Squat Doctor

Are the low bar box squats as louie simmons have them optimal for soorts training

knees dont necessarily have to pass the toes. its dependent on multiple factors, mainly lever ratios. i suggest trying to roll the adductors in addition to the IT bands, and also try to do some work on your psoas. A standard concept in physio work is that the knees are rarely fucked up themselves, its usually a problem in the hips or the ankles/feet that cause imbalances that eventually fuck up knee structures. Kelly Starrett has great content on fixing psoas issues, that will also address working on the adductors. best thing i can suggest is my routine, which is rolling out the IT bands, working a lacrosse ball into the hip socket and psoas, and then lacrosse ball rolling the hip socket from behind to do work on the piriformis and other posterior hip rotators/extensors

It depends on your sport, but chances are, No. Box squats have one purpose. Generating power out of the hole. It removes the stretch reflex, where you bounce off of the tension stored in your muscles when you hit the bottom of the squat, which is used to get a head start pushing back up. By removing the stretch reflex, you are telling your body that the motion pattern you want it to learn is to relax at the bottom of the squat, which is never optimal in sport. soccer, football, wrestling, boxing, underwater basket weaving, these all involve some sort of stretch reflex usage to generate more explosive power. Train the movement you actually use. Squat

Highbar, knees cave and stability goes to shit unless I really concentrate at 2pl8+

chances are you are lacking hip drive. double check a few things as you warm up to 2pl8 next time. is your chest high? Did you draw your ribcage down? Did you twist the floor and push your knees out instead of forward? any one of these could cause valgus knee, which is a symptom of pushing with the quads to the exclusion of the glutes.

to correct myself: failure to do any of these could cause valgus....

I have terrible knock knees also friend, and you won't have a good squat if you care about your knee health.

I started to really struggle at around 250+lbs and went to all sorts of medical pros to try and see what could be done. To fix knock knee I need surgery. I pretty much got told by everyone that if I continue to squat heavy weights (for me) that I will force surgery on both legs by the time I'm 30.

I don't do heavy squats anymore, I just do lunges and ghrs for legs.

thanks dude, I'll try it out

Roid fag here
Backinfo. Spend about a hour stretching 3 times a week. Lotta cardio, sprints, hills sled drags.
I was doing a workset of 405 for ten highbar when at the bottom of rep 9 i heard and felt a nasty pop in the quad, its been about 6 hours and it hasnt started to colour yet.... should I ne worried or is it a nasty strain?

I don't think I have knock knees since my knees are quite far apart with my feet together but it still seems like my knees naturally face in. Idk man my legs are sort of fucked up lol

OP here, i had something similar happen, not quad but adductor. it was a strain, took about 3 weeks for me to feel okay again. dont stretch it, that will make it a lot worse, just take it easy. once you feel no pain, start doing light stretch work

form critique please last set of 4x3 squats at 85%

good. you could stand to have a more neutral head angle, and to push your knees out a lot more. its hard to tell, but it looks like you have a valgus knee. something else to add, is you could probably get a lot more power if you focused on getting your hamstrings involved in the lift. you look quad dominant. think about pulling your knees backwards during the ascent. its a strange queue but it may give you some extra power

youtu.be/wTxVy_hHZSA

Hey, so squats have never really felt right to me. My legs have been lacking in comparison to the rest of my body (265lb bench) 225 with shit form (maybe I if can even get that) squat. I've tried high bar squatting with a somewhat narrow stance and that gave me knee pain.

I've tried rippletits low bar wider stance and I get lower back pain.

I'm about to give up on squats desu, it's been around 1.5 years and It's beyond frustrating. Thanks man.

Cant go ATG because my center of gravity is fucked up and i tip backwards past parallel

Hey, I'm new to lifting and 16. Forgot it you have to be 18 for fit, if so whatever. I can honestly bench more than I squat and I rep 5x5 120 on bench. I have the Genetics, both of my brothers are big and my legs are bigger than theirs naturally! What should I do to help my form or increase my mobility? Thanks

I don't lurk here much so I don't know what the consensus is, but is it better and safe to ATG all the time? I'm new to lifting but I worked up from bodyweight squats to pistol squats before I picked up the barbell. So naturally I had the mobility to squat really low, and that's how I've been doing it for the past 1 1/2 months. But now that I'm past 2pl8 it's getting harder and feels kinda icky to squat so low. Also high bar or low bar? I'm not training for any sport, just for general strength, fitness, mobility.

my knees do tend to wobble inward when im pushing the weight higher if that indicates anything.

Ill try feeling the hamstring more. Might be that when i do involve my hamstrings more my butt raises way faster than my upper body, like im goodmorning the weight up. I focus on driving my whole body up, which i guess is hitting the quads a lot more.

What part of the squat causes patella tendinitis? Knees too far forward? Valgus? Lifting off toes and balls?

Whenever I squat, it never feels right. My quads always feel incredibly weak. I feel solidly supported over my left leg, but my right feels like it's doing way less. However, when I come up out of the hole, it's the quads on my right leg that feel especially taxed. I never feel like I'm activating the muscles right. Please help squat doctor, this is a bad case. Due to no spotter, fear of the movement, little food, and long periods far far away from any gyms, I'm still struggling with just over 1pl8.

This is a form issue. Keep your chest up. You fall backwards because your chest falls, throwing your weight back

Bouncing at the bottom of atg squat

I can't get wide enough.
Rip says to place your heels in line with your shoulders, but it feels really weird to me and I can barely hold it.
Squat feels much better when I place my feet closer.
Any tips?

1. neutral head position, a bit more down, pull the chin back
2. draw the ribcage down. chris duffin's video with silent mike goes over this concept in great detail
3. you have lower back rounding at the bottom of the squat, this can come from a few sources. most likely, you need to get your knees out. next most likely, you need better lat engagement (chris duffins video with supertraining gym on deadlift form goes over lat engagement in the deadlift, which applies to the squat as well)
3. you let yourself squat deeper than is necessary. if this is a goal of yours, you need to do work to let you hit that depth safely. until then, you should squat to parallel instead.

OP here, i answered a few questions while i was lifting, but im back to finish up.

Ban city, ban ban city bitch. squats in themselves are a mobility test and exercise. for general mobility, just do more squats, for specific mobility issues, i can give specific
feedback

double check your form. anecdotally, a lot of people who come from pistol squats never learn to keep their low back tight. if this is you, double check your core cues.
1. stand up straight
2. take a medium breath
3. draw the ribcage down
4. pull the bar around your back
5. push the knees out (not forward)

what specifically about the squat feels "icky"?
low bar for balanced leg and core strength, high bar for quads.

if your needs wiggle to the center, that means you are using your quads instead of your glutes. squats work both, but a proper squat is primarily a glute exercise. focus on keeping the chest high, and pushing your dick into the imaginary squat thot in front of you.

this is a complicated one. ill address a few things. you said your left leg feels stable, and the right leg feels like its doing work. this sounds very very unstable. I recommend following the above advice, and posting a video. your case sounds a bit too vague and complex to fix this way

What specifically feels weird about it? does something hurt or feel stretched? or is it just power loss?

I guess it feels stretched. But too much, you know, like it's gonna tear..

If i'm not paying very close attention (it often happens on the last rep of last set) my hips rise much faster than my knees extend, leaving me with a bent back and leaning too far forwards.

I know its a form thing but where should i focus on to get rid of this habit?

Also Im struggling with what I can only describe as "not being able to activate my muscles",
I reach the sticking point and I slow right down, basically stop. I know I'm not that close to failure, but it takes me a second to concentrate and push "that extra bit more" from my muscles.
Especially glutes I think.

Currently my 1RM is 315 with no belt. I normally finish my squat days doing 275x3 with no belt. If I bought a belt would I see my numbers increase? I want to work towards doing 315 for reps

Can't post a video right now, but very poor ankle dorsiflexion due to motorcycle accident. Can't flex past 90°. Help?

You've kind of got two options here. One is to raise your heels via oly shoes or whatever to simulate having some amount of dorsiflexion. The other is to try and find a style of squatting that doesn't require much/any dorsiflexion - that's not practical for everyone and will usually require quite a wide stance with a fair bit of lean.

yes, you will be able to lift more weight with a belt.

I've been substituting RFESS and they've been working quite well. Thoughts as a permanent replacement to back squat?

Would you say 315x3 is a realistic goal if I were to buy a belt and squat tomorrow?

Not a fan personally (too awkward to load, imo) but if its working there's no reason to fuck with it.

Different guy, but not likely. You don't normally get much more than 10% out of a belt (if that) once you're used to using it and have the bracing down. Just throw one on for the first time and you're likely to get little or no carryover. Might even end up squatting less temporarily.

Thanks for this

when i squat my butt seems to go a bit more to the right (i feel like i am shifting more of the weight to the right leg)...

Is this bounce different to the stretch reflex at the bottom?

Yes but what specifically gets stretched

No. They refer to the same thing. Though some might say that the bounce out of the bottom is overdoing the stretch reflex

Not necessarily. The stretch reflex is muscular (and doesn't actually require you to hit end of ROM, any eccentric will contribute to it), the bounce can be that or it can be rebounding off the end of your knee joint ROM.

The latter is obviously much more stressful on the knees than the former.

I don't have legs

OP here, rebounding off of your knee joint isnt a thing. no matter how much of a stretch you get, its still the tendons that bounce, not the ligaments. so its a muscular stretch.

I don't have a video out here is my problem. I can go down fine but it's the lift off from the bottom that I can't get. I feel like I'm about to just fall down. However once I make it a third of the way up I'm able to push myself up nicely and finish the squat. It's just the low end start that ruins me. Advice?

6'3 with long legs shorter torso.

Can DL 3.5 for 5 reps but my squat is barely 2.5 for 3 reps

My issue is back folding (accidental good morning) when I push up from an ATG highbar squat.

Also what percentage should my front squat be of my highbar back squat for the same amount of reps?

Thank you mi hermano.

Usually ~80-85% if you're technically proficient at both lifts.

Thanks. Ive been doing around 75% and thought I could give a bit more.

Maybe im not doing too bad eh.

if i do nothing but ohps till i cant feel my legs (usually about 70 long and slow ones, no barbell) every other day will i look cool?
asking because i havent done much besides sit the past 8 years of my life so i can barely do 5 proper pushups and cant elevate my upper back on core excercises

overhead squats i mean my bad

I am fairly new to lifting and when i squat low i get a burning pain in between my right hip and my belly button, but only really on the first set, and it goes away fairly quickly.

Do i just ignore it?

youtu.be/IxAVJkbTf0M

Some people literally cannot squat without hip impingement and lumbar flexion.

Have you considered low bar? I'm long leg + short torso as well (although a manlet), and I switched to low bar recently and it's just way better.
Less knee caving, way stronger, my entire back feels really TIGHT and safe when I squat.

I have the problem when front squatting my elbows are pointing downwards when i come to the end of my sets because i get exhausted. is there any possibility to avoid that??
also when back squatting my torso is almost collapsing. should i go down with the weight?

thanks

Sounds like a hip flexors/psoas issue. Common when new sedetary lifters start squatting often. Could be impingement or straining. Focus on opening your hips when you squat.
Do the top and bottom stretches in this image every day. Hip flexor injuries suck and can take anywhere from weeks to several months to heal, you never know.

Comments?

Im trying to do whats better for general athleticism.. trued lowbar for abt 8 months too and i just cant get the hang of it

Any ideas anyone?

m8 getting stronger is what's good for general athleticism. If you're not getting stronger with high bar you're not getting more athletic, you're just stuck.
The difference in low bar and high bar isn't that big anyway. And low bar gives stronger hips, which is what every athlete needs.

I appreciate that, brother. Thanks. Ill try to balance high and low to be quite honest.

Go for a slower and more controlled drop

Watch this video.
youtube.com/watch?v=U5zrloYWwxw
The stuff about getting your back tight really helps.

What about my knees in the bottom? Don't they go forward a bit too much?

I'm trying to switch to low-bar squat, and I'm getting most of my form right, my question is, how are you supposed to balance the bar in the middle of your upper-back without it falling right off? What is it supposed to rest on?

i have an issue where my lower back rounds and sort of tucks in my tailbone at the bottom of the squat, what is preventing me from keeping my back neutral throughout the movement?

'morning doctor. I have ankle cartilage injury, and can't squat heavy for it will slowly destroy my joint. What do you recommend ?

thanks f.a.m

This is called buttwink, there are lots of things to try to fix it.
Usually its a mobility issue in hamstrings or maybe glutes, can also be due not having a wide enough stance, a wider stance effectively decreases the stretch in your hamstrings.

On your rear deltoids. Back tight, elbows in, and if the bar still doesn't automatically find the "shelf" point your elbows behind you and you can't miss it. Try to keep elbows close to body when actually squatting, though.

Also, I prefer to keep thumbs on top of the bar and hold it down on my shoulders, rather than support it, like that picture seems to be implying.

And when I said
>keep elbows close to body
I meant in line with the body, when viewed from the side.

>that guy in the back

>that guy in the back
kek
>That exercise is called:
>Why you... Gimmie my money!

OP, i came back just to answer this question. Buttwink is not a mobility issue of the hamstrings. Buttwink is caused by the lifter not pushing the legs out far enough. Try this right now. squat with your knees close together with one hand on your lower back. it will bend. Now push your knees hella far out. you will be able to maintain an erect spine. stop pushing bad info.

>stuck on 2x5 1.5pl8 ATG for over two weeks now
>want to be able to do 5x5
>2x5 is doable, but can't do another rep after that
Lads how do I proceed?
I started at 30lbs, progress was linear for a while, now it's slowed down significantly.
Also, is it even a good idea for a beginner to do ATG?

Quick fix: place some small plates under your heels and try again, has the same effect as a lifting shoe.
Works for me.

I've been squatting for about 3 months and I have been experiencing lower back pain. I have had friends look over my form and I have spent hours comparing it to others and I cannot identify anything wrong with it. Doing low bar

Yes

Thank you based user

Been squatting for about 6 months and can do 62.5kg 5x5, but if I increase the weight I get really bad upper back pain (upper thoracic/lower cervical spine). I have been doing planks/seated rows to strengthen my back and core, but it is meaning I can't linearly progress.

Is there anything else I can do to get myself past this wall? It is also affecting my other lifts because of my weak back/core. I'm doing ICF 5x5 right now

Several issues

1): I used to have shit ankle mobility,so I did the loaded stretch (the one where you put a barbell on your knees) ,now I've got decent mobility,but my left ankle doesn't get as far forward as the right one,been trying to repeat the stretch using a dumbbell on my left side but it won't budge.

2):Felt a very noticeable pinch in the front my left ankle when front squatting(trying to fix lagging quads) before losing control and slamming downwards,has this got something to do with the uneven mobility i mentioned in 1)

3):Post 80% 1RM,I hitch a little forward when coming out of the hole.Weak quads?Technique issue?

4):According to you what is the best cue for the ascent?I use chest up and hips through

5):I get really strange elbow pain post front squats.Not the joint itself,slightly above it(think lower tricep).It gets worse when I extend my arm.I don't have any trouble keeping my front rack.

bump pls

I have fucking long femurs which means I have to lean forward quite a lot when I do low bar. I don't have a video of it, but it looks pretty much the same as Maxx Chewning's squat (pic related). My questions being this:

1.Is leaning forward to such a degree harmful? Even if I have the weight on my heels and the bar path is straight?
2. Is low bar squatting not for me? I've thought about using a Haack-esque bar placement (somewhere between high and low bar), is this a better idea?
3. When doing rep work I have a tendency to lean forward, basically just doing a good morning, during the last couple of reps. What should I do to help this?

could i get a form check? this was the first set, highest weight i've squatted. also the first time i tried a stance wider than shoulders.

the webm somehow cut out the last half of the last rep, but i did make it.

Don't squat. Ask your real doctor about what motions are acceptable. Don't push injuries, you'll thank yourself later

Rest more between sets. Give it up to 6-7 minutes

OP here, back again. Don't do this. Its very unstable and can very quickly lead to injury. Either get the shoes, or learn to squat without them

Then this is the issue. If you get your knees pushed out the same distance you will fix the height issue. Try to do a set I'm a mirror and focus on pushing the inside knee out, and see what hurts. Then get back to me

Draw down the ribcage. Watch Chris duffin's squat video with silent Mike. He does a few minutes of explaining it.

Chewnings squat is weird as hell, and I wouldn't recommend it. Keep your chest up. It fixes so many problems. A lot of people don't understand this though. You cannot keep your chest up by arching the back, you keep the chest up by using your hamstrings to maintain a vertical back angle.

Not bad. Knees out, push more with the glutes. When I see a squatter stand up and end in a position like yours where the butt is sticking out, I can tell they aren't driving with the glutes

I just started SS last Wednesday

I had some pretty serious doms and could barely walk, and trying to squat hurt crazy bad. I managed to do some sets of unweighted squats today, but even those were hard.

How do I make the soreness go away? Will it be gone by Monday when I need to squat again?