Random health and exercise thoughts

[indesertum]



A lil bulking update: Weighted myself for the first time since I started this bulk 6 weeks ago. Up 5 lbs so far. I've got visible lower ab veins some days when I'm not bloated so maybe I'm still sub 10% bf? I don't look much fatter but I'm def bigger. Either way, lifts are going up. Set a Squat PR today for 2 sets of 5 and thought it wasn't hard enough, so I did my first 20 rep set afterwards. Very low weight but it'll help me dial in my form at the very least. While all lower body lifts are going up quickly, I'm struggling with the pressing. Bee pressing roughly the same weights for some time now. Thinking it has to do with my form, since the other lifts are increasing. Or is it common that upper body progress is slower?

Stronglifts suggests weighted pull-ups use similar muscles as the press and should help a lot. It did for me.

 

[conceptionist]

Thanks. Already do loads of volume for pullups, chinups, rows and the like.
I generally do 2 sets of 5 for the heavy compounds so I added a 3 higher rep set (12-15 reps) for bench and see what it'll do for my tenchnique and strength. If that doesn't help either I'll just eat and sleep more.

 

[indesertum]

Not volume but treating pull-ups like a heavy compound

 

[Crat]

What to do to prevent back rounding when squatting?
It looks a little worse than it is due to the 'lump' on my lower back I posted about earlier. Doctor said my spine was just fine and the 'lump' is caused by over-pronounced spinal erectors.

[VIDEO]
[/VIDEO]

 

[Eason]

Don't go down further than you can handle, because you're losing your lumbar arch. Go as low as you can without losing the arch and that should help.

 

[MarkI]

Dat butt wink

 

[Lagrangian]

latest dom was disappointingly ****

 

[conceptionist]

Crat:

To me it looks like not only your lower back is rounding, but your upper back too. On the last reps your starting to fall too far forward as well.

I think you need to get on some mobility work and then work on your form with lower weight. Check Matt Ogus lower body warm up drills on youtube (channel name is flexforall2). Also, try to let the knees travel out to the sides instead of in front of your toes. That'll allow you to keep a more ipright torso and will enable the hamstring stretch-bounce reflex or whatever it's called. Basically it's more stable and will make you squat more.

 

[conceptionist]

Double

 

[Crat]

Tnx a lot mate, v. helpful!

 

[joshuadowen]

What to do to prevent back rounding when squatting?
It looks a little worse than it is due to the 'lump' on my lower back I posted about earlier. Doctor said my spine was just fine and the 'lump' is caused by over-pronounced spinal erectors.

Crat:

To me it looks like not only your lower back is rounding, but your upper back too. On the last reps your starting to fall too far forward as well.

I think you need to get on some mobility work and then work on your form with lower weight. Check Matt Ogus lower body warm up drills on youtube (channel name is flexforall2). Also, try to let the knees travel out to the sides instead of in front of your toes. That'll allow you to keep a more ipright torso and will enable the hamstring stretch-bounce reflex or whatever it's called. Basically it's more stable and will make you squat more.


I'd second conceptionist's points. It looks to me like your back just isn't strong enough for whatever weight was on that bar. The video shows your hips coming up and then opening up, when these two things should really be happening simultaneously. The general diagnostic question is: is there a weight at which you can squat without all that rounding? If not, then the limitation is probably mobility. If you can squat without back rounding at very low weights (or with no weights), then it's probably more of a strength issue.

 

[Crat]

My training bud says my back rounds more using bar only when warming up than when moderate weight is added. I'll def. start working on mobility, see if that helps. Could be a strength issue too though; good mornings?

 

[Towers]



What to do to prevent back rounding when squatting?
It looks a little worse than it is due to the 'lump' on my lower back I posted about earlier. Doctor said my spine was just fine and the 'lump' is caused by over-pronounced spinal erectors.

Butt wink is bullshit . There are lots of videos of guys squatting massive numbers that tuck under at the bottom and are fine. That said, putting my heels on 10lb plates makes up for my ****** dorsiflexion and allows me to keep my torso more upright, effectively the same thing as a board or squat shoes and it made my tuck less dramatic..

Missed my deadlift at 430, 425 and 405 today was a bad feel. I blame the heat.

 

[joshuadowen]

Butt wink is bullshit . There are lots of videos of guys squatting massive numbers that tuck under at the bottom and are fine. That said, putting my heels on 10lb plates makes up for my ****** dorsiflexion and allows me to keep my torso more upright, effectively the same thing as a board or squat shoes and it made my tuck less dramatic..

Missed my deadlift at 430, 425 and 405 today

. I blame the heat.

He's got a lot more than a small butt wink going on in that video, though. There was flexion throughout the spine.

 

[Towers]



He's got a lot more than a small butt wink going on in that video, though. There was flexion throughout the spine.

looks to me like he just has a big forward lean on and it turns the squat into two motions (hips rise->back straightens), the lump looks like his beefy errectors to me. i just get sick of "ooh dat buttwink, squats are dangerous, only do 1/4 squats and leg presses".