Reply With QuoteI think squating alone is much safer than benching. Like you said, if you know how to get out of you can. I train at home and know I can dump the weight if needed.
Dumping the squat without safeties
Ok so a quick question that I haven't really been able to find an answer to - I train alone (usually) and with no power rack, so I'm very careful about my squat max attempts. I tried dumping the bar by jumping forward and dropping it off my back with 60 and 100kg on it today and it felt pretty easy.
The question is, is there any reason not to do this? I've seen oly guys do it, but is there any risk of horrible injury that isn't immediately obvious? If it's a legit technique then it's going to make me a lot more confident pushing 1RM's.
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I think squating alone is much safer than benching. Like you said, if you know how to get out of you can. I train at home and know I can dump the weight if needed.
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If you have a platform (or Horse stall mat on concrete) and bumpers, I think it's safe for you. I hope you have a quality barbell that won't get bent, and that you can drop it relatively evenly.
Ask me about the time I had to have my training partner wedge plastic sawhorses under the ends of the bar with 320 on my back because I was stuck. AKA "The day I decided to buy a squat rack"
I got this one in case you were wondering: http://www.amazon.com/Power-Squat-De...rds=squat+rack
Now I'm having some brackets fabricated so I can fasten it to my platform.
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That's a pretty nice rack for the money. Should be pretty solid once mounted.
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The 1rm attempts wouldn't concern me...it's the 5th rep of a 5 rep max, when you're completely drained. I think the shoulders are probably most vulnerable in a messy low-bar dump. Kinda hard to extricate the arms in low-bar. High bar is much easier to dump.
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Its pretty risky on low bar squats I would say, but then again it depends how grindy your squats get. You you squat so heavy (based on your own intensity) that your face is bright red, your eyes bulging and on a knifes edge between making it and blacking out? Or are you calm and controlled, working within your limits focusing more on quality than moving a weight no matter what?
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Originally Posted by Jsutt
Basically, as long as you can dump it backwards, it's safe. But if you get stuck, like Mahogany mentioned, one of two things can happen. First, you get help, whether wedging something under the ends or just lifting it off you long enough to escape. Embarassing, but not going to kill you.
Second, and this is more likely if you come up on your toes, you may end up dumping it over your head. This is a bad idea, as the bar can hit your head and knock you out (or worse). If you want to see an example of this, see Lee Moran's opening attempt at 953 (first clip).
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I think dumping is a bad idea, the only escape from a squat should be pins on the bottom or the rack at the top. Learning to dump creates a bad defensive reflex.
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I disagree. Knowing that no matter what goes wrong you will be able to safely end a failed lift can give you the confidence you need to push through a grinder. It could be argued that dumping is less likely to create a bad habit than setting the bar on the pins. You should try it a couple of times with lighter weight so that you know you can do it safely (as you have done), then only use it as a last resort when you have misjudged your ability. Safeties are better, if you have space but limited money you could build a pair of boxes to use as safeties.
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Hopefully this is your bar and bumpers, dumping someone elses stuff is never friendly thing to do. I have a buddy who squats out of a halfrack without supports. He's dumped many times. He just jumps out from under it. It makes a hell of a lot of noise but his bar is fine and he has never been injured in the slightest from it.
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