*** The 2015 Gym Rats Thread ***

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Reckon on a good day I've got 100kg paused in the bag at my waify 63kg bw...
https://instagram.com/p/8D-sGXhEPU/?taken-by=paulybobs

Non-paused slightly dive-bombed single = 110kg
4 sets of 8 = just about got all 32 reps with 90kg...

Might end up squatting more than a child if things keep improving.

EDIT - 'ere


Should really post some upper body stuff too, I'm not all squats.

Woah, slow down there pardna, dropping into the hole could buy you a ticket to snap city. Respect for the weight though, we squat the same but you weigh 12kg less than me (I'm 5'10"/178cm).

Advice:

I have a gym membership I never use, I'm considering getting rid of it.

I'm 23, fairly fit, I do a lot of cycling and some running but I joined the gym because I have basically 0 body strength other than my legs, I'm weedy.
Not looking to get 'ripped' just not be a plank of nothing. Is buying some weights for home going to actually get me anywhere?

Get yourself in the gym matey. Google Stronglifts or Fierce 5 if you want to get strong.
 
Woah, slow down there pardna, dropping into the hole could buy you a ticket to snap city. Respect for the weight though, we squat the same but you weigh 12kg less than me (I'm 5'10"/178cm).

Why is a fast descent a problem, and then why is a fast descent like Somnambulist's a problem? ;)

Get yourself in the gym matey. Google Stronglifts or Fierce 5 if you want to get strong.

Very much this. You (rogan) are a cyclist and probably don't even have strong legs. Trust me. :)
 
You don't appear to be breathing in to your belt much? On the 105kg rep anyway

I probably wasn't, it was a bit of a sucky evening for form/things feeling good and it was my last lower day on GBR before a deload so everything was heavy, hard, and a bit messy but I wanted to film something regardless (and go for a PB lol). Back to procrastinating over programming around my shift pattern for the next 6 months come next week...
 
Woah, slow down there pardna, dropping into the hole could buy you a ticket to snap city. Respect for the weight though, we squat the same but you weigh 12kg less than me (I'm 5'10"/178cm).



Get yourself in the gym matey. Google Stronglifts or Fierce 5 if you want to get strong.

It's never a good idea to give advice when you don't actually understand the advice you're giving.
 
I probably wasn't, it was a bit of a sucky evening for form/things feeling good and it was my last lower day on GBR before a deload so everything was heavy, hard, and a bit messy but I wanted to film something regardless (and go for a PB lol). Back to procrastinating over programming around my shift pattern for the next 6 months come next week...

I think he's alluding to the fact that a lot of people don't actually get what a lifting belt actually does.

A lot of people seem to be under the impression that the belt itself protects the spine. It's actually designed to brace your abdominal muscles against, hence the breathing in to it. Pushing in to a tight belt can give you greater rigidity and stop you rounding.

So if you're not breathing in to it, it won't really be doing all that much for you. That's however a good thing, as it shows you don't actually need it to move the weights you've been squatting.
 
Why is a fast descent a problem, and then why is a fast descent like Somnambulist's a problem? ;)

Let me quote my man Rip on this:
"Bounce occurs optimally at the correct speed of descent. If your descent is too fast, the bounce will be less effective, and much less safe, because the only way to drop too fast is to relax something. Muscles tightened in the squat descent store elastic energy; tight muscles also keep your back, hips, and knees in the correct, safe positions. If you are loose enough to drop into the bottom of the squat much faster than you can come up, you need to tighten up more – and it may help to think of this as slowing – on the way down. A loose descent can allow joints to be jammed into positions they should not occupy, and this is how most people get hurt squatting: getting out of good position by going down so fast that they cannot maintain proper technique. This may be how squats got an undeserved bad reputation. Don’t contribute to the problem by dive-bombing into the bottom.
Rippetoe, Mark (2013-11-07). Starting Strength (Kindle Locations 1337-1341). The Aasgaard Company. Kindle Edition."

Also watch Chris Duffin's vids where he talks about ripping the floor apart with your feet so your quads and glutes are activated from the start rather than suddenly having to jump into action at the bottom of the squat.
 
I agree almost entirely. The problems related to joint position can also happen at any speed, so we are onto a technique discussion. Which is slightly different (I don't disagree it is an issue, just not the one you are thinking).

Force/load analysis on the knees during squatting also indicates the most force on the ligaments happens at around 135 degrees from standing straight up (I.e the "partial"squat position). So snapping (as such) is not directly associated with the soft tissue. Again, what you are talking about are generic form problems that will cause issues irrespective of descent rate.

Also, the analysis which lead to squats getting a bad reputation was tied up with parachutists and hand landings - good squat technique (fast or slow) is not a risk to the knees.

In summary: bad squatting is bad. Fast squatting is largely (to me and biomechanics) problematic depending on training outcomes.
 
Tell an Olympic lifter to snatch or clean slower....

It's a question of training outcomes. You can see the big squatters in WL becuase they don't - generally - get pinned by the weight, however a lot train for the 'bounce' reflex to help recovery (the guy from Catalyst Athletics and Charles Poliquin...) from the clean/snatch. But again, you can't be a decent weightlifter if you can't squat properly (to FutileBreadMAchine's point).There are numerous stories of weightlifters who couldn't squat what they cleaned because of the lack of bounce reflex (this also applies to what the bar is doing, but that's a different discussion).

Klokov also suggests squatting s-l-o-w-l-y because bouncing allows people to squat more (Milko Tokkola, that US/Brazilian lifter that got busted...) and may not be a true reflection of how strong somebody is (dealing in semantics, but hey).

Personally, somebody (in my book, but I don't have the cache of Duffin or Ripptoe...) can squat as fast or slow as they like provided they understand the caveats of both and they don't squat badly (which is critical, irrespective of speed).
 
I agree almost entirely. The problems related to joint position can also happen at any speed, so we are onto a technique discussion. Which is slightly different (I don't disagree it is an issue, just not the one you are thinking).

Force/load analysis on the knees during squatting also indicates the most force on the ligaments happens at around 135 degrees from standing straight up (I.e the "partial"squat position). So snapping (as such) is not directly associated with the soft tissue. Again, what you are talking about are generic form problems that will cause issues irrespective of descent rate.

Also, the analysis which lead to squats getting a bad reputation was tied up with parachutists and hand landings - good squat technique (fast or slow) is not a risk to the knees.

In summary: bad squatting is bad. Fast squatting is largely (to me and biomechanics) problematic depending on training outcomes.

Yes I agree, once you have some experience under your belt and you have the technique down, then speed is not really relevant (unless you have a specific goal in mind eg using paused squats). I just think for a lot of "average joe" lifters, when they realise that they can push more weight by getting a strong bounce, they rely on that and proper technique goes out the window.

Then they end up rounding their butts constantly at the bottom since they don't actually have the mobility/strength to squat that weight with a neutral spine, but aren't aware of it since they are not in control of the weight or what their body is doing since it's that sudden crush at the bottom.

I used to do the same thing, then I became aware of it from reading/youtube, so just throwing it out there for any other noob lifters to think about.
 
It's a question of training outcomes. You can see the big squatters in WL becuase they don't - generally - get pinned by the weight, however a lot train for the 'bounce' reflex to help recovery (the guy from Catalyst Athletics and Charles Poliquin...) from the clean/snatch. But again, you can't be a decent weightlifter if you can't squat properly (to FutileBreadMAchine's point).There are numerous stories of weightlifters who couldn't squat what they cleaned because of the lack of bounce reflex (this also applies to what the bar is doing, but that's a different discussion).

Klokov also suggests squatting s-l-o-w-l-y because bouncing allows people to squat more (Milko Tokkola, that US/Brazilian lifter that got busted...) and may not be a true reflection of how strong somebody is (dealing in semantics, but hey).

Personally, somebody (in my book, but I don't have the cache of Duffin or Ripptoe...) can squat as fast or slow as they like provided they understand the caveats of both and they don't squat badly (which is critical, irrespective of speed).

Well, I can't squat...or anything for that matter, so I'm screwed either way :D
 
From what I can see Somnambulist is keeping a good neutral spine and really isn't dive bombing he seems to be relatively tight (could be tighter) and in control on the way down. But the camera angle and the catchers don't help to see more of it.
 
On the topic of squats, I've recently changed to a high bar variation and today I noticed that my arse was shooting up first then kind of good morning-ing the bar to an upright stance (I've read about this somewhere, can't remember where though!).

I've had a bit of man flu recently so I was lifting lighter than I usually would today and this is the first time I've noticed it happening - I'm hoping that it might of pointed out an area of weakness that I can work on. So rats, is their a particular area/muscle that is at fault/area of weakness? Or is it just the man flu causing some fail lifting?

Extra info: I front squat fine with an upright(ish) torso.

Edit: Actually in hindsight I think I may have been watching too many olympic lifting vids and focusing too much on getting my arse over my heels which doesn't really work with my gangly long legs, might be why the form went.
 
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No, you are just not engaging your glutes. :)

You are using your quads to push your hips back and up, and then your back to lift the bar the rest of the way up. What you need to do is push through your heels and force your hips through; this is where your hamstrings, quads and glutes should all be working together. :)

Another cue to remember which might help is "big chest" to keep yourself upright and push in the right way. :)

Try it.
 
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