piss poor squat technique

klint

klint

Member
Started my routine to day but as the reps and weight increased i was almost bending over on the rise and not going deep enough. i think i have been doing this for a while. not good at all. one of the guys said it could be down to my flexoids or something and suggested putting 2 platea on the floor and standing with my heel on the . i couldnt belive it . straight away i could go deep and realy feel the drive through my quads and glutes with out the strain on my lower back
such a small adjustment but very happy with he`s help.
 
klint said:
Started my routine to day but as the reps and weight increased i was almost bending over on the rise and not going deep enough. i think i have been doing this for a while. not good at all. one of the guys said it could be down to my flexoids or something and suggested putting 2 platea on the floor and standing with my heel on the . i couldnt belive it . straight away i could go deep and realy feel the drive through my quads and glutes with out the strain on my lower back
such a small adjustment but very happy with he`s help.
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You can also buy very cheap asics wrestling shoes. The heels are tilted up for this reason. Many a powerlifter and bodybuilder (kai greene swairs by it) do this. Easier than keeping up with perfect foot placement on a static plate. Works well for deadlifts too. I also used to have this problem.
 
to me it is common for those that lean over a lot and cant go deep on a squat it means their back is plenty strong so their body uses that as much as possible and when you lean over a lot you cannot go that deep. the fix, IMO, is make your legs stronger.

also a lot of hip mobility work can do wonders for getting deeper as well. here is a good one from mobility wod
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asooneyeonig said:
to me it is common for those that lean over a lot and cant go deep on a squat it means their back is plenty strong so their body uses that as much as possible and when you lean over a lot you cannot go that deep. the fix, IMO, is make your legs stronger.

also a lot of hip mobility work can do wonders for getting deeper as well. here is a good one from mobility wod
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dude. the amount of sense that makes is incredible. lol. i never even considered that to be the culprit. but it makes perfect sense. just like when youre curling, the body attempts to move the arm to a path that allows use of forearms and or front delts. this is probably what my problem was because ive had it sense day one and i have always had TINY legs. very weak. its better now of course, but i wish i had been doing more leg press as opposed to reverse crunches for lower back! lol
 
Some vid it reminds me of a turkish massage. flex is king lol. looking forward to see how i get on inthe future with this. defo going to use more streaching and flexing in the future.
 
My original strength coach back in hs had me doing this and it's never stopped I use 10lb to put under my heals. I have since seen squat box with the same camber to place the heels slightly higher.
 
instead of placing something under the heels, if you dont have the mobility to do a proper squat that is, just get some o lifting shoes.
 
asooneyeonig said:
instead of placing something under the heels, if you dont have the mobility to do a proper squat that is, just get some o lifting shoes.
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I will stay with the plates under my heels (no cost), It definitely has nothing to do with strength of legs, I will put mine against most anyone with similar stats and it not even close to compare strength, size, or cuts. I think Arnold describes it best that the hieght of the torso, especially with taller lifters, causes the heels to want to rise. Its an angle game.

Also just a side note, if the lifting shoes are made to give an angle to the feet then the proper squat would be with the angle. food for thought.

I learned this technique 15 years ago plus, and has worked great for me. I also have a box that is made just for this purpose. If I was powerlifting instead of lifting for a great physique, I may not use it, just for the fact its not done in competition.
 
With proper form and mobility, height of the torso shouldn't have anything to do with the heels coming up. Olympic lifting shoes and plates simply change the shin angle (less dorsiflexion) and allows a more firm base to push through (wood block in the heels). It goes back to mobility, more often than not, in my experiences.
 
tigerdb2 said:
With proper form and mobility, height of the torso shouldn't have anything to do with the heels coming up. Olympic lifting shoes and plates simply change the shin angle (less dorsiflexion) and allows a more firm base to push through (wood block in the heels). It goes back to mobility, more often than not, in my experiences.
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Bolded was my point about lifting shoes. It changes the angle just as a plate would its the design.
 
02sixxer said:
I will stay with the plates under my heels (no cost), It definitely has nothing to do with strength of legs, I will put mine against most anyone with similar stats and it not even close to compare strength, size, or cuts. I think Arnold describes it best that the hieght of the torso, especially with taller lifters, causes the heels to want to rise. Its an angle game.

Also just a side note, if the lifting shoes are made to give an angle to the feet then the proper squat would be with the angle. food for thought.
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the point of lifting shoes is its more stable and can help with other lifts. since i have gotten my o shoes i have found most of my overhead work has improved as well.

as for needing it, it has nothing to with strength at least as the point i made nor did i even bring up strength at all. my point was all about mobility. no matter your torso to thigh length relationship proper mobility is need to get full powerlifting depth as well as deeper. heck, even olympic squatting requires good mobility. i used to use that as a crutch and as an excuse. once i got more mobile in the hips i can now go ATG while being barefoot and at 90% of my powerlifting squat max. the mistake in mobility people make is thinking its all about the hamstrings. i have found that the groin and hip flexors are the key to a deep powerful squat.

if you want to use plates cause that is what you prefer that is awesome and please continue to do so and even recommend it as a cheaper alternative. just do not spout of about strength when the issue is mobility and dont knock a more stable platform via safer equipment as you will get called out on it.
 
asooneyeonig said:
the point of lifting shoes is its more stable and can help with other lifts. since i have gotten my o shoes i have found most of my overhead work has improved as well.as for needing it, it has nothing to with strength at least as the point i made nor did i even bring up strength at all. my point was all about mobility. no matter your torso to thigh length relationship proper mobility is need to get full powerlifting depth as well as deeper. heck, even olympic squatting requires good mobility. i used to use that as a crutch and as an excuse. once i got more mobile in the hips i can now go ATG while being barefoot and at 90% of my powerlifting squat max. the mistake in mobility people make is thinking its all about the hamstrings. i have found that the groin and hip flexors are the key to a deep powerful squat.
if you want to use plates cause that is what you prefer that is awesome and please continue to do so and even recommend it as a cheaper alternative. just do not spout of about strength when the issue is mobility and dont knock a more stable platform via safer equipment as you will get called out on it.
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First Bold, I ve never lifted in o shoes so I cant comment, but if your lifts are going up due to the egronomics of the platform which is raised heels then that was my point.

Question on second bold, why 90%? my point was the plates put the feet in a better position to push through the heels. but if they are not needed and dont add to the ability to move more weight then I would think it would be eaqual lifting shoe (angle) vs barefoot (no angle). I am not being an ass, just analyzing here. Also I aree you should do a set flat footed from time to time. But notevery time you work out.

Bold 3 this I agree on 100% the hip flexors and groin make a huge impact on squats. The deeper you go the more impact.

Last paragraph, thats a joke. Because someone uses workout shoes does not mean they have a mobility problem, it means they prefer a platform of another. Hence you choose to do your reps in workout shoes instead of flat footed. You prefer that platform over another. That does not mean the next person in Vibrams next to you has more mobility. It means you have two different ideas on your platforms.

Your "call out" is wrong. Mobility may be an issue in some people but the fact one platform is prefered over another does not mean there is a fault. I am first to admit most my workouts are about building a better looking body, I dont care what I can move (ecentric anyday), but legs are different. I thrive on doing legs. It my personal favorite, Its my goal to have great quads, hams, calves, flexors; especially in competing. When I can lift my shorts and show my leg match the body builders I love it.
 
Changing the angle of the shin aides those without adequate mobility. The very same principle as plates under heels, yes. He and others are speaking more to ankle mobility as I believe we were talking about heels rising. You don't have to use them for that purpose but It's advantageous regardless. Secondly, the block in the heel provides a more stable base and, as s harder material than rubber, will reduce the amount of force lost through the cushion of a softer material.
 
02sixxer said:
First Bold, I ve never lifted in o shoes so I cant comment, but if your lifts are going up due to the egronomics of the platform which is raised heels then that was my point.

Question on second bold, why 90%? my point was the plates put the feet in a better position to push through the heels. but if they are not needed and dont add to the ability to move more weight then I would think it would be eaqual lifting shoe (angle) vs barefoot (no angle). I am not being an ass, just analyzing here. Also I aree you should do a set flat footed from time to time. But notevery time you work out.

Bold 3 this I agree on 100% the hip flexors and groin make a huge impact on squats. The deeper you go the more impact.

Last paragraph, thats a joke. Because someone uses workout shoes does not mean they have a mobility problem, it means they prefer a platform of another. Hence you choose to do your reps in workout shoes instead of flat footed. You prefer that platform over another. That does not mean the next person in Vibrams next to you has more mobility. It means you have two different ideas on your platforms.

Your "call out" is wrong. Mobility may be an issue in some people but the fact one platform is prefered over another does not mean there is a fault. I am first to admit most my workouts are about building a better looking body, I dont care what I can move (ecentric anyday), but legs are different. I thrive on doing legs. It my personal favorite, Its my goal to have great quads, hams, calves, flexors; especially in competing. When I can lift my shorts and show my leg match the body builders I love it.
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I agree with you. As i use shoes, and used to use plates. BUT. You cant say its not an advantageous platform. Yes its preference. But thats like saying my preference in bench is a bench shirt. Then my strength compared to a raw bench is totally irrelevant because the shirt makes it WAY easier to move big weight. As does decreasing the amount of mobility needed in the ankle on squats. Not flaming. Like i said i do it too. But it does make it easier than flat footed. Preference or not.
 
I do agree its advantegous. I
 
Plates and shoes are a great help, I agree. Another common squat mistake is people tend to forget about their core because they are so focused on the legs. Concentrate on really keeping your abs and butt tight, it'll help a lot
 
grandroid828 said:
You can also buy very cheap asics wrestling shoes. The heels are tilted up for this reason. Many a powerlifter and bodybuilder (kai greene swairs by it) do this. Easier than keeping up with perfect foot placement on a static plate. Works well for deadlifts too. I also used to have this problem.
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Chuck Taylor's work nice also:D


"Victory is Reserved for those willing to pay its price"

~Unknown~
 
asoon hit it when he spoke about mobility. At first I used to blame my ankle mobility from holding me back from a deep squat. After doing DC calf raises/presses, that is no longer an issue. However, oly squat depth still was.

Skipping to the end, I have found that issues that held back my squat depth included groin stiffness and anything holding back hip exterior rotation mobility (likely the glutes). Once I attacked those 2 items and I started being able to truly push my knees out on the way down, I could practically drop straight down and my hams would be on my calves.

I know for me, it was a great way to work on a more permanent solution. So you could go with the oly lifting shoes, the platform under your heels (I would say this is inferior to the oly shoes but nothing to really back this up), or you could fix your mobility to allow you to squat to depth. Oh and I definitely have you all beat in terms of height and such issues :)
 
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