help with squats

[velomanct]

i am having trouble doing squats correctly. if i keep a straight back like i am suppose to i fall backwards. i have looked at the videos on the ExRx site, which shows how to do exercises, but i still can't do squats correctly without falling backwards.

i am not really doing much lifting now, i will start in a month and i want to do them correctly. 2 years ago i tried doing squats but i was doing them wrong(arching my back) which injured my back. i felt like i could never hold enough weight to give my legs a good workout.

any tips?

i just bought some free weights today and don't plan on going to a gym(too expensive) so i can't get a personal trainer to show me.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

i am having trouble doing squats correctly. if i keep a straight back like i am suppose to i fall backwards. i have looked at the videos on the ExRx site, which shows how to do exercises, but i still can't do squats correctly without falling backwards.

i am not really doing much lifting now, i will start in a month and i want to do them correctly. 2 years ago i tried doing squats but i was doing them wrong(arching my back) which injured my back. i felt like i could never hold enough weight to give my legs a good workout.

any tips?

i just bought some free weights today and don't plan on going to a gym(too expensive) so i can't get a personal trainer to show me.

Today you are in luck. You need look no further than Dr. Fred Hatfield's web site ...

http://www.drsquat.com/

There you will find everything you need to know about squats. And I do mean everything! There is no better source than this. I've noticed many self-trained posters on this forum discussing various squatting tecniques and many of them are flat wrong. And only God knows where some of them come up with their training regimen. Much of it is pure rubbish.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

If there are any doubters about Hatfield's qualifications, then I suggest the following ...

http://www.sportsci.org/news/news9709/hatfield.html

"Here, Dr Hatfield describes the conditioning program that prepares Holyfield for all the physical demands of a championship fight, all except biting."

 

[bikeguy2]

Hatfield, Dr. Squat himself, yes I second him as an expert on squatting. Velomanct, the idea with the back in squatting is to keep the natural spinal curves intact and to avoid humping over, of course to keep your centre of gravity over your base you'll have to lean over somewhat to keep from tipping over. The heavier the weight the more you'll have to lean over and this is why you need a strong back to squat heavy in addition to strong legs.

By the way I'm bikeguy, I have to log in as bikeguy2 for now.

 

[velomanct]

Hatfield, Dr. Squat himself, yes I second him as an expert on squatting. Velomanct, the idea with the back in squatting is to keep the natural spinal curves intact and to avoid humping over, of course to keep your centre of gravity over your base you'll have to lean over somewhat to keep from tipping over. The heavier the weight the more you'll have to lean over and this is why you need a strong back to squat heavy in addition to strong legs.

By the way I'm bikeguy, I have to log in as bikeguy2 for now.

would a weight lifting belt be a good idea? i don't have the strongest core muscles (not yet at least). i looked at the dr. squat site and can't find any instructions on how to perform squats. ???

i can do a squat while keeping my back straight but i have to really lean forward with my head low. i don't think i will be able to do that with much wieght on the bar.

i have seen pictures of guys squating with their back straight and they look fine, but i can't do it.

 

[Aztec]

would a weight lifting belt be a good idea? i don't have the strongest core muscles (not yet at least). i looked at the dr. squat site and can't find any instructions on how to perform squats. ???

i can do a squat while keeping my back straight but i have to really lean forward with my head low. i don't think i will be able to do that with much wieght on the bar.

i have seen pictures of guys squating with their back straight and they look fine, but i can't do it.

1) You likely aren't flexible enough in the back, ankles, hammies, glutes, whatever.
2) Your limb lengths are possibly unfavorable for squatting, giving you balance problems in that position. It's common.
3) Your feet could be too close together, and/or pointing too much forward rather than flaring out.
4) Why are you squatting anyway? I assume you must be a track sprinter, or just looking for general fitness. See the MANY Threads on why squatting/lifting won't help your cycling.
5) Do NOT use a belt. Part of the point of squats is to strengthen the whole body. A belt cheats you of that. Actually, it encourages you to not develop the important core strength, and creates even greater imbalances.

 

[velomanct]

1) You likely aren't flexible enough in the back, ankles, hammies, glutes, whatever.
2) Your limb lengths are possibly unfavorable for squatting, giving you balance problems in that position. It's common.
3) Your feet could be too close together, and/or pointing too much forward rather than flaring out.
4) Why are you squatting anyway? I assume you must be a track sprinter, or just looking for general fitness. See the MANY Threads on why squatting/lifting won't help your cycling.
5) Do NOT use a belt. Part of the point of squats is to strengthen the whole body. A belt cheats you of that. Actually, it encourages you to not develop the important core strength, and creates even greater imbalances.

yes, i am weight training because i want to become a good track sprinter.

i am doing more stretching now, i know that my hip flexors get tight if i don't stretch.

 

[ed073]

1) You likely aren't flexible enough in the back, ankles, hammies, glutes, whatever.
2) Your limb lengths are possibly unfavorable for squatting, giving you balance problems in that position. It's common.
3) Your feet could be too close together, and/or pointing too much forward rather than flaring out.
4) Why are you squatting anyway? I assume you must be a track sprinter, or just looking for general fitness. See the MANY Threads on why squatting/lifting won't help your cycling.
5) Do NOT use a belt. Part of the point of squats is to strengthen the whole body. A belt cheats you of that. Actually, it encourages you to not develop the important core strength, and creates even greater imbalances.

Good post.

It sounds like the original poster needs to work on form and flexibilty. I suggest going back to square one with a very light weight (even bar only) and perfecting form through using the gym mirrors and box-squatting.
Hip flexors, quads and hams all need to be pretty flexible to perfomr the squat corectly, so work on this.

 

[Aztec]

yes, i am weight training because i want to become a good track sprinter.

i am doing more stretching now, i know that my hip flexors get tight if i don't stretch.

Good. Finally someone who SHOULD squat.

Do some web searches for lifting sites that advise on form.

Note that a bolt-upright position isn't really critical. Powerlifters are pushed forward (and the bar low on their backs). It's the Olympic lifters who are much more upright with a high bar position. What IS critical is keeping your back arched (NOT ROUNDED) normally. When you lose that low back arch, you have gone too deep.

You might also consider front squats. Safer in many ways, and force you to be more upright. And you will use less weight, which makes it easier on the joints, etc.

 

[Carrera]

Arnold Schwarzennegger spoke about this in an article I read years back. Arnold himself squatted with a forward lean and confessed it wasn't perfect technique. he pointed to Franco Columbo and Tom Platz who both squatted with a far straighter back (but of course they weren't anywhere near six feet two).
Myself I always squatted with a slight forward lean and never bothered with a belt. I never had any back problems either. As Schwarzennegger himself stressed, a forward lean is perfectly natural where some body types are concerned. Note, though, I'm talking about a slight lean not a good morning.
I had one guy who had problems the other week so I put a block under his heels. After that he squatted fine. Most people have tight achilles and need a small block under the heels for balance.
The classic way to squat is with the bar a little low on the traps. The head should be looking slightly up but many people cheat if there's a mirror and look slightly down so they can see themselves working in the mirror. In Russian sports stadia they have no mirrors (maybe for that reason). But if you keep your head upwards slightly and your chest level, your squatting should level out O.K. A very slight forward lean may be inevitable if you're tall.
You start with an empty bar and never bounce back up. All the younger guys who squat heavy should bear in mind that most heavy squatters have shot knees by aged 40. This is due to lack of warming up, possibly bouncing or going heavy too often. Squats done properly are safe though.
Apart from Hatfield you might be able to find info from Tom Platz who was a classic squatter (he repped 600 lbs and was known to do up to 100 reps with lighter weights). Schwarzennegger also explains squats in his Education Of A Bodybuilder book.

i am having trouble doing squats correctly. if i keep a straight back like i am suppose to i fall backwards. i have looked at the videos on the ExRx site, which shows how to do exercises, but i still can't do squats correctly without falling backwards.

i am not really doing much lifting now, i will start in a month and i want to do them correctly. 2 years ago i tried doing squats but i was doing them wrong(arching my back) which injured my back. i felt like i could never hold enough weight to give my legs a good workout.

any tips?

i just bought some free weights today and don't plan on going to a gym(too expensive) so i can't get a personal trainer to show me.

 

[BiochemGuy]

i am having trouble doing squats correctly. if i keep a straight back like i am suppose to i fall backwards. i have looked at the videos on the ExRx site, which shows how to do exercises, but i still can't do squats correctly without falling backwards.

i am not really doing much lifting now, i will start in a month and i want to do them correctly. 2 years ago i tried doing squats but i was doing them wrong(arching my back) which injured my back. i felt like i could never hold enough weight to give my legs a good workout.

any tips?

i just bought some free weights today and don't plan on going to a gym(too expensive) so i can't get a personal trainer to show me.

If you are falling backwards then you are probably doing one of two things wrong.

1) Not bending forward enough at the hips. When doing the squat properly you have to bend forward slighty at the hips. Most people make the mistake of bending forward to much which is bad for the lower back, but in your case it sounds like you might not be bending forward enough; since if you do bend forward enough, you would be more prone to falling forward than backwards.

At the bottom of the squat, you should be bending forward just enough at the waist so that your shoulders are just above the middle of your thigh. Meaning your shoulders should be just above the halfway point between your hip joint and your knee joint.


It's important to keep your back flat during the squat.
Though alot of people don't understand what this means. They think keeping the back flat means to not bend over and to stay vertical. So they try not to bend over at all and this dosn't allow for proper squat form. Keeping the back flat means not arching the back to much or rounding the back during the squat.


2) The Second mistake you might be making is letting your heels come off the floor during the squat. If you let your heels come up off the floor during the squat then all of your weight is only on the ball of your foot which makes it harder to balance and leaves you more prone to falling backwards.

Your heels should never come off of the ground during the squat. If they do,then it is probably do to not having enough flexibility in your calves and hamstrings. Stretching the calves and hamstrings will help allow you to keep your heels planting on the floor.

Another thing you can do to help if your heels are coming off the floor is to put something underneath your heels to elevate them. Like a small weight plate under each heel or so small piece of board. Stretching your calves/hamstrings should be the first choice in fixing the problem, but some people just have a hard time getting flexible enough to do the squat without their heels coming off the floor so this is when putting something under the heels to elevate them helps.

Also, alot of people who workout at home workout in their garage. Most garage floors arn't flat. Usually garage floors are made at a slight angle so that if you open the garage door when it's raining and the floor gets wet, the water can easily drain out. So ofcourse if you are squating on a garage floor with an angle it will cause you to be off balance and cause you to fall in the direction of the angle.

 

[velomanct]

thanks guys, that's some good info.

i am tall at 6'2". i'm also 19 yrs old

 

[bikeguy]

Velomanct back as bikeguy (bikeguy and bikeguy2 are one and the same , stick with light weights and work on your form till you get the feel for squatting. As Aztec said you may have bad levers for squatting which will make it harder but it is possible. If your ankles are inflexible than you'll have to lean forward more or maybe your ankles are just weak and you don't want to angle them too much. Squats will increase your ankle and calf strength too.

I'm not a particularly good squatter myself, although I'm a good deadlifter. Best squat is maybe 170 kg, while I could deadlift 240 kg at 83 kg bodyweight. Now I'm down to 74 kg from the biking, but I still do leg presses and some shoulder strength training. Once my shoulder heals I'll be back to the full squats again. I've never felt a detriment to cycling performance from squatting and leg pressing and deadlifting (endurance wise) , only enhancement, however I've had to cut it back to once every 8 days now because I get too sore and get cramping from 2x per week. My sprint has improved from the endurance riding I do, perhaps a combination of body weight loss, higher energy reserves and better pedaling mechanics.

 

[ed073]

Velomanct back as bikeguy (bikeguy and bikeguy2 are one and the same , stick with light weights and work on your form till you get the feel for squatting. As Aztec said you may have bad levers for squatting which will make it harder but it is possible. If your ankles are inflexible than you'll have to lean forward more or maybe your ankles are just weak and you don't want to angle them too much. Squats will increase your ankle and calf strength too.

I'm not a particularly good squatter myself, although I'm a good deadlifter. Best squat is maybe 170 kg, while I could deadlift 240 kg at 83 kg bodyweight. Now I'm down to 74 kg from the biking, but I still do leg presses and some shoulder strength training. Once my shoulder heals I'll be back to the full squats again. I've never felt a detriment to cycling performance from squatting and leg pressing and deadlifting (endurance wise) , only enhancement, however I've had to cut it back to once every 8 days now because I get too sore and get cramping from 2x per week. My sprint has improved from the endurance riding I do, perhaps a combination of body weight loss, higher energy reserves and better pedaling mechanics.

Deadlifts rule.