Random health and exercise thoughts

[fuji]

In the spirit of the east london olympics I have decided to get my front squat to something reasonable. I'd like to be able to comfortably rep 100kg. I think I'm at like 85kg right now, now sure. I can probably front squat up to 3 or 4 times a week. How should I program this oly bros? Was thinking work up to a max triple or double and then back down for a bunch of sets.

Not fitness related. Been shaving with a poverty bore bristle brush for 3 years now (you miring wet shaving since 15?) and I want a nice one. Who makes good brushes?

 

[joshuadowen]

In the spirit of the east london olympics I have decided to get my front squat to something reasonable. I'd like to be able to comfortably rep 100kg. I think I'm at like 85kg right now, now sure. I can probably front squat up to 3 or 4 times a week. How should I program this oly bros? Was thinking work up to a max triple or double and then back down for a bunch of sets.
Not fitness related. Been shaving with a poverty bore bristle brush for 3 years now (you miring wet shaving since 15?) and I want a nice one. Who makes good brushes?

I wouldn't abandon back squat training for front squat training. Seems extreme. I think the better plan is to keep doing what you've been doing for back squat (2-3 times per week?) and replace one of those workouts with a front squat workout.

 

[db_ggmm]

I wear a thick sport hoodie in the winter. Zip it up and wear the hood on your head. You don't want to fck with the hoodie each set nor do you want it to get hung up on the bar.

First video primed me to see a butt wink. Relatively untrained squatter dive bombs into a fairly deep ATG? Odds are there is zero control exerted upon the lumbar spine. Untrained males do not naturally have the flexibility to squat below parallel. I think the wink is loud and clear in the second video.

No time to flesh this out before work, but:

Firstly, you can get to a good squat, but I think you are visualizing the thing wrong. You are viewing it as a movement to be performed. The bar does this 'thing' and your body contorts as it moves. Over time as you develop some muscle mass you will see it as your body performing and event and the bar does what you want. I have been your squat. But my squat today feels like a leg press while standing. It's actually kinda neat.

 

[fuji]

Been getting so bored of back squats and the progression has stopped. Been hammering them all year. Might still keep one session a week. It's not gonna be a permanent thing, maybe just go all out for a month and then switch to back squatting twice a week and front squatting once. The way I like to do my lifting is basically set one or two goals like right now it's pull ups and tricep strength and hit them as hard as I can until the progression stops. I will obviously add hamstring iso work.

 

[joshuadowen]

Been getting so bored of back squats and the progression has stopped. Been hammering them all year. Might still keep one session a week. It's not gonna be a permanent thing, maybe just go all out for a month and then switch to back squatting twice a week and front squatting once. The way I like to do my lifting is basically set one or two goals like right now it's pull ups and tricep strength and hit them as hard as I can until the progression stops. I will obviously add hamstring iso work.

Fair enough. I'd train the same way you trained your back squats, more or less. With your current numbers, it sounds like the limiting factor is your lack of experience with a front rack. How does your front rack position look/feel? Any mobility trouble?

 

[fuji]

My limiting factor was upper back and ab strength, but I think I've corrected the upper back issues. Position feels solid, no trouble keeping my elbows up and keeping the bar close to my neck. Used to get really bad pain shooting through my calves, but after buying oly shoes that went away. Main problem is rounding over with maximal weight.

Going to the gym in 25 minutes, you think working up to a max double then doing like 5x2 with slightly lower weight sounds reasonable?

 

[maplefuturist]

• hips back -> lower hips - > bend knees
• driving your elbows underneath the bar will help increase upper back tightness and help keep you more upright.
• try not to crane your neck that much - rippetoe says look down, this thread says look up; find a neutral position somewhere in the middle.
• where are you getting stuck? if you are just grinding out the last rep, that's fine. i always used to fret that my squat sucked due to the grinding lock-out, but anything more than a warmup will cause that to happen. as long as your hips are locking out when the bar reaches the top, don't sweat it.

You're right about the hips — it doesn't feel like I'm incorporating the posterior chain as well I could. I can see a potential problem with trying to drive my elbows under the bar due to inflexibility, but I have been doing exercises to improve this so I'll give it a go next time. My left shoulder is a bit sore from the bench press, but I'll save that for another post.

Re neck: do you think I'm looking too far up or down?

Re stuck: I repeated my work out today instead of increasing to 57.5 kg. I've noticed since I hit around 50 kg that my last three reps grind. I haven't actually missed a rep properly yet because I'm worried about ditching the bar. If I do three or four reps and feel like I won't complete the next one, I don't do it. Of course, I don't increase the weight until I successfully complete all work sets.

2. The most common flaw that we see from an athlete squatting "too" low is flexion in the lumbar spine. Again, "too" is in quotes because this is a relative value. It's hard from the videos to see your lumbar spine, so I can't tell whether or not you are squatting too low.

3. The most common flaw that we see from descending too fast is loss of stability, particularly through the core. Again, it's hard to see if this is happening from the videos. If your core is not particularly strong, I'd recommend a slower descent so you can really concentrate on keeping everything tight.

I feel like my back is in extension, and I'm keeping everything tight. But then again, in my mind I didn't think I was squatting that low. I'm going to try to get another video from the side, and I'll lose the hoodie next time so we can see what my back is doing.

 

[maplefuturist]

No time to flesh this out before work, but:
Firstly, you can get to a good squat, but I think you are visualizing the thing wrong. You are viewing it as a movement to be performed. The bar does this 'thing' and your body contorts as it moves. Over time as you develop some muscle mass you will see it as your body performing and event and the bar does what you want. I have been your squat. But my squat today feels like a leg press while standing. It's actually kinda neat.

So, in conclusion, you feel like I have no control over the bar due to poor technique and lack of mass? Is that what you mean? How can I get my squat to feel like a leg press while standing?

 

[Lagrangian]



In the spirit of the east london olympics I have decided to get my front squat to something reasonable. I'd like to be able to comfortably rep 100kg. I think I'm at like 85kg right now, now sure.

imokaywiththis.jpg

Was thinking work up to a max triple or double and then back down for a bunch of sets.

them ******** kinda do their fs like this, work up to a daily max single or double then take maybe 10% off the bar and do doubles and triples to death.

getting better at front squatting requires you front squat.

a lot.

 

[fuji]

Wow I really russled some jimmes at the gym today. Worked up to a max single, which was 90kg. Was quite happy about this, form was pretty good too. Hit that for 5 singles then backed down to 80kg and did that for 5 triples. Quads are on fire. Some time earlier this year or late last year this huge arab brah asked me why I'm still coming here because I've made no gains, brb going from 112lb to 185lb and from barely being able to squat the bar to 170kg and pulling 200ish. Today he asked me how long I was gonna be using the rack because he wanted to overhead press, told him a while and he was all pissed off. Guy is like 6'5" 230lb or so, jacked as fuark and from what I've heard him say running a fair bit of gear. He was overhead pressing 40kg, obv needs a rack for it because a 1/3 body weight clean is unheard of. About an hour later, asks if I'm done and I wasn't so he flipped out called me a ******* idiot and went on some huge rant about what a **** I am. Was like brah I think me maxing on front squats is a better use of this rack then you pressing 40kg. Bro stormed out of the gym. Don't care PRed. He was just jelly because he's old and needs to wear a belt for skull crushers. I think he thought because he has like 50lb on me I was gonna brown nose him and let him use it. Offered to let him work in and everything.



I am also a ******** so I will train like other ********.

 

[GraphicNovelty]



So, in conclusion, you feel like I have no control over the bar due to poor technique and lack of mass? Is that what you mean? How can I get my squat to feel like a leg press while standing?

The more you do the movement and the stronger you get, the easier it becomes to visualize. The deadlift was like this for me. At first it was this pull but now it's much more of a "hips push fowrward, bar goes up".

You're probably not getting enough posterior chain. Like others have said, break at your hips first then your knees, and when going up, think about pushing through your heels/bringing your hips forward to straighten yourself out.

 

[GraphicNovelty]

Since i'm lifting less my creatine uptake has gone down and i can feel myself pissing it all out.

I've started putting it in my coffee, which people have said mixed things about, but whatever.

 

[fuji]

http://www.dwfitnessclubs.com/

changing to this gym end of the month. Council making my gym get rid of the free weights. Looks quite ***** to be honest.

"If it’s your muscles you want to build, then why not visit the impressive free weights area, where you can lift up to 50kg with our ready made dumbbells and barbells, or build your own barbells with our array of free weights."

Wtf is this build a bear workshop?

They have a steam room, brb starting another clen cycle and zyzzing.

 

[knucks]



http://www.dwfitnessclubs.com/
changing to this gym end of the month. Council making my gym get rid of the free weights. Looks quite ***** to be honest.
"If it’s your muscles you want to build, then why not visit the impressive free weights area, where you can lift up to 50kg with our ready made dumbbells and barbells, or build your own barbells with our array of free weights."
Wtf is this build a bear workshop?
They have a steam room, brb starting another clen cycle and zyzzing.

Looks pretty ******.

 

[knucks]

fuji i dont know where you are exactly but why not find a real gym?