Workout B 3x5 - *video*

[JDid23]

Thanks guys a ton. Throwing some other questions here now.

So, squatting I should just keep my stance? Uhh I am going as LOW as possible without rounding my back right now, however my hamstrings are not touching my calves. With progress, and time will I have deeper depth? Like what I mean is will it just come as the weight increases, and as I squat more? Or will that always be the squat depth I’m going to have? I am going to tryout having it lower on my back on warmup sets, and see how my depth is without rounding of the back.

depth doesn't come overnight. Not everyone can squat ATG the first time they put the bar on their back. Keep doing the dynamic stretching before your workouts and keep squatting as low as you can while keeping good form. Depth will improve eventually

Jdid, you always imply on being on my heels. When I used to bench It would be hard to push it up without good form, after I learned good form my bench has been steady and been going great and if I get stuck I know how to push it up with my body in proper form.

that's because when you go on your toes, you aren't generating as much force as you possibly can, and i think generating force off of your heels is one of the things that can really help your squat. Not going on your toes is very different than pushing up off of your heels.

I want to learn how to get power through the heels. It would help my greatly I think, but I don’t fucking get it at all. So... do I have to sit back more in the squat? But if I were to sit back more, then I will have to make my stance smaller, and when I do that it feels quite awkward like unbalanced. Is that how it’s supposed to feel at first? I think it would help me progress with weights better, but my progression is slow because I can’t get power from anywhere else. Any tips on this?

not sure besides curling up your toes a hell of a lot and pushing your heels into the ground. Next time you deadlift you should do the same with your heels. Try doing a BW squat now. do one without using your heels and curling up your toes, then do one where your curl up your toes a lot and once you go down, push up off of your heels. I just tried this and you should notice the extra force that is being generated.

On the military presses, I was always “resetting” my lift to give myself a bit of a rest between reps. I had been unsure about that, but didn’t really know how to ask until I had a video up. So I should just keep on going all the time, without much of a pause then? Just bring it down an inch above my chest, and then press right up again?
yeah. you can pause for a second or two if you want, but when you readjust your hands you're increasing your ROM, which is making the lift harder for you.

comments in bold

 

[ark94]

comments in bold

thanks bro, helped a tad on my squat.

However, i am quite fucked...

Heels.... god damnit I am fucking pissed off at this crap.
So i tried difference stances, sitting back more, or W'HATEVER the fuck i had to so i can get power through the heels. But godamn, i got nothing but being unbalance and coming up with my toes on my working sets. even when i curl my godamn toes up fuck.

So i did, AGAIN, 120lb. for squat and i was not at all feeling my squats today. Like not at all, my form wasn't the best, but it was still there just i wasn't killing it like i could have. I tried everything, during my working sets i still found i was getting my power through my toes. Now i have curled my toes up, and i feel 1 rep went good like i was going through the heels, but i don't think so. I can't remember to well, but maybe i did however i can't remember the feeling i got to memorize doing that.

Any tips, ANY at all on getting power through the heels? Its killing me, my bench is now easily higher than my squat and im ashamed.... PLUS my squat isn't even progressing much, its like im fucking stalled... How can i get power in the heels without rounding my back and keeping good form whatnot? What do you guys do other than curling the toes up? Maybe its a balance problem with me, IDK all i know is its pissing the hell out of me...

 

[JDid23]

chill man. You are way too hard on yourself. You dwell on the negative parts of your workouts while you let the positive parts sit in the back seat. Keep trying to curl up your toes, but besides that i don't know man- it's all i do and it works. Generating power through your heels during bench should feel (somewhat) the same way it does during squats.

 

[z66x]

i get pissed off when my workouts and my form and such dont end up quite as well as I hope too. were quite similar actually lol, same age and yeah same goals. im interested to see your progress cause then maybe i can base off my workouts off yours. so good luck with your workout sorry for the irrelevance to your thread

 

[moya]

squats:
i suggested in your other video thread to use less weight (95lb) and work up, and i still stand by that idea... sit back, stick that ass down and out and sit in it...
box squats might help, get a box that you sit on that is below parallel and sit back onto it... now use your hips heels and hams to get up...
i think your stance is narrow enough... no less...
mil press: looks decent... dont need to rest each rep, it will be harder, but isnt 'wrong'...
rows:
really? youre touching the bar to your ribs?... the camera must be playing tricks on me...
try to keep your upper back low... it tends to come up during your set... you may even want to lower the weight on these... but maybe they were easier for you than they looked...

 

[MetalDead]

thanks bro, helped a tad on my squat.

However, i am quite fucked...

Heels.... god damnit I am fucking pissed off at this crap.
So i tried difference stances, sitting back more, or W'HATEVER the fuck i had to so i can get power through the heels. But godamn, i got nothing but being unbalance and coming up with my toes on my working sets. even when i curl my godamn toes up fuck.

So i did, AGAIN, 120lb. for squat and i was not at all feeling my squats today. Like not at all, my form wasn't the best, but it was still there just i wasn't killing it like i could have. I tried everything, during my working sets i still found i was getting my power through my toes. Now i have curled my toes up, and i feel 1 rep went good like i was going through the heels, but i don't think so. I can't remember to well, but maybe i did however i can't remember the feeling i got to memorize doing that.

Any tips, ANY at all on getting power through the heels? Its killing me, my bench is now easily higher than my squat and im ashamed.... PLUS my squat isn't even progressing much, its like im fucking stalled... How can i get power in the heels without rounding my back and keeping good form whatnot? What do you guys do other than curling the toes up? Maybe its a balance problem with me, IDK all i know is its pissing the hell out of me...

Based on your video, your feet are pointed too far outward. They should be 30 degrees from pointing straight forward at most. If you have not corrected this yet, it should help you (along with curing your toes and focusing your mind) drive from your heels. Also, make sure you are ramping up the weight - I do this every time I squat and it keeps my form pretty damn good (Do a light set while focusing strictly on form, then repeat while slowly adding more weight until you get to your desired set. ex: 80 lbs x 5, 90 lbs x 3, 100 lbs x 2, 110 lbs x 2, 120 lb 3 sets of 5)

Another way to get used to sitting back when you squat - a method of which I have seen tossed around this site countless times - is to:
before you begin squatting, squat with no weight, sit for a minute with your arms resting between your legs, then use your elbows to push your knees slightly further outward, and sit further down, and stay there for a few seconds. You can repeat this until you can get down into the final stage in one movement. If you do this while focusing on the other aspects of proper squat form you should get the movement down.

 

[ExtraMile]

i dont curl my toes up at all and every so often I will do a rep and tilt forward slightly and go onto my toes, its practice. try some goblet squats to help sit back its in the squat help sticky.

Your calves could be a little tight or any of your lower body muscles actually, try doing some stretching.

curling toes up just sounds uncomfortable to me...

 

[ark94]

Based on your video, your feet are pointed too far outward. They should be 30 degrees from pointing straight forward at most. If you have not corrected this yet, it should help you (along with curing your toes and focusing your mind) drive from your heels. Also, make sure you are ramping up the weight - I do this every time I squat and it keeps my form pretty damn good (Do a light set while focusing strictly on form, then repeat while slowly adding more weight until you get to your desired set. ex: 80 lbs x 5, 90 lbs x 3, 100 lbs x 2, 110 lbs x 2, 120 lb 3 sets of 5)

Another way to get used to sitting back when you squat - a method of which I have seen tossed around this site countless times - is to:
before you begin squatting, squat with no weight, sit for a minute with your arms resting between your legs, then use your elbows to push your knees slightly further outward, and sit further down, and stay there for a few seconds. You can repeat this until you can get down into the final stage in one movement. If you do this while focusing on the other aspects of proper squat form you should get the movement down.

Thanks man, i am going to keep the same width, but point my toes a more forward then.
I do warmup sets on every lift =D I normally do 2x5 no weight, then what you said is how i go up basically.

I think the trouble is sitting back in the squat with me. Since it feels like i will almost fall backward, and feel off-balance i think i shouldn't be doing it. I will try it out on warmup sets again tomorrow, and i will def. try your stage type tip, with the elbows pushing the knees out and see how that goes.

I am going to go down to 95lb's, and just steadily increase from tomorrow on and see if i can get back into a good routine with my squats.

Going to trying out quite a few things with my squats tomorrow, any other tips for sitting back or generating power through the heels?

oh Em, curling up the toes is a bit uncomfortable, not that bad it helps a little bit its hard to do in chucks. And i normally do a lot of hip loosening, dynamic stretches and some groin ones. I am still adding together more dynamic stretches as i go along, to see what i really need to make it effective. I want to add some calve and back ones once i find them and see how my squats go then.

Thanks for all the tips so far everyone! Appreciate it

 

[RottenWillow]

Just spent an hour watching the squat help thread videos, on what i needed or thought i needed.

Basically I have picked up a few things. I may have to drop the weight down to 115, and get deeper squat depth? I am going below parallel, however the guy talks about how you want your hamstrings and calves touching. Now if you have bigger hamstrings and calves you, in theory, wouldn't have to go down as deep right? I should be going till i touch my calves with my hamstrings then?

Second thing i picked up on, and i believe EM said this. I should have the bar lower on my back, because its causing a bit of imbalance and my back rounding. I will try my warmup sets with a lower position on my back and see how it goes.

Last note and you guys have said it, is to have a smaller stance. I am way to wide. Now when i have a smaller stance i feel unbalanced, however that may be because I'm sitting more back in the squat then? I am not used to being on my heels, so maybe it being awkward is what how I am suppose to be then? Any suggestions on that little theory?

yes! There you go. Was my very first thought when watching your vid. That weight is just too heavy for you right now. Don't be afraid to go as light as need be to get strong. The relative lack of depth isn't so much an issue as the pauses you need in lockout right from the first rep b/c of the too heavy weight. You want the weight to be light enough to allow at least 6 or so continuous pre-lockout reps. You'll find you get a way better workout and in turn build strength and size faster.

You feel unbalanced because you haven't developed the strength yet to stabilize yourself. As you develop the strength in your abs, erectors and hips you won't feel like you're sorta jiggling around like that. Do you do any core strength building exercises?

also, watch that booty. I think you know you're "leading with your ass" on the eccentric phase.

 

[75th]

+ 1 to pretty much everything said in this thread.

Also, props to you for posting these. Reading through all your posts Ive concluded that as far as new members willing to learn, I dont think Ive come across someone as dedicated as you in...well, probably ever.

Have a plat membership, son. Hopefully the search function you could access now would help you a bit in your endeavors.

ETA I just tried to give you a plat but Im having some trouble. Lemme look into this for you.