Squat Check 235x3x5 or How I am a P*ssy

[JB1981]

Hi Rip

So my knees are actually feeling quite a bit better. Sticking with the program and squatting through the aches and pains has been the best thing for me. It is instructive to know what pains can be worked through and what pains can't. So far I have realized that most of my pains, both back pain and knee pain, can be worked through 99.9% of the time, and I feel the better for it.

I squatted tonight and missed my last rep for the first time. I got a shitty night sleep two nights in a row and I think I need to eat more. It's definitely not a "stall", just a lack of good recovery and eating. I probably should have attempted this last rep on set 3 but I haven't failed on a rep yet and I kind of pussied out, even with the safety pins underneath me. Anyway, could you take a look? Whath can I improve, any glaring flaws?

*I feel that, perhaps, I can let my knees come forward a bit more at top. Just sit into the squat a little more. I also tend to feel better when I'M THINKING BOUNCE ON THE WAY DOWN. I usually descend quicker thinking this way and the bounce comes easier. Case in point: set 2 is the best of the sets for this reason.

Set 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N__zWjx5vI --

Set 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_bjl-1i-Tg

Set 3 (missed last rep)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as6I921zUpc

[Mark Rippetoe]

These are absolutely textbook squats, without seeing your stance width, so if you missed the last rep on the last set it was not the fault of your technique.

[Steve Hill]

These are absolutely textbook squats, without seeing your stance width, so if you missed the last rep on the last set it was not the fault of your technique.

He looks real skinny. Needs some milk and triplebaconcheeseburger with a milkshake. Twice. Preferably with a rib-eye (which I know YOU don't prefer Rip, but hey, I'm the one making the observation).

[LudwigVan]

Well, I'm not a doctor, but my medical opinion is that you missed the last rep because you racked it after 4.

[JB1981]

Yea I guess missed is misleading. I just didnt attempt it. And I am definitely trying to gain some size. I'm 30, 5'11 and about 175 so yea I definitely have some weight to gain.

[BarbellSissy]

These are absolutely textbook squats, without seeing your stance width, so if you missed the last rep on the last set it was not the fault of your technique.

Just for clarification: So it is okay barbell moves forward on the way up and it is not over the middle of your foot when you come up?

[uncledmarky]

On the fourth rep of the second set the bar comes forward out of the hole. (It does so to a lesser degree on some of the other reps as well) This messed up your balance and made finishing the rep harder because it threw you up toward your toes. I think this sufficiently scared you into wussing out on the fifth rep. I believe you could've got it.

[Robert Callahan]

Dude, you didn't even attempt the last rep. In order to fail, you have to attempt the rep. What you did is racking the bar early cause you got intimidated?

Eat more, take a small reset maybe and start progressing again, you have a lot left in you

[JB1981]

Dude, you didn't even attempt the last rep. In order to fail, you have to attempt the rep. What you did is racking the bar early cause you got intimidated?

Eat more, take a small reset maybe and start progressing again, you have a lot left in you

Yea I am going to chalk it up to two nights of bad sleep. I did get intimidated. My lower back has been spasming pretty hard after a set too. Tomorrow is squat day again, hope I bury them.

[Rob Israel]

What you are doing is hard. It's understandable that you would not want to miss the last rep and just rack the bar instead. I have those thoughts all the time, but I have a coach pushing me so I have encouragement. You, on the other hand have a stupid mirror in front of you and some jerk-off pumping up his calf muscles two racks over. I might wuss out too if I were at that gym.

IMHO, I think you need to take a little more time between reps when they really start to grind and slow down like that. Take a few extra breaths at the top, get pumped and go down like there's no way you aren't coming back up. It's in your head. Get psyched fucking go for it. 99 out of 100 you will make the rep. That turns into a lot of 5th reps made instead of 5th reps not taken.

Yeah, sure you need to gain weight, but you totally had 5 reps in you, you just lost faith cause the 4th was such a grind. It's fucking hard, but if you took an extra breath or two you had it. When shit gets heavy it can take me almost two full minutes to complete a set 5. More sleep would have made it suck less, no doubt.