Bodybuilders:Squat Technique

[littlemack]

Just wanted to get your guys opinions on our favorite exercise...The Squat.
Here's some observations I've made recently in the gym with my own technique.
I'm 6'0" and for me going parallel is a LONG way down. I had someone watch me to see when I was going parallel b/c I was having a hard time seeing this. I do my squats in a power rack and have two gyms I belong to and both gyms have identical holes in the power rack. I'm at 9 holes from the bottom for parallel and 8 holes gets me below parallel.
A couple of things I have been doing wrong is:
1.Looking straight in the mirror as I squat instead of the ceiling
2.Not going to parallel(even though I thought I was)
3.Not positioning the bar far enough back, having too wide a grip, and not coiling under the bar.
4.Leaning forward too much while squating.

Even though I was putting stress on my quads b/c I was leaning forward, I kept getting a pain right behind my knee caps. Once I corrected my posture, and got my body upright, with my head up, and the bar further back then my knee pain went away. I could also feel my hamstrings being activated.

What's frustrating, is to watch some of the little guys get under a bar and go at it. I saw some little kid who looked like he was 13 with absolutely NO muscle tone who was 5'5" on a good day get under 225 and go through 10 reps without breaking a sweat. hahaha. Shit. That little kid's 1 plate away from where I am and I've got 10-15 years on that little punk. ahahahaha...

Comments?
Stories?

 

[Gunsmith]

First off I've trained in martial arts for most of my life keeping me limber and doing alot of deep knee bends so thats where I feel comfortable.

I squat all the way down till my hams bottom out on my calfs , its phyiscaly impossible to go any lower. I feel comfortable this way and have squated this way for 17yrs with no knee pain related to this , football and car wrecks yes but recovery is always quick for me.
In general I guess I would say I go semi-heavy typical squat workout looks like this
single leg extensions , 2 sets for 20 reps nice and slow
single leg ham curls , 2 set for 20 reps nice and slow
about 5 min or so streching
135 , ten reps slow
225 , ten reps slow
315 , 12-15 reps no more than 3 sec pause between reps
405 , 8-10 reps no more than 3 sec pause between reps
Single leg extensions as much weight as I can do for 12 reps , 30 sec pause rep till failure , 30 sec pause rep till failure. pause time starts after the second leg is done.
two min break
single leg ham curls same workout as the extensions

I train legs every other week and this workout falls everyother workout so thats once a month , the workouts between are light front squats and a ton of extensions and curls. No squat suit , No knee wraps and no pad on the bar!

I don't look at anybodys weight when I see sombody squat , I watch their form , I'm much more impressed with great form and very little weight than alot of weight with shitty form a squat suit and knee wraps.

 

[marbalizer99]

great post idea littlemak...I've often wondered how "well" I squated and will remember some of the pointers next time I do legs.
1. I look forward, not at the ceiling
2. I also have adopted a wide grip recently
3. I think I put the bar far enough back

**Someone should pull up that post with Phil and that other guy squating, I used that before to try and get an idea of the right technique (you get to see 2 guys go through 2 sets each if I remember correctly).

I'm afraid to do "deads" for the same reason. I've never had anyone show the me the correct technique so I only ever do them light incase my technique isn't spot on.

 

[Fa Seeshus]

i do front squats on light leg day too. they force you to stay in perfect alignment. with them I don't take the set anywhere failure, i just do them strict,deep and alot of them.

 

[JETHRO TULL]

GOOD POST.

I THINK THERE SHOULDN'T BE MIRRORS IN FRONT OF THE SQUAT RACK...YOUR EYES SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON A SPOT HIGHER THAN EYE LEVEL...LOOK UP. YOU CAN'T DO THAT IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT HOW PRETTY YOU ARE. MOST PEOPLE WATCH THEMSELVES AND END UP LEANING TOO FAR FORWARD AS THEY DESCEND.

STANCE? COMFORTABLE FOR YOUR STRUCTURE....NOT TOO WIDE OR TOO NARROW. MESS AROUND WITH IT....I HAVE LOG LEGS AND A SHORT TORSO...I FEEL THE LEAST AWKWARD WITH FEET AT SHOULDER WIDTH....

I'D RATHER SEE SOMEONE USE GOOD FORM AND NOT WORRY ABOUT HOW MUCH THEY SQUAT....TRY TO CONVINCE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THIS.......

 

[littlemack]

Part of the problem, for me, was that I was trying to watch myself in the mirror as I squatted and so it was throwing off my posture and form. I've moved my grip in just outside of shoulder width. I never really had the bar sitting on my neck, which was good, it was sitting on my traps, but I found if I moved it just a little further back that it helped me more.
I ended up having a couple of powerlifters watch me to make sure I was doing this all right and that I was going low enough. Nothing really bad about my old form, but it just needed a little tweaking.
I thought I would start this thread, b/c we haven't really talked about technique in a while.

 

[edge250]

put a towel over the mirror, best thing i ever did. mirrors didnt really effect my form (i'm short) but i would look at myself, my eyes bugg'in out, face all red, veins popp'in in the neck and think god this is heavy and once you think it you feel it, lol

 

[JETHRO TULL]

Plus, somehow I end up spitting on the mirror anyway.

put a towel over the mirror, best thing i ever did. mirrors didnt really effect my form (i'm short) but i would look at myself, my eyes bugg'in out, face all red, veins popp'in in the neck and think god this is heavy and once you think it you feel it, lol

It gets sprayed..then I am thinking about that..etc. lol....You're right...

 

[cchrisjj]

405 , 8-10 reps no more than 3 sec pause between reps......


C'mon dude.....all the way down where your hams touch your claves? If you can do it I have mad props to you. I powerlift with guys that are nationally ranked in multiple federations and they cant go that low with 405 for 8-10.....And thats for 200+ guys....


mad props too you!!

 

[tattoojr]

The best thing that happened when I switched gyms is the owner is a wolrd record holding powerlifter and he showed me how to do squats and deads correctly so I wouldn't get hurt. The other chain gym the people had nice uniforms and could sell supps, but never in 4 years there did they ever tell me I was doing anything wrong. J.R.

 

[Kaiser]

Yes

I THINK THERE SHOULDN'T BE MIRRORS IN FRONT OF THE SQUAT RACK...YOUR EYES SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON A SPOT HIGHER THAN EYE LEVEL...LOOK UP. YOU CAN'T DO THAT IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT HOW PRETTY YOU ARE. MOST PEOPLE WATCH THEMSELVES AND END UP LEANING TOO FAR FORWARD AS THEY DESCEND.

Very true.

 

[Fears]

Good thread Littlemack. I am 6'4" and also have a long way to go to get parallel. I think my form is OK but now I think it may not be. I have bad knees from motorcycle accidents but still squat when I can.

I think I'm gonna also have one of the powerlifters watch me and look for too much forward lean, depth, etc.

I have a good bench and deadlift but squats have always been a problem for me. I do believe tall guys don't make good squatters.

 

[Gunsmith]

Like I mentioned before I personaly feel that your way better off doing a good clean deep squat with lighter weight than doing heavier weights with shitty form.

I know that 405 for 8 reps with your ass in the dirt is hard to believe and I have actualy argued with a few power lifters about it and they drove a couple hrs on a bet that it can be done , they ended up treating to lunch !! From what I have seen alot of power lifters don't give body builders the respect in the weight room , I have strait punked a few out in a bench press contest , no shirt AT ALL , no gloves or wraps and you feet have to be suspended.
I'm no little guy by any means at 6'3" 300 pounds give or take 5 each day , and I have trained in deep knee movements my whole weight lifting life , trying to stop short actualy screws up my form and causes pain post workout. What realy screws me up is front squats and lunges , not sure why but my weights on those movements has to be realy light.

 

[SVFootball]

i have to admit...i was one of those hs football players with crap form. my coach always stressed parallel, but no one ever did it.

thankfully ive quit football

now i do squats until my hams bottom out on my calves, which i LOVE.

ive had to swallow my pride and lower my weight significantly, but my legs are growing larger and faster and are becoming more defined (plus better flexibility)

i had knee problems when i had bad form, but now that i go deep and really worked on it, they're fine

i really recommend doing deep squats