anyone want to be a judge?

thanks for calling me out on the smith machine... I'm gonna drop some weight next week and do the real deal. A little motivation is what I needed I guess.

Unfortunately we don't have a power rack, it's just one of those old school regular squat racks without the bars that come out on the side... so if I do fall, I'm blaming you guys. 

Official Sand Bagger of the Emancipation Detoxification. Protecting n00bs from floods since 2/12/08.

Ooooh, so thats what all this legal stuff has been about.  it's all phersans fault!  oob, iran, 9/11...

No the leg press is not the same as doing squats.

ORIGINAL: phersan

thanks for calling me out on the smith machine... I'm gonna drop some weight next week and do the real deal. A little motivation is what I needed I guess.

Unfortunately we don't have a power rack, it's just one of those old school regular squat racks without the bars that come out on the side... so if I do fall, I'm blaming you guys. 

 
that's the spirit.  Don't get pwnt by the smith

haha, i like how everyone calls me swole. whats wrong with calling me matt?

add me: www.myspace.com/mattlchef

Whats your screen name?

Its like people calling me nmoney, my real name is Nik. No one is going to call me that because... its not my screen name!

cookies all around! nom nom nom

ORIGINAL: getnswole

haha, i like how everyone calls me swole. whats wrong with calling me matt?

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

ORIGINAL: Nm0ney34

cookies all around! nom nom nom

 
hahaha wtf

hi nik, my name is matt. nice to meet u. thanks for judging my gay squats.

add me: www.myspace.com/mattlchef

ORIGINAL: Nm0ney34

Whats your screen name?

Its like people calling me nmoney, my real name is Nik. No one is going to call me that because... its not my screen name!

cookies all around! nom nom nom

ORIGINAL: getnswole

haha, i like how everyone calls me swole. whats wrong with calling me matt?

WHen I met Brihead and yet, Brihead out right refused to call us by anything other than our sign in names.

Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was???

"Hey hardway, gonna grab another beer", Yikes!

haha, silly bri.

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

i dunno.. i think i'd kinda like people calling me "fox" in public.

My name is FOX.... and I approve this message.

ORIGINAL: phersan

thanks for calling me out on the smith machine... I'm gonna drop some weight next week and do the real deal. A little motivation is what I needed I guess.

Unfortunately we don't have a power rack, it's just one of those old school regular squat racks without the bars that come out on the side... so if I do fall, I'm blaming you guys. 

 
The smith can be good but I would do the majority of your squating the real way. lol...
If you dont have spotting bars then I would get someone to spot you when you go heavy, you need one or the other, you could get hurt real bad if you cant get the weight off your back. Plus when you are trying to max ATG sometimes you go down but you dont go back up. lol.

red jeep speaks the truFe.

there have been several times where my quads just give out, and matt has to help me back up (granted i'm still pushing, but it's not enough by myself)

and... our gym doesn't have a power squatting rack, which sucks.  but oh well, that's what a good workout partner is for

My name is FOX.... and I approve this message.

ORIGINAL: Nm0ney34

Holy ****ing ****...

tell me this is a joke...

please?

duuuuuuuuuuude im not going to make fun of you... but take it down and work on your squat...

watch this and then re-watch your squats...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwXy8Dlgvzo&feature=related

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

Swole for your sake I suggest you take that vid down before you get ripped to pieces for doing 1/4 squats.

I know Rippetoe is the expert and everything, but I wouldn't recommend that swole (or anybody else who watched the video) bend over as far at the waist. He's using a belt and his lower back is probably 3 times as strong as mine but I'd still recommend keeping the chest up more and letting the legs/hips do all the work, not the lower back. His depth is obviously solid, maybe that's the point you were making.

Age: 26 Height: 5'10
Weight as of 8/31/08: 160lbs.
Current weight: 180lbs.
Semi-Clean Bulkin!
Current Maxes as of 6/4/08:
Squat: 250lbs.
Deadlift: 255lbs.
Bench: 285lbs.

ORIGINAL: MDClifter

ORIGINAL: Nm0ney34

Holy ****ing ****...

tell me this is a joke...

please?

duuuuuuuuuuude im not going to make fun of you... but take it down and work on your squat...

watch this and then re-watch your squats...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwXy8Dlgvzo&feature=related

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

Swole for your sake I suggest you take that vid down before you get ripped to pieces for doing 1/4 squats.

I know Rippetoe is the expert and everything, but I wouldn't recommend that swole (or anybody else who watched the video) bend over as far at the waist. He's using a belt and his lower back is probably 3 times as strong as mine but I'd still recommend keeping the chest up more and letting the legs/hips do all the work, not the lower back. His depth is obviously solid, maybe that's the point you were making.

What you recommend is physically impossible. The bar has to be over the middle of your feet for you to be in balance. This defines how much you will lean forward. And you don't seem to realize that squats are a BACK exercise too.

not exactly, if you watch the vid coldfire... it seems he's using the lower back to start the lift at the bottom. 

aren't you supposed to drive the weight up using the hamstrings/glutes/quads?  i know the lower back is there to support weight, and you might be leaning over somewhat. but it just looks like he's doing a back extension/partial good morning in order to get the weight moving upwards.

at least that's my opinion.   you're correct though.. there is NO physical way to be perfectly straight and still have the bar over the middle of your feet.  i think the main issue was due to using the lower back to start the lift.

My name is FOX.... and I approve this message.

ORIGINAL: TheSilverFox

not exactly, if you watch the vid coldfire... it seems he's using the lower back to start the lift at the bottom.

aren't you supposed to drive the weight up using the hamstrings/glutes/quads? i know the lower back is there to support weight, and you might be leaning over somewhat. but it just looks like he's doing a back extension/partial good morning in order to get the weight moving upwards.

at least that's my opinion. you're correct though.. there is NO physical way to be perfectly straight and still have the bar over the middle of your feet. i think the main issue was due to using the lower back to start the lift.

There is no way to move a weight with the back. The back muscles only contruct to hold your spine in the correct position. A correct hip drive looks the way you see in the video. There is no partial good morning, because his back angle stays constant, but you can clearly see he is driving with the hips.

What happens in a "partial good morning squat" is that the hips extend without the bar going up. Then you see a good morning...

so, you don't think that movie looks a bit awkward at the bottom of the lift?   and he isn't leaning over too far is he?   to me, it seemed that the hips weren't starting the lift, but rather something else.   and i don't know why, but it just looks like he's leaning over a bit too much.   maybe not, i have no clue.  i'm not a squat expert by any means.   

tell me what you think coldfire

My name is FOX.... and I approve this message.

i don't think i got involved in the last debate about this but I see nothing wrong with those.  like coldfire said he drives with his hips and keeps his chest coming up.  there was maybe 1 or 2 towards the end where he was a bit slower on the way up so it looks different, but the motion was the same 1-10 in my eyes.  It all starts with the hips.  I'm making sure i do the same.

No the leg press is not the same as doing squats.

hip drive is one of the biggest things that confuses me.  I feel that i'm doing squats with great form.  but when people mention "hip drive"  i'm not 100% sure what they mean.

one person told me, that it just means "get your ass MOVING upward".    But when i'm at the bottom of my lift, i'm thinking "get the ass moving"... and i just end up pushing as hard as i can with my feet.

i don't know.  one of these days i need to post a video of matt and I squatting and get the good ole'  critique from DBB.   I am going low enough though.  I'm almost sitting down on the floor sometimes.  I've had trainers tell me I'm going well enough.. so i'm not worried about that really. 

My name is FOX.... and I approve this message.

It just kind of clicked for me last week.  try squatting down (meaning no weight just whenever) and raise with only your butt while thinking of using your hamstring to get up.  and then see if you can squat down and up using mainly your quad.  if you can see that difference, than i think you will understand.  thats how i got it to click.  you want to keep your hamstring active.

No the leg press is not the same as doing squats.

ORIGINAL: TheSilverFox

hip drive is one of the biggest things that confuses me. I feel that i'm doing squats with great form. but when people mention "hip drive" i'm not 100% sure what they mean.

one person told me, that it just means "get your ass MOVING upward". But when i'm at the bottom of my lift, i'm thinking "get the ass moving"... and i just end up pushing as hard as i can with my feet.

i don't know. one of these days i need to post a video of matt and I squatting and get the good ole' critique from DBB. I am going low enough though. I'm almost sitting down on the floor sometimes. I've had trainers tell me I'm going well enough.. so i'm not worried about that really.

ֳNo, he is not leaning too much. The amount of forward lean is defined by your body structure and how low you hold the bar. I bet that you are holding the bar high on your traps, that's why you think he leaning forward too much.

Hip drive is thinking about moving your ass upwards. You can feel it if you squat down with no weight and have someone put a hand just above your ass. Then drive up and you will see what is hip drive.

But if you are squatting with the bar on the traps, it feels more like the way you describe.

thanks coldfire/mobster.  makes sense.

i've been trying to put the bar on the lower portion of my traps / upper back.

My name is FOX.... and I approve this message.

ORIGINAL: coldfire

ֳNo, he is not leaning too much. The amount of forward lean is defined by your body structure and how low you hold the bar. I bet that you are holding the bar high on your traps, that's why you think he leaning forward too much.

Hip drive is thinking about moving your ass upwards. You can feel it if you squat down with no weight and have someone put a hand just above your ass. Then drive up and you will see what is hip drive.

But if you are squatting with the bar on the traps, it feels more like the way you describe.

This is probably why it looked strange to me. He appears to be considerably taller than I am, which I guess would explain why he appears to bend more at the waist. I wasn't at all suggesting that you try to keep your upper body straight up and down while you do squats. I guess it came across that way. Hell, it might even look like that when I do squats, its hard to tell from looking straight on at the mirror, it just didn't feel to me like I was bend over that much at the waist. Silver is right though, we really just need to shoot a quick video and let you guys rip it up as well or even for our own viewing. I think if I saw how I was squatting from a side view it would probably lay to rest any questions I have myself on whether I am doing it "right" or not.

The whole "hip drive" definately makes sense to me. I can feel my hip flexers getting some work when I squat so I guess that's a good sign?

Age: 26 Height: 5'10
Weight as of 8/31/08: 160lbs.
Current weight: 180lbs.
Semi-Clean Bulkin!
Current Maxes as of 6/4/08:
Squat: 250lbs.
Deadlift: 255lbs.
Bench: 285lbs.

ORIGINAL: MDClifter

ORIGINAL: coldfire

ֳNo, he is not leaning too much. The amount of forward lean is defined by your body structure and how low you hold the bar. I bet that you are holding the bar high on your traps, that's why you think he leaning forward too much.

Hip drive is thinking about moving your ass upwards. You can feel it if you squat down with no weight and have someone put a hand just above your ass. Then drive up and you will see what is hip drive.

But if you are squatting with the bar on the traps, it feels more like the way you describe.

This is probably why it looked strange to me. He appears to be considerably taller than I am, which I guess would explain why he appears to bend more at the waist. I wasn't at all suggesting that you try to keep your upper body straight up and down while you do squats. I guess it came across that way. Hell, it might even look like that when I do squats, its hard to tell from looking straight on at the mirror, it just didn't feel to me like I was bend over that much at the waist. Silver is right though, we really just need to shoot a quick video and let you guys rip it up as well or even for our own viewing. I think if I saw how I was squatting from a side view it would probably lay to rest any questions I have myself on whether I am doing it "right" or not.

The whole "hip drive" definately makes sense to me. I can feel my hip flexers getting some work when I squat so I guess that's a good sign?

Actually he is shorter than you. Height has nothing to do with body proportions.

Actually, if you feel your hip flexors you are doing something wrong. Probably letting your knees drift forward at the bottom.

I hear ya on the video.  i need to figure out a way of doing that.  I should make sure I do what i tend to preach sometimes.  deadlifts too.

No the leg press is not the same as doing squats.

I feel like sometimes I really need to post a vid to see how im doing, im sure I do something wrong...but its like you try to help other people and give advice out...hopefully your doing what you preach.

the only way I could possibly record myself is if I bring in my macbook and record a video on here...seriously who takes a lap top to a gym.

anyway, im glad the video has helped you guys. And of course CF to help explain things.

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

ORIGINAL: Nm0ney34

I feel like sometimes I really need to post a vid to see how im doing, im sure I do something wrong...but its like you try to help other people and give advice out...hopefully your doing what you preach.

ָEveryone who trains without a coach does something wrong. You can't keep your form perfect all the time without someone watching and correcting you once in a while.

The next best thing is to take videos of yourself and fix your form next time. And if you read Starting Strength, then you don't need anyone's opinion and you can see your errors by yourself.

well in that case i kinda coach myself.  i tell my lifting partner what to look for and to make sure i do certain things.  I know i sometimes get my weight to far foward but i correct it on the next rep.  I'm always worried about keeping the bar over the middle of my foot, which inturns leads me to worry about whether i'm leaning to far forward.  other than those things i feel pretty comfortable with everything else.  It's fun for me to learn and help teach proper form.  my lifting partner is a hard learner!

No the leg press is not the same as doing squats.

Here's an old video of me squatting. http://youtube.com/watch?v=V5o43YIrdW8

Everbody at the gym I go to was telling me my form was perfect and I believed them. I thought the only thing that mattered was going low, but that isn't true. In actuality going just below parallel with awesome form is ten times better than going atg with crap form. Anyways the problem I was having was my hamstrings and glutes never got involved and my heels keep coming off the floor when I squated. I learned that it was due to me letting my knees go to far past my knees and not sitting back. When I corrected this I started to feel my glutes and hamstrings and guess what, my heels stopped coming off the floor.

ORIGINAL: dmobley01

well in that case i kinda coach myself. i tell my lifting partner what to look for and to make sure i do certain things. I know i sometimes get my weight to far foward but i correct it on the next rep. I'm always worried about keeping the bar over the middle of my foot, which inturns leads me to worry about whether i'm leaning to far forward. other than those things i feel pretty comfortable with everything else. It's fun for me to learn and help teach proper form. my lifting partner is a hard learner!

You worry about the wrong things. The bar is always where it should be, because if it isn't you will fall. Worry about moving your hips the right way and keeping your chest high. How much you lean is not something to worry about. It is a function of bar position and knees position.