recommended squat assistance exercises

[eric zwicky]

good morning mark,

i am 52 years old, and have been weight training for about two years, but until last february, i jumped around from program to program like a kid with ADD. now that i am following the 5/3/1 program, i am seeing some gains in the four big lifts. i think it's more the discipline and consistency that is helping me, since i have been following the program pretty strictly.

but i am still very weak compared to most of the other folks in the gyms i go to, especially in the squat. i am straining every nerve to squat 5x225 with decent form.

my main problem seems to be getting up out of the hole. when i reach maximum weights, i almost feel like i just can't get up at all.

would you recommend squatting from the bottom (from safety bars set at my paralell depth) to help work on this weak spot? or is there a different assistance exercise which would help me gain strength at the bottom of the lift?

i would appreciate any advice you can offer, given this brief description of my problem. i do not have a video camera, but this week i will see if anybody at the gym will be able to film my form, and i will then post it, but in the meantime, thanks very much in advance for your time and advice.

-eric zwicky

[Mark Rippetoe]

I have several ways to box or rack squat detailed in the book. But that may not actually be the way to fix a problem caused by a technical error.

[kziwarrior]

If I can put in my two cents. I had a real hard time passing through 225 and have run into the problem a few times since. Whenever I advance to far in my squats I have trouble coming up because of my back (think Mr. Rippetoe would call it bio-feedback, like when you miss a dead-lift because your grip isn't strong enough). My legs are strong enough to handle the weight but I can feel... discomfort in my back. I had a back injury years ago from which my back has never recovered (still have two bulging disks). Oddly enough it doesn't happen on my Deadlift but only on my squats. My DL has always progressed linearly unlike my squats which will stall regularly until my back can catch up.

When I hit such a point I add good-mornings and some reverse-hypers to my routine for a bit. Sure enough after a bit I can do the weight just fine. Since my weights are higher now I do them more often and should probably add them to my routine. Don't know why but the DLs just don't seem to hit my lower-back enough for it to keep up. Just a thought. Hope it helps.