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2004/01/12, 10:45 AM
Question how far is good enough to go down? When I do them if I go down to far it feels as if my calves are going to snap in half. My question is how far is to far? Should I be going down a good bit or just a little bit?
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2004/01/12, 11:25 AM
goldengloves, use your weightbench as a gage. If you sit on the bench and then stand back up, thats real close to the right height. There are several posts under powerlifting where Rev8ball and Gatormade discuss squats at length. Proper form is important to prevent injury.
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Living well is the best revenge.
Charlie
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2004/01/12, 11:46 AM
My problem using the weight bench is that it is very tempting just to sit down! But you're right it works great.
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2004/01/12, 11:49 AM
Box squats are similar. Sometimes it's hard to go beyond parallel if you are going too heavy. Most of the power you will need on the lift will come from your hams and quads. Try going lighter just to get the feel.
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**_Robert_**
Pain is temporary; glory is forever!
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2004/01/12, 11:49 AM
TY, charlie. And to make it a little easier for goldengloves (and anyone else who is interested), this is from a previous post of mine; I guess this could be considered a "bump":
First, the squat - let’s start at the top: the bar should be placed on your shoulders where comfortable. For many people, it’s that little groove that’s below your traps and above your scapula. You can even go lower, which will improve your leverage, but not so low that it forces you to bend forward. Try to keep your elbows as much under the bar as possible; the further out behind you that your elbows point, the more forward force is placed on your waist. Your head must be in an upright position; find a fixed spot on the wall directly in front of you, and never take your eyes off it during the entire lift. Keep your back straight/arched and tight, as well as your abs. Shoulder width for your foot spacing is a good place to start, but people have their own preferences. A wider stance allows you to bring more of your hips in to play, while a very narrow stance focuses on your quads (but at the same time, puts more stress on your lower back). As you start your descent, lower yourself as if you were sitting down in a chair; in other words, push the glutes back. By doing this, you will keep the knees from going forward, which, in turn, makes your shins leave their 90 degree position, which, of course, takes your whole body out of midline and screws up your center of gravity, also placing additional strain on your lower back. The bottom of the lift is when your upper legs become parallel to the ground. I don’t care what you’ve heard in any other fitness book from armchair “experts” – there is no need to go lower than this, unless you are training for an Olympic lift. After reaching the bottom, it’s now time for the push home. Don’t think so much about pushing with your feet as much as pushing the bar up (which is what we are trying to do). This will help keep your body straight and help prevent it from leaning. At the end, do not lock out your knees. Again, this will just knock your whole body’s form out of whack. A very important note: this lift is not accomplished by using just one muscle group, either. Remember the “full-body workout” remark? When done correctly, the squat will include (on the ascent, for example) the calves, hams, quads, glutes, lower and upper back. Even the arms are included: what do you think holds on to that bar for dear life? Think of that chain of muscle groups like an electrical circuit firing off in the correct order. This will help you get the most out of the exercise.
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Michael
Trample the weak; hurdle the dead!
Chaos, Panic, Disorder.... Yes, my work here is done!
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2004/01/12, 12:46 PM
Great explanation (again), thanks Michael. I hope EVERYONE gets to read this.
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~Victoria~
...Do not be discouraged; everyone who got where he is, started where he was.--anon
...There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.--Beverly Sills
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2004/01/12, 01:46 PM
Thanks
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2004/01/14, 01:36 PM
imagine driving ur heals through the floor, as well as he said find a spot to look at , i like to look up at the ceiling this helps in keeping ur back straight, if u can't tell if ur going parallel or not make ur head look up at the ceiling but angle ur eyes toward the mirror so u can watch ur self.....i find this eaiser because usually u wanna "look" where ur going. if u look foraward u might try and go that way lol so i stay looking up the whole time..........i like to go below parallel however i do this in a smith machine with my feet further out in front of me to compinsate and to keep pressure off my knee caps. i do 3 sets of 15 12 10 omnly as a warm up for actually squates nothing heavy i usualy only go up to 225. But do what feel comfortabel to u ........when u get really good u can try some front squats, zecualer squats, sumo squats......fun fun fun lol
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---andrew.......adversity causes some to break, but others to break records!
LEAVE YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR!!
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2004/01/14, 01:39 PM
Partials -- I would recommend these if you don't readily have a spotter behind you and you are going heavy. I also like to do these at the very end to eek out those last few heavy reps!
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**_Robert_**
Pain is temporary; glory is forever!
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2004/01/14, 04:38 PM
just reamember its not always insane weight that makes u bigger and stronger, i do squates by myself and i do just fine, i gotta almost 30in quad to shwo for it lol........just work with weight u know u can handle and focase on reps and form.......thats what i can do......and i got to where i could squate 315 for 15 reps parallel no spot
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---andrew.......adversity causes some to break, but others to break records!
LEAVE YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR!!
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2004/01/14, 06:00 PM
HEAD UP! ASS OUT! ELBOWS UNDERNEATH! DRIVE YOUR HEELS! 90 DEGREES! The rest is history.
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May the lift be with you.
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2004/01/14, 10:30 PM
Just did squats this morning and used Rev's posting to ensure my form was correct. My legs were shaking like crazy when I was done. It worked great!!
Thanks
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Mike
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