Deadlifts n' Squats

[AdamG]

Originally Posted by coachvu

Agreed, but that's considered a full squat. For example, if you were lifting competitively, it would not count as a rep unless you went to at least parallel. There are plenty of machine that provide great leg workouts while also reducing the stress on your knees, so if knee problems are a concern, I would avoid bar squats completely.

Going all the way down (ATG) causes less stress than a parallel squat. Your knee is at it's weakest at parallel; stopping there is actually worse for your knees than just passing through.

Also on machines, some can be bad for your knees, leg raises in particular.

 

[Oltmann]

Originally Posted by The Devil's Hands

Bullshit.



This is the right way to do squats.

This is my favorite, Zhang Guozheng does 220kg at 73kg bodyweight:


Different people have different biomechanics, and you just have to find the right form for you. A lot of people would tell you that you will blow your knees out if you go that far below parallel, or move your knees like he does.

 

[vanity]

I think a lot of times people discount how strong their body and joints really are. One could argue that virtually every exercise is "really hard on (insert joint)". In addition, I doubt many people are going to walk up and attempt ATG squats with 225lbs on their first day. They'll start much lower with a comfortable weight until they understand the range of motion. That's going to significantly decrease the amount of joint danger they're exposed to.

The people who DO injure themselves usually are experienced people who are progressively adding weight or trying to shock their muscles into growth. The other is the gym douchebag who's there to "show off", tossing weights around without any idea of how to actually train his muscles.Since most people aren't in the former category, I wouldn't be too concerned about hurting yourself as long as you workout normally and listen to your body. Don't act like a marsupial and you'll be just fine. Your body is strong, you won't break it.

 

[drizzt3117]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone done jump squats for explosiveness? I know a few Olympic-caliber athletes that swore by these. These came out of eastern Europe after the wall came down, I guess the East Germans and other eastern Europeans used to do these (in addition to massive amounts of steroids) in order to increase vertical jump and explosiveness. With 2 knee surgeries so far, I'm not about to try them, but wondered if others had experiences with them?

 

[sonick]

I went ahead and carefully did some squats and deadlifts today. My quads are gonna be killer tomorrow.

 

[Goblin]

The deadlift is my favorite lift, as it doesn't require a spotter and the form is, for me, easier to "get right" than is squat form. It's very hard for some people to perform squats correctly without someone knowledgeable giving them in-person advice, and squatting incorrectly can a) be dangerous and b) lead to the formation of bad habits.

I haven't tried a 1-rep max on either lift in a long time, as I'm just now returning to lifting after a nagging wrist injury. I weigh 145 lbs and I'm pretty sure I'll be back up to a 300 lb deadlift after a couple of months of slow progression. (I'm currently lifting relatively girly weights to get my wrist accustomed to the stresses again). I would *not* rush the progression if I were you, as you want to take advantage of often-amazing "beginner's gains" for as long as possible. As long as you can see visible progress toward your goals, IMO, there's no reason to rush.

I don't currently squat. I have a power rack in my garage, but even so, I'm uncomfortable squatting with just my wife to spot me. I use something called a "trap bar" - some people call it a "hex bar." It's used for deadlifts, but the motion has more of a quad emphasis than a conventional or even sumo deadlift, and it's a fine squat substitute for folks who can't or won't squat for whatever reason. Mine has slightly thickened handles (1.5") for additional grip emphasis, and I use 25 lb standard plates instead of 50 lb standard plates so my range of motion is greater. If I have to bail on a lift, the only thing at risk is the rug in my garage.

You might browse the archives at www.t-nation.com ... it's got a lot of good articles, if you can get past the product-pimping and screeching insecurity. Since you're a regular here, you clearly can.

 

[Bandwagonesque]

Goblin, did you take a 3 month vacation from the steez dood? Nice post... welcome back!

I've never done jump squats, but my current favourite name for a squat is the "Bulgarian Split Squats"!

 

[Goblin]

Originally Posted by Bandwagonesque

Goblin, did you take a 3 month vacation from the steez dood?
Yeah, I have this thing where I drop off the face of the world every now and then. Good to be back.

[I lurve the song quoted in your sig, btw.]

 

[sonick]

For deadlifts, is the procedure basically:
Extend legs to straight, and then lift the rest of the way from your waist/back?

Just wanna make sure I'm doing it right.

 

[Bandwagonesque]

Originally Posted by sonick

For deadlifts, is the procedure basically:
Extend legs to straight, and then lift the rest of the way from your waist/back?

Just wanna make sure I'm doing it right.

I found a few vids on YouTube.



Tons more. It's amazing how many people like posting their 150 lb deadlift videos

 

[globetrotter]

I do deadlifts, and military presses, and "hang cleans". but I don't do clean and jerk - which I believe is more or less the three of those excersizes combined. I do each at different weights, and I have prefered to do militayr presses sitting down with dumbells, not a barbell.

anyway - anybody feel that there is an advantage or disadvantage in shifting to the clean and jerk with a barbell as opposed to the 3 seperate ones?

 

[coachvu]

Originally Posted by drizzt3117

Just out of curiosity, has anyone done jump squats for explosiveness? I know a few Olympic-caliber athletes that swore by these. These came out of eastern Europe after the wall came down, I guess the East Germans and other eastern Europeans used to do these (in addition to massive amounts of steroids) in order to increase vertical jump and explosiveness. With 2 knee surgeries so far, I'm not about to try them, but wondered if others had experiences with them?

Yeah, I used to do them in high school. We had a machine that was perfect for them. They're great as long as you are careful and don't use much weight.

 

[coachvu]

Originally Posted by globetrotter

I do deadlifts, and military presses, and "hang cleans". but I don't do clean and jerk - which I believe is more or less the three of those excersizes combined. I do each at different weights, and I have prefered to do militayr presses sitting down with dumbells, not a barbell.

anyway - anybody feel that there is an advantage or disadvantage in shifting to the clean and jerk with a barbell as opposed to the 3 seperate ones?

The clean and jerk emphasizes explosiveness. Breaking the exercise into different components is a good way to build up your max clean and jerk. In general, I think the clean and jerk is just more demanding on your body, especially your cardiovascular system, but I would just stick with what feels best.

 

[coachvu]

Originally Posted by sonick

For deadlifts, is the procedure basically:
Extend legs to straight, and then lift the rest of the way from your waist/back?

Just wanna make sure I'm doing it right.

You want to time it so that by the time your legs are straight, your back is also straight. Also, don't lock your knees.

 

[sonick]

Originally Posted by coachvu

You want to time it so that by the time your legs are straight, your back is also straight. Also, don't lock your knees.
But I find if I do that, its tough to get the bar up over my knees coz they're still bent, unless I lean further forward so have enough room for the bar to clear my knees.