squats

[LexGS3]

I did squats for the first time today, usually i have just used leg machines but today i went for it. I did it on the smith machine? i believe its called where the bar travels on veritcal poles. After the first set my legs were killing me! i love it heh. 1 question tho, i dislocated my left knee about 6 or 7 years ago. While i was doing the squats my left knee was cracking when i was near the bottom of my rep. It didnt hurt at all tho. Just curious if theres any precautions i should take. I dont want my knee to blow up.

Thanks,
John

 

[cheeta]

Well im not an e xpert, but here are some things to take into consideration. First off, it might be just the joints cracking, and if it is that then you need to drink a lot more water . Also, how far down on the squat a re you coming down? Make sure when you come down that your knees do not pass your toes. in other words, the angle of your hamstring and back of the calf(when in the squatted position), there should be a 90 degree angle.
If you have bad joints, maybe you should take some glucosamine. You can get this anywhere in safeway or GNC o r any health store. Its a joint lube that works really well. So maybe you can try driking a lot of water and taking glucosamine. Glucosamine, a good brand to take would be "Move Free".

 

[gymtime]

Also, push off of your heels on the upward movement, not your toes.

 

[BodybuildingUniverse]

always check with a doc of course but I have "knee noise" as well and it is just that - does no harm. The only thing I dont like to hear is that you have started in a smith. Free squats are so much better and harder, the machine can potentially start you out in a bad "groove" while not offering equal benefits of free squatting. My advice would be to get the knee Ok'd by a doc and then ask the big squatter in your gym to show you the ropes.

 

[LexGS3]

is using the smith machine really that bad for doing squats? I feel safer do it with the smith rather than free weights. Theres no risk of me losing my balance and falling forwards/backwards.

 

[Lord_Suston]

is using the smith machine really that bad for doing squats? I feel safer do it with the smith rather than free weights. Theres no risk of me losing my balance and falling forwards/backwards.

That's exactly the problem, since the muscles you need for coordination and stability are not worked when on a smith machine you lose half the effectiveness of that type of movement. If you are in a powercell then you can set the bar to a certain height so the bar doesn't travel further than that. You will build your balance over time just like any other excercise, just remember to go slow and be in control of the weight at all times, this will prevent a lot of injuries, don't worry about weight it will come with patience and perserverance

 

[skaman607]

also the smith machine doesnt allow the natural curve of your ROM to take place

 

[LexGS3]

Thanks for all the info guys....Next week i will go ahead and try the REAL squats without the smith machine. The weight i used on the smith machine will seem much heavier on a freeweight barbel right?

 

[gymtime]

Yes it will. But don't worry about it. For the first couple weeks, concentrate more on form and balance than weight amount.

 

[The Architect]

I have a problem with one of my knees. You should try wrapping it up nice and tight.