squats and another question

K

Karky

2
when doing the squats, ive read that you only want to lower your body until your tigs are parralell to the floor, but this dude at the gym told me to do it all the way down, so my bottom is almost touching the floor.
so, how should i do it? and what is the difference if there is any?

when i take it all the way down i put some stuff under my heels so they will have floor contact since im not able to keep them down otherwise


another question, totally unrelated, but i feel im making too many new posts:p
some people i see when they work out they do like 3-6 reps, but when they are done with, lets say their push exersices (bench, inchline bench etc) they pick up some really light weights and do the exersice with ALOT of reps, until they cant do anymore, just one set of that, then they go home.
what is it? what is it good for?
 
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well when i do my squats i go to about three or 4 inches from the floor, that is on a front squat. i think that as long as your form is good you should have no problem, why your feet are not staying flat i don't know. are you sure you form is solid?? your feet should stay flat otherwise i think you are comprimising your form and stability.
 
feet are not staying flat because im not very soft or what its called :S the muscle at the back of the leg gets stretched more than i can handle if i go all the way down.

front squat? there are different squats? what are the difference between them?
 
hmm i do a front squat where i hold the bar in front of my chest bc i don't have racks or a spotter, so i clean it up and squat. i would suggest you start stretch (not b4 youlift though) to loosen the muscles otherwise for now go only as far down as you can while maintaining good form. try to increase your range slowly. you need to keep your feet on the floor. try doing the front squat to see if you can get lower with those although you may need to drop alittle weight at first..
 
I had the same question recently and was told by a few reliable sources to only go as low as you can without your tailbone tucking under.
 
this is exactly what i'm saying.. if you lose your form then you are too low . correct form i your first priority. strething on days that you don't hit those muscles should help you to get lower. just keep at it thats all. good luck to you..i think that the front squat also helps to force your feet down a little more in oder to maintain the correctr position..:)
 
i keep the bar in front of me when i do it.
so, stretch on days i DONT use that muscle? i thought you should stretch after you have used the muscle? :S
and anyways, i can just put something under my heels when i do it, atleast i was told so by a dude who works out alot.

and "tailbone tucking under" dident quite get that? you mean that you should always have your butt pointing out when you do it?
 
and anyways, i can just put something under my heels when i do it, atleast i was told so by a dude who works out alot.
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Do NOT do that! all you are doing is compensating for your weaknesses, so you're going to make your weak muscles weaker...

When you squat you should be able to keep your back at it's 'natural' curve, if you're back rounds out, you're not doing it properly... You need to have your feet straight ahead or slightly turned out keep your weight in your heels... Judging by how you said you have to put something under your heels, I bet your have your feet turned otu too much and you press more with the balls of your feet...

they pick up some really light weights and do the exersice with ALOT of reps, until they cant do anymore, just one set of that, then they go home.
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All they are doing is making sure that their muscles to go fatigue. and 3-6 reps is for more 'explosive' style of lifting... BUT the big question is... What are you trying to achieve Karky? because what this "one dude" (who sounds like he doesn't know anything) is telling you is what HE does... you need to figure otu what YOU need...
 
the more i point my toes inward the harder it gets. if they point straight forward i cant do it without rising my heel, the more outwards i point them the further down i can get.
and im not sure if you understand what im trying to explain, its kind of hard to explain.
its not a muscle being weak thats the problem, its that its not soft enough. like you know some people can stand with their legs streight and knees not bendt or anything and bend down and touch the ground.. well i cant do that:p because im not soft enough.
 
Right now your muscles are out of balance... You need to start squating with your feet straight/slightly turned out... because I also bet that you walk with your feet turned out as well... You need to stretch the muscles that are not allowing you to squat down when your feet are straight...
 
yeah your right, i do walk that way, many people do:p so i should just stretch them?
jenn told me to stretch on days i dont work out that muscle, why is that? i thought u were suppose to stretch a muscle after you have worked it :S

and if i have understood this right, its the muscle at the back of the leg, from the heel and up to the back of the knee? dunno what its called :S
 
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Well, that's where the whole "stretch" before or after still to this day is still being debated... what's happening with YOU, is that there's a couple muscles tight that are not allowing you to move properly, so what you want to do is stretch those muscles before AND after... stretching them before is giong to help them 'back off a little bit' to allow you to move 'more properly' and then after will teach them to stay relaxed...

Stretching before will allow the opposing weaker muscles to workout and then they'll get strong, your body will be more in balance, you'll be able to squat easier with your feet straight ahead, and then you won't have to stretch that much anymore...

Muscles you might want to stretch... Piriformis, Biceps Femoris, IT Band, Quad/Hip Flexor... Can do something simple as 2 sets of 20 second static holds...

p.s. Walking with your feet out is abnormal :p
 
not abnormal, ive been aware of this along time and its quite alot of people who have it:p
though when i bend down like doing squats its insane, my heels fly up almost instantly :S if i push my back forward its better, but if doing squats, i think the barbell will come to much ahead of me if i do that and ill loose my balance
 
That's where you need to make sure that you have proper curvature of the spine, keep the weight through your heels, and your knees DO NOT go past your toes at any point... Also, keep your chest up rather looking down at your feet, that's what mirrors are good for...
 
okay, so not looking at feet. the back, should i bend it backwards? like flexing the muscles so it getts a little curve backwards?
 
You'll want posture roughtly like this...

Chest up, Knees over/no past your toes, nice curve in back, weight in heels
 
listen to dex hes got it. you need to kept proper form. and i agree no putting stuff under your feet. you need to progress and that will just hinder you bc like dex said you are not stregthening the muscles that are weak. you may want to try 1 legged squats with db too to strengthen your legs a bit. keep your toes forward you don't want to sdrew up your knees. and keep the natural curve in your spine try to focus on something in front of you so that your body will have the natural tendency to stay aligned.. good luck with the squats, they are one of my fav exercises.. :)keep us updated on yout progress..
 
don't let your knees go beyound your toes... look at the pic there are over top of the toes but not futher than that.
 
beyond? i just dont get if you mean back forth or to narrow or too wide. like what direction compared to the toes?
 
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