*** The 2017 Gym Rats Thread ***

Sure. It doesn't really matter at this stage because your 'lifting age' is young and the loads are relatively light - just pick one and stick with it a while to become proficient. There's no rule you have to squat one way forever, even on the same program (although don't chop and change or change half-way through training blocks... when you're actually utilising periodisation eventually that is).
 
High bar is for sexy people doing sexy squats. Low bar is for Americans who can't ROM. ;)

It broadly depends on athletic deployment, body morphology and what you prefer (yes, really)... weightlifting requires high bar for support and low bar doesn't help (as an example).

Practically, high bar squatting will need supporting by lots of pulling work; low bar squatting will need supporting by front squats or DBSS...
 
Well I tried low bar squatting. Didn't work haha
I had thought my shoulders were reasonably flexible, but to get the bar low enough (between the traps and delts) my shoulders were not happy pain just getting in position while racked, then throughout.
Also felt like I was always leaning forwards, that I wouldn't be able to stand up straight.
Dunno where to go from here, maybe just try and high-bar properly
 
I tried low bar too and felt similar Giraffe

When doing the high bar keep upright more and break from knees instead of hips more.... keep chest up and tight and core braced.

Past week or so with the heavier Deadlifts and Squats I'm feeling lower back tightness a lot during the week. I think I am going to give deadlifts a break and drop weight down again on squat to let it recover more....

The lower back in SL5x5 is getting a constant hammering with Squats 3 times a week / Deadlifts ( 2 or 1 time a week) / OHP (to some extent with bracing) / BOR (again with bracing)

I hope the feeling is just muscle tightness as I've not had any sharp pain just a constant dull ache there.

Any opinions?
 
spluff said:
I tried low bar too and felt similar Giraffe

When doing the high bar keep upright more and break from knees instead of hips more.... keep chest up and tight and core braced.

Past week or so with the heavier Deadlifts and Squats I'm feeling lower back tightness a lot during the week. I think I am going to give deadlifts a break and drop weight down again on squat to let it recover more....

The lower back in SL5x5 is getting a constant hammering with Squats 3 times a week / Deadlifts ( 2 or 1 time a week) / OHP (to some extent with bracing) / BOR (again with bracing)

I hope the feeling is just muscle tightness as I've not had any sharp pain just a constant dull ache there.

Any opinions?
Click to expand...

Sloppy good mornings with hardly any weight; crucifix stretches, fixing your form...

The reason it is aching is because it is doing more work than it should; possibly because you are going too low and dumping your lumbar out or because you are leaning forward too much... and dumping your lumbar out.
 
Help needed -

So I have once again developed some leg pain from squats/deadlifts. I have finally worked out that it is caused by whichever muscle lifts your leg up when you lie down or move it forward when you walk. Last time this happened it went away with an 8 week rest and then has been fine for the last 3 months or so of training. Any idea what is causing this and how to deal with it?

I had minor pain with this in my right leg, but that has healed regardless of training demand and now my left leg seems to be much more injured. What it means is that when I step out with any weight (even OHP weight for example) it immediately hurts when I put weight in my leg and gets to the point where body weight hurts it too. Funnily enough the squat motion itself doesn't cause any pain.
 
mrthingyx said:
The reason it is aching is because it is doing more work than it should; possibly because you are going too low and dumping your lumbar out or because you are leaning forward too much... and dumping your lumbar out.
Click to expand...

From Deadlift? I think its my deadlift which is causing this muscle tightness.... IIve tried following the cues in youtube videos but still struggle to reach bar... I agree I think its overused muscle pain, but I guess that is good as its working my lower back hard.... just too hard :)
 
spluff said:
From Deadlift? I think its my deadlift which is causing this muscle tightness.... IIve tried following the cues in youtube videos but still struggle to reach bar... I agree I think its overused muscle pain, but I guess that is good as its working my lower back hard.... just too hard :)
Click to expand...

Yes, it's great you're doing the work, but it's also dumb because you can compress your vertebral discs in unpleasant ways. Depending on your training frequency and intensity, you are probably nicely on your way to a genuinely unpleasant muscle spasm... or worse. So don't do it. :)

With deadlifts, you're just not hinging at your hips properly and - as a result - pulling the weight up with your back. A properly executed deadlift is - weirdly - actually a push (from your hips)... If you need to, move your legs wider or go full sumo.
 
mrthingyx said:
Yes, it's great you're doing the work, but it's also dumb because you can compress your vertebral discs in unpleasant ways. Depending on your training frequency and intensity, you are probably nicely on your way to a genuinely unpleasant muscle spasm... or worse. So don't do it. :).
Click to expand...

This is what I am worried about - I try and feel the push through my feet and legs when doing it. I just feel I cant get the fully correct position when trying so I guess my back is getting too much force.

I may just quit doing deadlifts and do something else - Squats should be enough for legs....
 
mrthingyx said:
With deadlifts, you're just not hinging at your hips properly and - as a result - pulling the weight up with your back. A properly executed deadlift is - weirdly - actually a push (from your hips)... If you need to, move your legs wider or go full sumo.
Click to expand...

I think this has been my undoing in previous months. I need to widen my stance. I was (and still am) getting quite a bit of pain in the outside of my left knee. Physio recommended rest and MRI shows some bone oedema (thought it was a meniscal tear so dodged a bullet there!). What I think was happening is that my left knee was going into a valgus position which isn't helped by my left hand hook grip. I'll try sumos and see how I get on. My lifts are limited because I'm lifting with my back too much and haven't got the leg drive properly activated.

Plan of action is to stop cardio and switch back to weights in between pre-season training. I need to do lots of reps with light weight to get the movement and muscle activation spot on with my legs for the next couple of weeks.
 
GiraffePencils said:
Well I tried low bar squatting. Didn't work haha
I had thought my shoulders were reasonably flexible, but to get the bar low enough (between the traps and delts) my shoulders were not happy pain just getting in position while racked, then throughout.
Also felt like I was always leaning forwards, that I wouldn't be able to stand up straight.
Dunno where to go from here, maybe just try and high-bar properly
Click to expand...

With low bar at the top you're going to be slightly more inclined if the centre of gravity/mass is over the middle of the foot.

Ulltimately a squat is a squat - huge weights have been moved with all kinds of bar positions - as long as you're progressing that's the main thing. Unless you have aspirations of powerlifting you'll eventually move onto programs where you'll do dedicated posterior chain work, so learning an anterior dominant squat variation is never a bad thing.
 
spluff said:
From Deadlift? I think its my deadlift which is causing this muscle tightness.... IIve tried following the cues in youtube videos but still struggle to reach bar... I agree I think its overused muscle pain, but I guess that is good as its working my lower back hard.... just too hard :)
Click to expand...

Are you using full size plates? If not that put the plates on something so they're around the right height. Also video yourself. Sometimes it can be really hard to figure out what's going wrong yourself until other people can see you perform a movement and provide some feedback.
 
Somnambulist said:
Are you using full size plates? If not that put the plates on something so they're around the right height. Also video yourself. Sometimes it can be really hard to figure out what's going wrong yourself until other people can see you perform a movement and provide some feedback.
Click to expand...

I'm using the bodymax Olympic 20kg plates.

I posted a video before - I have removed it now as it was a few weeks ago...

Comments were to keep my chest up more - I physically cant see how - my arms are on the bar and its pulling my shoulder and chest down - I cannot raise them more as it would be lifting the bar of the ground...

Here is a photo of my starting stance on deadlift....

https://ibb.co/bLVys5

My legs are hip width apart with the bar near my ankles and my ankles close to bar
 
spluff said:
I'm using the bodymax Olympic 20kg plates.

I posted a video before - I have removed it now as it was a few weeks ago...

Comments were to keep my chest up more - I physically cant see how - my arms are on the bar and its pulling my shoulder and chest down - I cannot raise them more as it would be lifting the bar of the ground...

Here is a photo of my starting stance on deadlift....

https://ibb.co/bLVys5

My legs are hip width apart with the bar near my ankles and my ankles close to bar
Click to expand...

Legs wider and/or drop your hips lower. That photo is a perfect study on how to pull with your back as your spine has a nice and gentle curve to it.
 
tom_nieto said:
I think this has been my undoing in previous months. I need to widen my stance. I was (and still am) getting quite a bit of pain in the outside of my left knee. Physio recommended rest and MRI shows some bone oedema (thought it was a meniscal tear so dodged a bullet there!). What I think was happening is that my left knee was going into a valgus position which isn't helped by my left hand hook grip. I'll try sumos and see how I get on. My lifts are limited because I'm lifting with my back too much and haven't got the leg drive properly activated.

Plan of action is to stop cardio and switch back to weights in between pre-season training. I need to do lots of reps with light weight to get the movement and muscle activation spot on with my legs for the next couple of weeks.
Click to expand...

Squat with a band holding your legs closed (so you have to really work to keep them apart).

Are you a cyclist or runner? I see loads on my commute with their knees bent inwards because they have forgotten how their glute med works. A wider stance might actually do more harm than good in this situation because you will exacerbate the valgus knee issue (you probably can't activate your glute med when it is in a reasonably not bad position with your legs close together, so compromising its ability to pull your femur round by moving your stance further apart is not going to solve anything).
 
I started going to gym 2 years ago with idea to get fit and spot being obese in late 20's.
I am going to gym 5 days a week doing split program, so far my PR are 125kg bench, 150kg squat & 170kg deadlift. Body weight 89kg.
Stuggling a lot with increasing maximum bench press.

What do you guys think about my progress? Before joining gym i havent lifted for 10 years.
 
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