The Natural Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 I'm in your boat right now Brent. That's about as low as i can go with my current shoulder flexibility. I am working on that with shoulder dislocations though, so hopefully I can get it a little lower over time. Not super low, like a power lifting squat, but like you said, even an inch would prolly help. Thanks guys! I like to do band dislocates with a red mini band before my squats. It gets them ready better than anything. Just understand that putting the bar as low as I put it can be bad for your shoulders. This is one of those cases of "Don't do as I do, do as I say do." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rico300zx Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Keep working on keeping your chin up, Mike. Your form is getting better, I'd like to see your form once you make this change. I've been saying the same, just concentrate Mike. Put a dot on the wall! Or a picture of jedd hittin that 2hp record! Face level and look at it when you go down that's all! Rex How do you do those band warm ups could you make me a quick vid next time you use them to warm up? And how many reps or sets do you do? I need a quicker warm up myself. Right now I just walk a mile on the treadmill and a real light set of 10. Rico Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Keep working on keeping your chin up, Mike. Your form is getting better, I'd like to see your form once you make this change. I've been saying the same, just concentrate Mike. Put a dot on the wall! Or a picture of jedd hittin that 2hp record! Face level and look at it when you go down that's all! Rex How do you do those band warm ups could you make me a quick vid next time you use them to warm up? And how many reps or sets do you do? I need a quicker warm up myself. Right now I just walk a mile on the treadmill and a real light set of 10. Rico Let me know if the video above is not clear. Brian does a good job explaining, I think. I just do a set of 15 to 20, until I feel a blood pump. It's a good exercise to do if the lifter has a lack of shoulder flexibility. There's a tendency to bend the elbow to compensate for lack of shoulder flexibility, and you don't want to do that. Ideally you want to be able to keep your arms straight and still make big circles. I also recommend them for increasing shoulder stability for the overhead press. You can do a set of dislocates, then use the same band and go right into some rear delt work. It's a great way to finish out a bench or overhead workout. It's not a replacement for the standard rotator cuff work, but it's a great supplement for working the little muscles of the shoulder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bullitt Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Thanks Rex. I've been using a broom stick for these but it's a bit too short and I have to bend my elbows a little, which defeats the purpose a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bullitt Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 Chris asked me to film my squats from the front so he could see if my knees were tracking directly over my toes. I need to work on my cardio. This was last set of squats. Weight wasn't very heavy but I was gassed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1M7lRYNKy8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 Man you looked tired - they just kept getting higher and higher hehe! But even as you tired you tracked well so that's good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bullitt Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 Man you looked tired - they just kept getting higher and higher hehe! But even as you tired you tracked well so that's good! Yea, I've got a chest cold and as out of shape as I am, these felt like a set of 20 with 225. I figured if I filmed the last set and was still keeping knees over toes, then I probably do it when fresh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcpower66 Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 Looked good Mike. Who cares about the weight at this point, you just need to keep getting some solid reps in until your hips, glutes, abs, back and quads all start singing from the same page. And it's not like you are using light weights, 205 is enough to get things working as you found out! Brent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bullitt Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 Looked good Mike. Who cares about the weight at this point, you just need to keep getting some solid reps in until your hips, glutes, abs, back and quads all start singing from the same page. And it's not like you are using light weights, 205 is enough to get things working as you found out! Brent. Oh yea! HAHA I think I'm going to wait until Tuesday to squat again. I should have my oly shoes by then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bullitt Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Squats went well tonight. The oly shoes are going to take some getting used to. Could definitely get much deeper with them on, but got pitched forward and off balance a couple times. Did 300 for 3 singles, but was too tentative and wasn't happy with my depth, so I backed off a little and worked on form. Got a nice deep squat with 275. Then 6 reps with 225 arse in the sod, and did a 20 rep set way deeper than I have ever done squats with 135. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcpower66 Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Good thinking. No need to pile the weight on until you are satisfied that your form and depth are solid. I gotta get another pair of oly shoes, my dress shoes are killing me! Laid off the 20 reps on Monday, did sets of 10 with 335, then front squats with 225. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bullitt Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Good thinking. No need to pile the weight on until you are satisfied that your form and depth are solid. I gotta get another pair of oly shoes, my dress shoes are killing me! Laid off the 20 reps on Monday, did sets of 10 with 335, then front squats with 225. These VS shoes are nice Brent. Very comfortable and seem solid. The price was right too: $76.50. http://www.vsathletics.com/product.php?xProd=1301&xSec=9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 I recommend Do-Wins as well. http://www.muscledriverusa.com/doolwesh.html I have that model and they are some of the best shoes I have ever owned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Chris asked me to film my squats from the front so he could see if my knees were tracking directly over my toes. I need to work on my cardio. This was last set of squats. Weight wasn't very heavy but I was gassed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1M7lRYNKy8 I didn't watch the whole thing, but the first five of these made me believe you've mastered the 'breaking with your hips before your knees' technique Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bullitt Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 (edited) Yea Rex, that took a while. Very unnatural for me. Had to retrain my old brain. Just keep remembering what my old football coach used to yell at us, "Get your butts back! Don't chit on your shoes! Rinderle, you're chitting on your shoes!" The biggest difference i noticed with the oly shoes for me (other than a slight balance problem getting used to the heel) was that I was able to get so much deeper than i was before. The issue then became the fact I had not trained in that range of motion and my hips and glutes weren't used to firing in that deep position. I'm going to need to work on my strength through that range of motion with some lighter weights before I try and do 315. I could definitely see me getting buried if i use too much weight before I'm ready. I know it's only a few inches lower, but man what a difference. I did have some guy come up to me after my set with 225 and say, "you really shouldn't go that deep when you squat. Try stopping just before you get to parallel and you will be able to lift a lot more. Plus, it's easier on the knees." I think the look I gave him as I sucked air must have shown my disdain, as he quickly turned and walked away without me having to say a word. Edited February 4, 2010 by Bullitt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickr104 Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 I recommend Do-Wins as well. http://www.muscledriverusa.com/doolwesh.html I have that model and they are some of the best shoes I have ever owned. I have looked at those Do-Wins. At the time they were a 100 and the VS shoes were 76 with no shipping so I went with the VS. I have seen them side by side and I think they are the same shoe the upper is just a little different. With the price you posted in that link I might of gone with the Do-Wins just because of the name and them being a known o lifting shoe. Thanks for posting it Rex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickr104 Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Yea Rex, that took a while. Very unnatural for me. Had to retrain my old brain. Just keep remembering what my old football coach used to yell at us, "Get your butts back! Don't chit on your shoes! Rinderle, you're chitting on your shoes!" The biggest difference i noticed with the oly shoes for me (other than a slight balance problem getting used to the heel) was that I was able to get so much deeper than i was before. The issue then became the fact I had not trained in that range of motion and my hips and glutes weren't used to firing in that deep position. I'm going to need to work on my strength through that range of motion with some lighter weights before I try and do 315. I could definitely see me getting buried if i use too much weight before I'm ready. I know it's only a few inches lower, but man what a difference. I did have some guy come up to me after my set with 225 and say, "you really shouldn't go that deep when you squat. Try stopping just before you get to parallel and you will be able to lift a lot more. Plus, it's easier on the knees." I think the look I gave him as I sucked air must have shown my disdain, as he quickly turned and walked away without me having to say a word. Yup i think Rex is right. That set looked much better! More natural and smooth. The heal lift of the O lifting shoes will allow you to get deeper because it lifts the heal and you stretch the hammy less. I don't need then for back squats but I almost always use them for front squats and overhead squats. Just a few inches lower dose make a big difference! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 I recommend Do-Wins as well. http://www.muscledriverusa.com/doolwesh.html I have that model and they are some of the best shoes I have ever owned. I have looked at those Do-Wins. At the time they were a 100 and the VS shoes were 76 with no shipping so I went with the VS. I have seen them side by side and I think they are the same shoe the upper is just a little different. With the price you posted in that link I might of gone with the Do-Wins just because of the name and them being a known o lifting shoe. Thanks for posting it Rex. Somewhere I read that the Do Wins have a little bit taller heel than Adidas or VS - I have only tried the Adidas so I can't say. That could be a plus if that works better for you (or a negative if it doesn't I guess). I ended up putting an arch support kind of thing in my Adidas for lift so I may try the Do Wins at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bullitt Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 More squats at the gym tonight. Was still a bit sore from Wednesday, but that got better as soon as I got warmed up. Going to try the orthotics next time to see what i think of a little more heel. Let me know what you think about depth on 285. If I got to parallel, that's a new PR. Didn't get to parallel Wednesday with 300, so this would be it. Also got 155X20 at the end of the workout. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNRSzEjy7d4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickr104 Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 You're falling forward a little Mike. It's letting you knees pop out past your feet. Really try and think about sitting back on your heels. Almost like you are trying to sit down between you legs. You can see that at some points your heels come off the ground a little so that tells me your weight is out on your toes and not your heels. You are looking much smoother and it also looks like your hips are getting a little more flexible. You're making progress for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcpower66 Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 285 looked parallel for sure Mike. Nice job on the 20 reps too. Good to see a bunch of reps in a row like that, it made it easy to see what goes for a poop as you get tired. You started rocking forward slightly at the bottom. You can see the weight shift towards your toes a bit and if you watch the bar path, you can see it travel forward a bit. Back is starting to round as you get tired too. Hard to tell from the vid, but do you have your feet angled out a bit? Pointing your toes out even a bit can really help with depth by opening your hips and allowing your trunk to drop down instead of binding and rounding your back. Little adjustments like that can make a big difference, play with that a bit when warming up with a light weight. Enough critique now. That is a gigantic improvement in technique and weight! Good determination, keep it up. Brent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bullitt Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 Thanks guys! I could definitely feel myself get forward a bit on the 285 and the last few reps of the 20 repper. Thought I had gotten rid of that, but it seemed to creep back in a bit with the oly shoes. Will do some box squats this weekend to work on getting back. Those usually seem to help cure that. Glad you think it was parallel on 285 Brent. That was the higher of the two singles at that weight, so I put it in there figuring if that got a white light the other was good for sure. Sweet, a new PR. I haven't been spreading my feet quite as wide with the oly shoes as I was before. I do angle my toes out a bit, but maybe I need to widen the stance back out a little. It does make it easier to get down in between my legs that way. Thanks again for the feedback guys. Still work to do, but I feel like I'm getting there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rico300zx Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 Ok I wanna chime in, don't beat me up though. I've been squatting for 20 years, never broke any records and never tried and only went to a couple comps in my life. My question is what's all the hub bub with the special shoes and depth? Mike, I have something id like you to try tonight at home, throw some light weight on the bar, like a quarter on each side or even just the bar itself and go down and wiggle your feet and butt and hips and put yourself into that position you want and move your parts around and see what's most comfortable once your down all the way. (Have the bar down far enough so you don't tip forward when you go heavy it will also help u not to arch your back down). Now Almost sit down inbetween your thighs and spread your knees as far as they will and go then bring em in a little, you'll know its when your whole gut fits in there and your inner thighs are touching the outside of your bottom ribs. Toes like 2 to 5 degrees outward. Look up a little and bounce there. And bounce till your sitting into your self and it feels right and strech it all out . Then bounce some more and more and more till your sittin way down into your self. The yoga move called "monkey" is a good example. Stand up and do it again and again and again and keep letting your hips and self adjust to a lower and lower and more natural feeling spot. Try this out bro and see if it might help you and show me that vid. If any of the other guys agree, back me up on this. Rico Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwdutton Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 Ok I wanna chime in, don't beat me up though. I've been squatting for 20 years, never broke any records and never tried and only went to a couple comps in my life. My question is what's all the hub bub with the special shoes and depth? Mike, I have something id like you to try tonight at home, throw some light weight on the bar, like a quarter on each side or even just the bar itself and go down and wiggle your feet and butt and hips and put yourself into that position you want and move your parts around and see what's most comfortable once your down all the way. (Have the bar down far enough so you don't tip forward when you go heavy it will also help u not to arch your back down). Now Almost sit down inbetween your thighs and spread your knees as far as they will and go then bring em in a little, you'll know its when your whole gut fits in there and your inner thighs are touching the outside of your bottom ribs. Toes like 2 to 5 degrees outward. Look up a little and bounce there. And bounce till your sitting into your self and it feels right and strech it all out . Then bounce some more and more and more till your sittin way down into your self. The yoga move called "monkey" is a good example. Stand up and do it again and again and again and keep letting your hips and self adjust to a lower and lower and more natural feeling spot. Try this out bro and see if it might help you and show me that vid. If any of the other guys agree, back me up on this. Rico Wiggle your left toe in, wiggle your butt out, wiggle your hips in.... and shake 'em all about! You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around.... That's what squatting is all about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcpower66 Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 Agreed Rico, I do that every night before bed. I also use my wife's big gay swiss ball to sit on while at the computer or watching the tube. I sit in a wide squat position with my back arched and stretch/bounce until it feels comfortable. I also use a tennis ball against the wall to massage my lower and upper back, hips and glutes. Foam roller for quads and IT band. Brent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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