads.

Squats is my hate-the-most excercise, but I realize that it has to be done. Does any of you experienced squatters recognize my problems?

 

[the People's Champ]

I don't consider myself an expert on this board, but when I perform regular squats, I have my feet fairly wide, from shoulder width to a little past shoulders(depending on how I feel that day), and I just squat. your knees shouldn't bend inwards. if you were to look down on someone while they were squatting, their knees should be over their ankles with a bird's eye view. hmmm... I am still trying to go deeper, right now I am a teensy bit past parallel. I dont know how these monsters on this board go ass to floor.ankles. YIKES!

 

[the People's Champ]

oh and also, I would almost agree with b fold, but I kinda like doing squats, but love the feeling after a heavy session...

 

[BodybuildingUniverse]

they really do have to be done if you want the best development for your legs and body as a whole. The balance will come with time, anytime you change any of the variables in an exercise as complex as the squat it will take some getting used to. Load the bar!

 

[Blkout]

I'm having big time problem with my squats. First of all, it's extremely difficult to keep my balance when I'm going up, and secondly my knees tend to smack together unless I really concentrate on keeping them apart.

I'm currently trying to apply kind of a semi-sumo style to the squats to compensate for these problems, which makes everybody in the gym shake their heads.

Squats is my hate-the-most excercise, but I realize that it has to be done. Does any of you experienced squatters recognize my problems?

Most people have the same problem you speak of when they first start squatting. When the knees turn inward, your using too much weight. This is primarily controlled by your inner thigh muscles. Yours are obviously wekaer than your frontal thigh. This is not uncommon. Try lowering the weight until you can keep them under control. Use that weight and go up week to week from there.

I don't know what reps your using, but try staying in the 15-18 rep range with squats. Most people never do enough reps on squats. Yes you can still get growth from doing low rep squats, but not nearly as fast as high rep squats. I choose a weight that I cannot do more than 18 times, I prefer to find something that makes me work to get 15 reps. If I get 18 reps then I go up in wieght, if i get 12-15 , then I will stay with that weight or go down. I consider 15 reps to be almost optimal.