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

[Delvis]

To my untrained eye, I would suggest getting your knees out would solve part of the problem.

Reason being that I don't think your shoes are hindering your ankle movement or changing its dynamics.

Practically, knees out (as always), but it also may involve reducing the forward travel of your shins, too, which - from my basic understanding of low bar-ing - is not what you're after.

It's more the side angle of my right ankle I have noticed, my right ankle has always been more collapsed, my foot also turns out more naturally to the right.

I just don't like the exaggerated angle of it and thought I'd ask.

 

[Delvis]

You're tipping forward too much, which is nothing to do with your shoes.

Disco Boy, how low do you go and still keep your back straight?

Sorry, as above.

i know I lean forward too much sometimes, that's due to me lifting my arse too early and dropping my chest I think.

It's the angle of my right ankle I just think looks odd.

 

[mrthingyx]

It's more the side angle of my right ankle I have noticed, my right ankle has always been more collapsed, my foot also turns out more naturally to the right.

I just don't like the exaggerated angle of it and thought I'd ask.

You're tipping forward too much, which is nothing to do with your shoes.

There you go.

EDIT: in response to your other post, the issue is your butt getting too far forward with your knees not far enough out to get to your depth. What takes up the mobility slack? Your ankle.

This 'wobble' can happen because you're dropping your chest, yes.

(I'm just running through my catalogue of personal experience with back squatting errors. I've made pretty much all of them! )

 

[Delvis]

Confused.com

Work on knees out? Hammer adductors even more so?

 

[icecold]

More knees out, more ankle flexibility.

A slight wobble in your ankle is very far down your list of things to worry about (the same would apply to most people), just spread the floor more.

 

[Disco Boy]

That is parallel. The camera is on the floor.

I can see that it is, I asked why you don't go past parallel. I wasn't criticising, I am interested.

Disco Boy, how low do you go and still keep your back straight?

A little. It's hard to give a quantitative answer.

 

[icecold]

Eh?

I was joking, but now I wonder if I should have been serious. Can you get to parallel with a flat back?

 

[mrthingyx]

Eh?

I was joking, but now I wonder if I should have been serious. Can you get to parallel with a flat back?

Careful, ice...

 

[Disco Boy]

Eh?

I was joking, but now I wonder if I should have been serious. Can you get to parallel with a flat back?

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by having my back straight. I go to below parallel without turning into a pretzel, yes.

I don't really see what you're trying to say, are you suggesting that you shouldn't go to parallel? Or that Delvis is squatting as deep as he could?

 

[Delvis]

More knees out, more ankle flexibility.

A slight wobble in your ankle is very far down your list of things to worry about (the same would apply to most people), just spread the floor more.

Ta mate, I just saw it and thought I'd ask.

Need to hammer the inside of my legs, they're just tight 24/7.

I can see that it is, I asked why you don't go past parallel. I wasn't criticising, I am interested.

Generally because if I do my lower back will round, seeing as that is what snapped me last year, I go to a depth that this does not occur.

 

[Disco Boy]

Ta mate, I just saw it and thought I'd ask.

Need to hammer the inside of my legs, they're just tight 24/7.



Generally because if I do my lower back will round, seeing as that is what snapped me last year, I go to a depth that this does not occur.

I see, fair enough.

 

[p4radox]

Squat question:

I take a stance about shoulder width with my toes turned out about 5 degrees. I'm working to try to create torque against the floor and shove my knees out (as recommended by mobilityWod and other sources).

In general I'm quite happy with this technique but I find that in generating toque against the floor my feet slip (twist) outwards and by the end of a rep they're pointing out by maybe 30 degrees. As long as my knees remain shoved out is this a problem? Should my feet be slipping? I squat barefoot.

Thanks.

 

[mrthingyx]

Squat question:

I take a stance about shoulder width with my toes turned out about 5 degrees. I'm working to try to create torque against the floor and shove my knees out (as recommended by mobilityWod and other sources).

In general I'm quite happy with this technique but I find that in generating toque against the floor my feet slip (twist) outwards and by the end of a rep they're pointing out by maybe 30 degrees. As long as my knees remain shoved out is this a problem? Should my feet be slipping? I squat barefoot.

Thanks.

Essential principle is to keep your knee outside your big toe. For most (99%) of people, this means having their feet parallel or close to it as they lack the flexibility required for anything more in a controlled squat.

If your feet are moving, this is a loose link in your squat that will probably et you injured at some point. I would recommend getting some flat trainers with rubber soles... Or if your determined to squat barefoot, some of those slipper socks with the rubberised soles.

 

[Nate Silvers]

I'm thinking about ditching my PC chair and getting a block of wood and squatting at the computer as I heard you can deep squat for hours. This would fix all my back pain and dysfunction from a chair. Anyone do this?

Is it bad to squat for a long time?

There is increased incidence of knee osteoarthritis amongst squatters who squat for hours a day for many years.[14] There is evidence that sustained squatting may cause bilateral peroneal nerve palsy. A common name for this affliction is squatter's palsy although there may be reasons other than squatting for this to occur

 

[icecold]

Squat question:

I take a stance about shoulder width with my toes turned out about 5 degrees. I'm working to try to create torque against the floor and shove my knees out (as recommended by mobilityWod and other sources).

In general I'm quite happy with this technique but I find that in generating toque against the floor my feet slip (twist) outwards and by the end of a rep they're pointing out by maybe 30 degrees. As long as my knees remain shoved out is this a problem? Should my feet be slipping? I squat barefoot.

Thanks.

This kind of implies poor foot/ground contact. You're probably twisting due to mobility issues, so those could be worked on too.

Aim to keep your foot active, and reset your feet between reps if necessary.

I'm thinking about ditching my PC chair and getting a block of wood and squatting at the computer as I heard you can deep squat for hours. This would fix all my back pain and dysfunction from a chair. Anyone do this?

Is it bad to squat for a long time?

So you read that this will definitely fix your back issues and dysfunction, which you seem fairly happy to believe, and then you read that it might also be bad...???

Where does the wood come into it?

What is going on?

To cut a long post short, no, this is a terrible idea.

 

[Nate Silvers]

I didn't read anything about it helping your back I just figured it seems the natural way to sit down rather than use a chair. I mean I wasted a crap load of money on this chair when I can just squat? The best way to get more mobility in a squat position is spending more time in that position? Working your way up from short periods to long. The body would adapt to it's old ways, reversing the dysfunction of sitting in chairs all our life.

When you are in a squat position you don't need to worry about lumbar support and spine problems because it's a natural position, but is it okay for working in, or just for defecating and getting low enough for small tasks. The quote I showed is from Wikipedia claiming squatting for long periods is unhealthy.

The block of wood is so I can squat at desk level, or I could lower the desk to the floor. I mean an adjustable desk to work on reverting from standing positions and squatting positions VS sitting in a chair for long periods? This eliminates the chair and the problem of squatting for long periods.

My only concern is squatting for over an hour, is squatting comfortable enough for long periods or just a means to get low. Some people in Asia usually squat for over twenty minutes waiting for a bus.

I'm trying to squat more as much as I can, I'll be squatting on the toilet too as it's a more natural position and helps adapting. Obviouly it requires some modifications to the toilet.

 

[mrthingyx]

I didn't read anything about it helping your back I just figured it seems the natural way to sit down rather than use a chair. I mean I wasted a crap load of money on this chair when I can just squat? The best way to get more mobility in a squat position is spending more time in that position? Working your way up from short periods to long. The body would adapt to it's old ways, reversing the dysfunction of sitting in chairs all our life.

When you are in a squat position you don't need to worry about lumbar support and spine problems because it's a natural position, but is it okay for working in, or just for defecating and getting low enough for small tasks. The quote I showed is from Wikipedia claiming squatting for long periods is unhealthy.

The block of wood is so I can squat at desk level, or I could lower the desk to the floor. I mean an adjustable desk to work on reverting from standing positions and squatting positions VS sitting in a chair for long periods? This eliminates the chair and the problem of squatting for long periods.

My only concern is squatting for over an hour, is squatting comfortable enough for long periods or just a means to get low. Some people in Asia usually squat for over twenty minutes waiting for a bus.

I'm trying to squat more as much as I can, I'll be squatting on the toilet too as it's a more natural position and helps adapting. Obviouly it requires some modifications to the toilet.

Or... Live your life as a not very decadent Westerner, but do your mobility and core drills to the point where squatting properly is easy?

 

[Deception]

Well if you're doing something like Stronglifts, then you should be squatting 3x a week.. I'm pretty sure that will cover the whole 'need to squat more' idea.

 

[Delvis]

I didn't read anything about it helping your back I just figured it seems the natural way to sit down rather than use a chair. I mean I wasted a crap load of money on this chair when I can just squat? The best way to get more mobility in a squat position is spending more time in that position? Working your way up from short periods to long. The body would adapt to it's old ways, reversing the dysfunction of sitting in chairs all our life.

When you are in a squat position you don't need to worry about lumbar support and spine problems because it's a natural position, but is it okay for working in, or just for defecating and getting low enough for small tasks. The quote I showed is from Wikipedia claiming squatting for long periods is unhealthy.

The block of wood is so I can squat at desk level, or I could lower the desk to the floor. I mean an adjustable desk to work on reverting from standing positions and squatting positions VS sitting in a chair for long periods? This eliminates the chair and the problem of squatting for long periods.

My only concern is squatting for over an hour, is squatting comfortable enough for long periods or just a means to get low. Some people in Asia usually squat for over twenty minutes waiting for a bus.

I'm trying to squat more as much as I can, I'll be squatting on the toilet too as it's a more natural position and helps adapting. Obviouly it requires some modifications to the toilet.

Here is an idea, next time you are sat still for ages, ie watching telly or sonething, just squat down and stay at the bottom, it will be fun.

Doing this is clearly going to train your posterior chain effectively, make you learn to use your core effectively and teach you to hip hinge.

 

[MoNkeE]

Nate, I don't often disagree with ice but this time I think it's safe to do so. No offence intended ice but sometimes you're a bit too literal. Really, if you want many of the top bodybuilders (Arnie did this a LOT), they often carry around a block of wood, and when the situation ever arises (no pun intended) to be seated, they would simply place the block on the floor for their heels to rest of and squat deep instead. Certainly at the top end of the BB'ing game, every little helps and these are just many of the tips they would use to improve posture, which as we all know has a direct relation to muscle shape.

To be fair, I don't squat at work, but I do have my laptop on a raised platform so that I can stand up and operate it. Might be something worth looking in to for yourself.