5x5 Questions.....

[ignatzami]

Gotcha,

Ok. When I "air-squat" that is with no weight I come down smoothly, heels on the floor, chest up, facing forward, spine in a neutral position. All is well.

However when I add weight, I will try and get video this Thursday, my form deteriorates. I lean forward more and I feel more pressure in my lower back. It feels as though in order to get the last few degrees to parallel I actually lean forward and "drop" my butt. It's really difficult to explain.

Now, as for my squatting position. I stand with feet shoulder width apart toes slightly pointed out the bar rests on top of my traps, I squeeze my shoulder blades together as I squat. Arms are tight and my grip is fairly close to help me keep my back tight. I come down smoothly till I reach parallel, then return to standing trying to focus on not bouncing or leaning forward though the latter occasionally occours in my later reps.

Hope this is a little closer to what you needed.

[honesty]

Do your knees come forward when you squat with the weight? I found I was bending like that in my back, because I was not sticking my arse out, and which was making my knees go forward and my lower back round when I got lower. Make sure you stick your backside out like your going to sit down on a chair. The squat stretch will definitely help as well.

When I squeeze my shoulder blades together, I get a kind of shelf on my back behind my traps which I put the bar on. I could be calling the muscles wrong, here, but the sticky up bit that goes from my neck to my shoulder behind them!

[TheRuss]

Please explain what problems you encounter while attempting low bar squats.

[Emevas]

What kind of shoes do you wear when you squat?

[Sakmongkol]

The bar rests on the posterior deltoids just below the scapula, push up into the bony ridge to find this spot. Move the elbows in nice and tight and push them back. Do shoulder dislocates and more squatting to improve flexilbility.

Drive your knees along the path of your feet to the fore foot to start off the squat whilsts driving the glutes and hips back. Do not let the knees move forward for the bottom portion of the squat, instead push them out. Keep a nice hard arch in the back and really duck the arse out. If you are keeping a neutral spine posistion and looking at the floor about 6 feet in front of you, this with the improved pelvic posistion will result in a nice tight posterior chain allowing you to use hip drive to bounce out of the bottom portion of the squat.

There will always be a small amount of butt wink at the bottom of the squat. Stretch the hamstrings, hip flexors, IT bands and glutes thorughly, after and between workouts, to decrease this.

I would reccomend buying starting strength if you haven't already.

[Sakmongkol]

What kind of shoes do you wear when you squat?

Good point, a little heel helps big time. Rip has a good sticky on footwear on his QnA forum on strengthmills.

He can also check out your form.

[Teh El Macho]

The flatter/less footwear, the better.

[Sakmongkol]

The flatter/less footwear, the better.

For a deadlift, yes. For a squat, no. More heel allows the knee to travel further making it easier on the flexibility.

It can help with cleans and such as well as long as the heel isn't so large (ala Do wins) that it detracts from the vertical path of the bar.

[Emevas]

That would be with olympic style squats, but the low bar powerlifting style squat that he's performing would necessitate a flat soled shoe like Chucks or Wrestling shoes.

[Sakmongkol]

That would be with olympic style squats, but the low bar powerlifting style squat that he's performing would necessitate a flat soled shoe like Chucks or Wrestling shoes.

I'm not suggesting a powerlifting or olympic squat.

I'm talking about a ATG low bar athletic squat.