***Gym Exercise Guide, and Form Discussion/Feedback***

[Delvis]

I'd just do the mobility work with be personally, as mrthingyx says would it not cause you to learn a bad movement pattern? Squatting with the bar and squatting with 80kg are two different things.

What are you doing currently mobility wise out of interest? (List them) and have you taken a video of a bw squat for a before and after?

 

[TheCenturion]

That's a potential avenue, however you run the risk of embedding a duff movement pattern in your head, tat will need unpicking when the time comes to add the weight back on.

Do you ave any access to resistance bands?

But the movement feels identical to when I am lifting the 10kg bar. Maybe I should just try lifting the olympic bar again (thought last time I did that, it aggravated that hip injury a bit)?

I don't have access to any resistance bands, which sucks as a lot of mwod's exercises use them.

What about box squatting? If there's a box of appropriate height I could use that?

I'd just do the mobility work with be personally, as mrthingyx says would it not cause you to learn a bad movement pattern? Squatting with the bar and squatting with 80kg are two different things.

What are you doing currently mobility wise out of interest? (List them) and have you taken a video of a bw squat for a before and after?

Mobility work:

Ankles

This http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiNtT-sDeLg

And I tried this, but sticking my heel cord against a barbell is painful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=aLj_VkfQzJI#t=147s

Hips

Mwod hip opener http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBHzXF-mVjY
Not sure if I'm doing it right though, his videos are quite difficult for me to follow. According to that vid, I should feel it a lot in my abductors, but I feel it more in my adductors.

Also I do lateral lunges which icecold recommended which seem to work quite nicely.
Hamstrings

Just a good ole bend down and try to touch your toes. Is that a good hamstring stretch? I'm not actually sure.

Glutes

No mobility work yet for glutes, will work that in.

I don't have a specific before video, but I do have this video from a couple of weeks back

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrvuJWtUfj8

 

[mrthingyx]

But the movement feels identical to when I am lifting the 10kg bar. Maybe I should just try lifting the olympic bar again (thought last time I did that, it aggravated that hip injury a bit)? No, I reckon your hips just weren't used to moving.

I don't have access to any resistance bands, which sucks as a lot of mwod's exercises use them.

What about box squatting? If there's a box of appropriate height I could use that? again, yes in principle, but no in practice. Box squats are great for helping filters get their technique right and tuning their strength, but it won't really help beginners.

Mobility work:

Hips

Mwod hip opener http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBHzXF-mVjY
Not sure if I'm doing it right though, his videos are quite difficult for me to follow. According to that vid, I should feel it a lot in my abductors, but I feel it more in my adductors. good. This is probably why you have a 'hip injury': your glutes and accessory muscles (like piriformis) are probably very tight. To get your adductors lighting up, push your knee out a it more and repeat the stretch.

Also I do lateral lunges which icecold recommended which seem to work quite nicely.
Hamstrings

Just a good ole bend down and try to touch your toes. Is that a good hamstring stretch? I'm not actually sure. Great for stretching your back. Sngle leg groiners here. If you're determined to do a static stretch, sit on the floor with your leg straight in front, keep your back straight and get your knee to your nose. Keep your pelvis, lumbar and thoracic spine rigid by bracing your core and forcing your hips to move... To what you see in the gym which is all lumbar flexion and pointless.

Glutes

No mobility work yet for glutes, will work that in. Sit on a hockey ball and try not to scream.

I don't have a specific before video, but I do have this video from a couple of weeks back

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrvuJWtUfj8

 

[TheCenturion]

Cheers bud. I might start doing mobility work twice a day now, pre workout and post workout

Unfortunately, I don't have a hockey ball and neither does my gym.

 

[mrthingyx]

Cheers bud. I might start doing mobility work twice a day now, pre workout and post workout

Unfortunately, I don't have a hockey ball and neither does my gym.

Buy one. Don't get mashed/stoned for a week (me? Presumptious about students? ) and use that ill-gotten cash for a band and a ball.

Regarding mobility work, I'm sad enough to do it pretty much every morning in the gym (just because I know it annoys Steedie) and every evening at home. Maybe I enjoy the pain... which is probably more worrying.

Regarding squats with a pool cue or whatever, I would honestly just use a regular 20kg barbell for them: unless you've gone massively backwards since you started out at your gym before university, you should be able to shift a 20kg barbell without difficulty.

Sure, you may not hit depth and that's something you need to work on, but it will get your moving the bar in a manner more in keeping with the actual lift. Also, any benefits you reap from increased adductor and ankle movement, meaning you'll get lower, the movement will get better, etc.

Your back is straight enough at this point to protect it from the lean caused by your poor mobility, so do no be scared of the MAN barbell.

NB: Apologies for the crud spelling in the quoted post. Ipad autocorrect fail-age.

 

[Delvis]

Cheers bud. I might start doing mobility work twice a day now, pre workout and post workout

Unfortunately, I don't have a hockey ball and neither does my gym.

Pets at home / Jolleys solid rubber dog ball, works for me.

Otherwise go on and order a round hockey ball or something, you can get a pair of resistance bands off of MyProtein for not too much, as well as Pullum sports I think.

 

[icecold]

Needs more adductor stretching!

 

[Delvis]

Needs more adductor stretching!

Sorry what?

Don't do it, it hurts

 

[TheCenturion]

What other adductor stretches would you recommend? The MWOD ones just about all require a resistance band, which I don't have (but will order soon!). I've posted before about the abductor/adductor machine, is that useful at all?

 

[TheCenturion]

Currently doing mwod's pretty workout hip opener. I'm feeling the stretch but I'm also feeling slight pins and needles in my foot. Normal or not? I swear my body doesn't want me to lift, but I'm going to make it lift.

 

[Delvis]

You sound like me

 

[Deception]

What other adductor stretches would you recommend? The MWOD ones just about all require a resistance band, which I don't have (but will order soon!). I've posted before about the abductor/adductor machine, is that useful at all?

http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/06/episode-264-landing-mechanics-and-super-frog.html

 

[icecold]

What other adductor stretches would you recommend? The MWOD ones just about all require a resistance band, which I don't have (but will order soon!). I've posted before about the abductor/adductor machine, is that useful at all?

I've answered both of these questions quite recently

 

[TheCenturion]

Buy one. Don't get mashed/stoned for a week (me? Presumptious about students? ) and use that ill-gotten cash for a band and a ball.

I'm a good boy now. In recent times, I've spent all my time in the gym or in the library

Also just ordered a resistance band from MyProtein

You sound like me

Maybe I am you

http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/06/episode-264-landing-mechanics-and-super-frog.html

Cheers, this one looks good.

I've answered both of these questions quite recently

Yeah buddy I've looked through the videos in your guide to squatting post many times. Most require a resistance band which I've now ordered, woo




Also guys my left foot hurts from squatting yesterday. It's painful for me to rotate my foot sideways (ie: inversion) such that the side of my foot is on the floor and having pressure on it.

Vids from my squats will be up soon, I think I'm improving.

 

[TheCenturion]

Spent the first hour in the gym just doing mobility work and spotting my training partner. I can't really tell if my squat is improving.

Also I used the olympic bar for a set and managed to get some good depth on a couple of reps.

And some OHPs. Managed to hit myself in the face a couple of times with the bar

 

[mrthingyx]

To me, your squat stance is FAR too wide -it's like shoulder width + an extra foot!

You're also using your back in a couple of reps (shoulders moving independently of your hips: drive from the hips, don't try and "lift the bar" if that makes sense.

Can you take a video of you doing a goblet squat with 20kg, please? If you don't want to, then fine, but I'm just trying to see (pardon my bluntness) how bad your flexibility is or whether the bar is just muddling things up.

 

[TheCenturion]

To me, your squat stance is FAR too wide -it's like shoulder width + an extra foot!

You're also using your back in a couple of reps (shoulders moving independently of your hips: drive from the hips, don't try and "lift the bar" if that makes sense.

Can you take a video of you doing a goblet squat with 20kg, please? If you don't want to, then fine, but I'm just trying to see (pardon my bluntness) how bad your flexibility is or whether the bar is just muddling things up.

Yes the video from behind was wide, I noticed that too. But in the sideways sets, I was definitely narrower. Also I tried pointing my toes out less than before. My foot is hurting so I'll go to the gym tomorrow and goblet squat then. However I don't even know if I can goblet squat correctly. As long as I'm holding a dumbbell and squatting, that's correct?

 

[mrthingyx]

Yes the video from behind was wide, I noticed that too. But in the sideways sets, I was definitely narrower. Also I tried pointing my toes out less than before. My foot is hurting so I'll go to the gym tomorrow and goblet squat then. However I don't even know if I can goblet squat correctly. As long as I'm holding a dumbbell and squatting, that's correct?

Errr... sort of.

Feet just outside of shoulder width, core braced, shoulders back and dumbell up just under your chin.

Push your knees out WIDE as you sit down between your ankles. Keep your shoulders back and core tight as you do this; this should keep your torso almost vertical (or pretty close).

See how far you can go down (knees out WIDE!!! and shoulders BACK!!!). IF you can get to parallel, then great. If you can't, don't force it, and carry on with your mobility.

 

[Delvis]

Just get a quick vid at home and squat with your arms out or on your chest or something.

That last rep on the first vid is exactly what you don't want to be doing I would have thought, you kind of snap your butt back, look up and do something with your spine With load, that's going to hurt presumably.

 

[mrthingyx]

Just get a quick vid at home and squat with your arms out or on your chest or something.

That last rep on the first vid is exactly what you don't want to be doing I would have thought, you kind of snap your butt back, look up and do something with your spine With load, that's going to hurt presumably.

Good point.

Try it hugging a dining room chair.