How do you squat?

[bowbow]

I've been doing ass to calves for a while now, I tried a set the other day of parallels and it hurt my knees like a mother trying to stop the weight there. \They don't hurt at all going all the way down.

[go Yankees]

I sometimes mix in narrow squats -- feet just about shoulder width, or narrower -- which hits my outer quads, and wide squats, which I feel in my inner thighs more

[Control]

Ass to the grass or don't bother. I had a client that was stuck at 495, had been for years and was having knee problems. I had him start squatting deeper (he claimed he couldn't) and at first he'd literally fall over backwards. I got him to increase his flexiblility and start using baby weights (he was 320 doing squats with 65 lbs) till he got it right. Now his knee problems are gone and he's squatting over 800 lbs the last I heard.

[Russell]

What muscles are trained by doing squats?

[Pumpdogg]

Originally Posted by Russell

What muscles are trained by doing squats?

Another Fucking troll... that is all we need

[DiamondCutCows]

Please note sig. lol :nerdnew:

[jut]

I tried ass to grass squats Thursday and my knees still hurt. Looks like i'll be sticking with parallel.

[Scoops]

sorry to hear you won't be benefiting from increased joint strength later in life..

[Control]

Originally Posted by jut

I tried ass to grass squats Thursday and my knees still hurt. Looks like i'll be sticking with parallel.

I bet you were bouncing out of the bottom.....

[jut]

Probably...I'll give it another shot this week with someone watching my form. I could definitely feel it in the quads more, but I just don't want to mess with my knees.

[Control]

Originally Posted by jut

Probably...I'll give it another shot this week with someone watching my form. I could definitely feel it in the quads more, but I just don't want to mess with my knees.

Try to pause for a split second at the bottom. If that doesn't help you could try wrapping your knees.

[mindstar]

my mobility in my left knee is still crap after last year's acl surgery...I can't even squat atg with no weight as it hurts too much. I am definitely going to start them once my mobility returns though.

[slayer of souls]

Originally Posted by jut

Probably...I'll give it another shot this week with someone watching my form. I could definitely feel it in the quads more, but I just don't want to mess with my knees.

Thats a myth, please read this great post by Mr. 0311.

http://www.bodybuilding.net/training...at-2366-2.html

[jut]

Yeah it was my form that sucked. I threw 135 on and slowed waaaay down. I'm sold.

[NYCmitch25]

A2G.

Jut make sure not to let your knees go beyond your toes while doing a squat.

[CrazyShane]

ass to the ground, its the only way i know how and I am 6-1

[SpeedyReedy5]

I go parallel because its less stress on the knees...going hams to calves F**k's with your knees in the long run you might start to get arthritis

[NYCmitch25]

Originally Posted by SpeedyReedy5

I go parallel because its less stress on the knees...going hams to calves F**k's with your knees in the long run you might start to get arthritis

its a myth... its been disproved

[Mr incredible]

Originally Posted by DiamondCutCows

Please note sig. lol :nerdnew:

Ref your sig

Not to be annoying and to be honest, when I squat I'm not sure where I stop, I probably go below parrallel and I tend to find pointing my toes and knees outwards like 30 degrees comfortable, but I certainly make the concious effort to slow down towards the bottom.

This brings me to my question, if you don't use your knees/quads as brakes then what slows you down? or do you just wait for something to go crack in your knees at the bottom before you think about coming up?

[jwoody]

Originally Posted by Mr incredible

This brings me to my question, if you don't use your knees/quads as brakes then what slows you down? or do you just wait for something to go crack in your knees at the bottom before you think about coming up?

Well for me, by going all the way down I stop when my calves touch my hams basically, so that is the stopping point, then no where else to go but up.

[Control]

Originally Posted by Mr incredible

Ref your sig

Not to be annoying and to be honest, when I squat I'm not sure where I stop, I probably go below parrallel and I tend to find pointing my toes and knees outwards like 30 degrees comfortable, but I certainly make the concious effort to slow down towards the bottom.

This brings me to my question, if you don't use your knees/quads as brakes then what slows you down? or do you just wait for something to go crack in your knees at the bottom before you think about coming up?

Have you ever heard the saying "sit in your hips"? That's basically what you're trying to do. For anybody who's learning to squat (or learning to squat deep) the best way to start off is box-squating. I'll find a link....

[Control]

By Louie Simmons:

Now, how do you do a box squat? They are performed just like regular squats. Fill your abdomen with air, and push out against your belt. Push your knees out as far as possible to the sides and with a tightly arched back, squat back, not down, until you completely sit on the box. Every muscle is kept tight while on the box with the exception of the hip flexors. By releasing and then contracting the hip flexors and arching the upper back, you will jump off the box, building tremendous starting strength. Remember to sit back and down, not straight down. Your hamstrings will be strengthened to a high degree, which is essential. Many don't know this, but the hamstrings are hip extensors. Some great squatters have large quads and some do not, but they all have large hamstrings where they tie into the glutes. Remember to sit on the box completely and flex off.

[Control]

Originally Posted by Control

By Louie Simmons:

Now, how do you do a box squat? They are performed just like regular squats. Fill your abdomen with air, and push out against your belt. Push your knees out as far as possible to the sides and with a tightly arched back, squat back, not down, until you completely sit on the box. Every muscle is kept tight while on the box with the exception of the hip flexors. By releasing and then contracting the hip flexors and arching the upper back, you will jump off the box, building tremendous starting strength. Remember to sit back and down, not straight down. Your hamstrings will be strengthened to a high degree, which is essential. Many don't know this, but the hamstrings are hip extensors. Some great squatters have large quads and some do not, but they all have large hamstrings where they tie into the glutes. Remember to sit on the box completely and flex off.

"Why does this box style of squatting teach one to squat properly. Because after squatting back so far and releasing the hip and lower oblique muscles, you must first raise the head to raise out of a deep squat. If while descending into a squat, the glutes go back first, then the head must move last. Right? The opposite of this eccentric phase is an concentric contraction, or raising. It only stands to reason that the head must raise first, and the glutes will follow.
We see many lifters get bowed over coming up from a squat because they push with their feet first instead of their head. We are trying to raise the bar, so why not push against the bar first?"

[Control]

If you scroll down there's a video of a box squat under "squat assists"

http://www.joeskopec.com/assist.html

[Mr incredible]

Thanks control thats helpful. I'll try put that into practice. The one thing I do know is to keep the head up, one you drop your head its game over

[Control]

Originally Posted by Mr incredible

Thanks control thats helpful. I'll try put that into practice. The one thing I do know is to keep the head up, one you drop your head its game over

Yes, and eyes forward. Looking side-to-side will throw you off.