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By the way,
I feel accessory exercises like roman chair hyper extensions may help me with the ability to contract low back into a tight strong arch.
But I do not have access to a roman chair or any kind of bench which would hold my feet in place.
If anyone can think of some useful accessory exercises that do not require special equipment feel free to share!
I think good mornings have too much hamstring emphasis though as I am squatting very frequently and already struggling to recover sufficiently.
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The block of wood exercise shown in SS helped ingrain the knees-forward-early technique for me. I did it at home with bodyweight squats. I thought I had the knee position right until I actually tried this exercise. Very useful. If you don't have a block of wood handy then use a door that is slightly ajar instead of the block of wood.
Last edited by Mike O.; 12-26-2009 at 01:03 AM.
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The bar looks awfully high in the last video. Are you doing a high bar squat or low bar squat?
I think you should lower the bar and see if it makes a difference.
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All due respect to Cressey/Robertson, first off. However, I'm gonna say something I said a while ago in relation to another technique that has the potential to be injurious.Originally Posted by Dastardly
Let's assume that the cute little pelvic "tuck" at the top of the squat does improve your squat ability somehow (I'm not convinced that it does). One way that I could imagine that it might is rather like the case of follow-through on a golfer's swing. Same as a karate punch, where we're taught not to aim for the surface target but a target through the body and out the other side: it ensures that you don't "switch off the juice" too early and maximum power is generated and force imparted to the target. I could see the idea being here that if you "follow through" with your hips, then this ensures that you do not cut shy the glute contribution.
Okay, fine. Some powerlifters utilize a toes forward squat stance when standing with their feet wide (femurs externally rotated). This allows them to wind the ligaments about the knee tight, and aids in their "bounce" out of the hole. And it works, a lot of powerlifters use it and will attest to the efficacy of it. But you have to weigh the potential harm of said technique against any benefit it might provide. Competitive powerlifters a priori accept that they will get harmed at some point by what they do, and keep going. In a sport where the goal is to lift the most weight, you're not especially concerned with the long-term consequences of your in-competition practices. You and I are not them. We want to get generally strong in the safest, most mechanicaly sound way possible (at least I believe we should).
Now back to the pelvic "tuck." That little tuck puts the lower-most lumbars in flexion. When the spine is in flexion, the intervertabral discs are being squeezed from the anterior side. This is one way that discs get herniated. Not only are you doing this, you're now doing it with a tremendous load on your back, further increasing compressive forces. I hope you can see why this might be a bad idea.
Might the pelvic tuck accomplish something that no pelvic tuck will? Maybe, I don't know, I don't use it. Is it worth the potential injury? Okay, you decide.
May I suggest that there is a better way to ensure you get the weight up with proper veracity and follow-through? Something I do, and teach others to do, is to ascend from the bottom as if you're trying to "rattle" the weights at the top. Some of us use iron plates, so you can literally make them rattle. Everyone else will just have to imagine that they're rattling the weights (you can do this with your bench and press). All this without putting your back in an unsafe position.
-Stacey
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Christ Almighty why in hell are you doing ten reps during your warm-up sets?
Member
I have always tried to focus on a strong glute contraction to make finish the lift. If I focus on this ive found it makes a strong lockout at hips and knees.
When focusing on making the weight rattle I can imagine it being rather leg dominant and the super fast quad orientated lockout being rather harsh on the knees.
I kind of made it a mainstay of my form after seeing this video of Mark coaching someones squat. The trainee pushes forward their hips much more than I do.
It looks very exaggerated on my empty bar squat anyway, when weighted it is of course not possible to stand all the way vertical. I do stay concious of not rounding at the lumbar spine. The contracted glutes rather makes a strong position similar to contracting glutes during an overhead press. It is even sometimes sufficient to make the weight rattle as you suggest.
Last edited by Dastardly; 12-27-2009 at 01:09 PM.
Member
Now, explain exactly how that would make the movement a "quad-orientated lockout?
You cannot "hip tuck" like that without, at the very least, flexing at the level of the L5, S1 vertabrae. Look at the videos yourself and imagine this.
Rip has spoken very strongly against that sort of hip tuck. And although I don't have my copy next to me, I'm sure he does so in Starting Strength--if not, you'll find it mentioned somwhere on this board if you use the search function. Just because you see him letting someone get away with this in a video, does not mean it wasn't addressed later. When you're coaching someone, it is difficult and inadvisable to address every little form problem at once.
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Sorry,
I forgot to add the video with the example;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OoVQPmfZ4o
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Its just the what I 'imagine' would occur if I focused strongly on getting the bar to rattle. I can imagine a super harsh lockout at the knee. But I dont know if this is true as I havent tried it with that specific focus.
Ive taken your criticisms on board and will be extra careful not to overdo the hip lockout. Its just that the way I always understood it was that if you contract glutes hard it makes your spine very stable. It is often a cue given to people overhead pressing to stop their lower back bending.
I dont want this little detail to distract from the main issue however. What I feel about the lack of obvious hip drive with clearly pivoting hips that I see other lifters do. I simply cannot get my low back into that kind of super tight arch with hips tilted upwards and feel it may be preventing me from getting hip drive.
So any advice on the main issue would be appreciated.
I havent squatted since making the post due to christmas closure of gym. But I did buy some lifting shoes which Ive been waiting to do for months. hopefully they will help me get a better position in the hole.
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Ive been stuck on similar working weight for a while so have experimented with warm-up numbers.
My Current working weight is 90kg, I want to get it to 5 reps but can still only manage 3.
I have found 15 reps on empty bar, then 10 on 60kg to be a good fast warmup before going to 90kg.
What would you suggest as a warm up?
Im about to deload again anyhow because ive failed to hit 5reps of 90kg. And am also going to start using lifting shoes.
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