how can i improve on squats

[cool dude]

I started going ALL the way down about 6 mos ago and that made a huge difference for me. Drop the weight if u have to and see. I get a kick out of guys that load up a bar with say 405and they weigh 150lbs then they go down a max of 3 inches if tha and grunt like hellthen rack the bar and look around to see if anyone is looking. What a waste of fucking time!

 

[donjob]

I started going ALL the way down about 6 mos ago and that made a huge difference for me. Drop the weight if u have to and see. I get a kick out of guys that load up a bar with say 405and they weigh 150lbs then they go down a max of 3 inches if tha and grunt like hellthen rack the bar and look around to see if anyone is looking. What a waste of fucking time!

so you been watchin me at the gym huh? creeper

 

[TripDaddy]

Deadlift and front squats. Deadlifting is a monster power builder. Front squat gets you deep in the hole with no balance issues. Try it out.

second this!

 

[gadogs83]

your both right imo lol. most wide squatter do better in flat soled shoes like wrestling shoes or chuck taylors / converse. guys who squat toes in and more narrow tend to do better in heels.


op imo some good mornings can help build your lower back / core up , try them.

good mornings were the best advice i have seen so far. glute hams work wonders too.

 

[BeastinTheEast]

Biggest things that improved my squat? Deadlift/Glute Ham Raise.

Ahhhh Simplicity.

But in all seriousness my deadlift improving had a dramatic effect on my squat strength, also able to hold 10x better form with heavier weights. Sounds to me like your quad dominant squatter, try box squatting and "sitting back" onto the bench/box. Do it for 4-8 weeks and throw glute ham raises in and i see a large increase in your squat young padawan (lol)

 

[BeastinTheEast]

Deadlift and front squats. Deadlifting is a monster power builder. Front squat gets you deep in the hole with no balance issues. Try it out.

I absolutely love Front Squats, once i got the form down it's my favorite plus a huge challenge for high reps!

 

[Bailey5011]

If you can leg press that but you can't squat for much then I'm thinking you're quads are extremely dominant and your glutes/hamstrings are weak. Focus on those with other exercises: Dead lifts/Hamstring Curls. But go till failure on each set and you'll be squatting bigger numbers in no time.

 

[gusto1]

before you squat down inhale thru your nose not your mouth it forces air into your core instead of your chest it really stabilizes your core muscles during the rep and really helps with squatting more weight.

 

[speeddemon]

Take the bar with no weight or very little weight and work on your form, then just gradually increase the weight like you would do any other exercise.

 

[ardbeg]

Also, it really doesn't hurt to have someone who knows the form cold to help you out with your form. If you "work on your form," but your knowledge is lacking or your form itself is crummy, you're only reinforcing bad patterns. Also, zombie thred.

 

[HeavyJ]

good mornings were the best advice i have seen so far. glute hams work wonders too.

YES- AGREED.

good squat debate

 

[donjob]

are you training for a powerlifting meet? if not then quit doing back squats. i quit a long time ago, my legs have grown. front squats are my main lift for legs now, you will naturally sit back and go deeper in the hole. it also puts more strain on the abdomen instead of the back. also bulgarian squats. lets say your 1rm for back squats is 300. you'd think that for bulgarian squats your 1rm would be 150. wrong. take 50% of your 1rm for back squats and do bulgarian squats, i guarantee you rep it out for 5+ reps. your postrior chain is the weak link in back squats, you are not effectively hitting your legs with back squats. so if you are doing squats for leg development, stop. switch to front squats and bulgarian squats and see what happens. also for the posterior chain i recommend glute ham raises, good mornings and hip thrusts.

 

[HeavyJ]

are you training for a powerlifting meet? if not then quit doing back squats. i quit a long time ago, my legs have grown. front squats are my main lift for legs now, you will naturally sit back and go deeper in the hole. it also puts more strain on the abdomen instead of the back. also bulgarian squats. lets say your 1rm for back squats is 300. you'd think that for bulgarian squats your 1rm would be 150. wrong. take 50% of your 1rm for back squats and do bulgarian squats, i guarantee you rep it out for 5+ reps. your postrior chain is the weak link in back squats, you are not effectively hitting your legs with back squats. so if you are doing squats for leg development, stop. switch to front squats and bulgarian squats and see what happens. also for the posterior chain i recommend glute ham raises, good mornings and hip thrusts.

^+1. front squats and more FS. paying alot of attention to form and driving out of the hole.

 

[barrysanders]

Look! if you want to get serious about your squats get yourself a partner. Someone that can spot you and give you that warm and fuzzy feeling when doing the exercise and help you out when in trouble. Also, you need to increase your weight wk to wk. I dont believe in the right shoes and that nonsense. Sure, it might help A LITTLE but just get something that you feel comfortable in.

Also, hit different angles..GET CREATIVE!!!!!!

I DO NOT agree with DON and Heavy ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ about doing front squats compared to back squats. I can only speak for myself and my experiences but I hardly EVER do fronts and my legs have grown CRAZY over the years.... GENETICS??? maybe....but I think its just hard work...especially since I have focused a lot of attention on my wheels over the years.. I'm 5'8 180-200lbs (depending on what Im doing) and can easily squat over 600lbs.

Hope this helps bro

 

[crazybaked]

Dead lifts and single leg presses increased my #'s.. and I've noticed wide stance toes out works my hams and glutes but feet at shoulder width and toes straight works quads.. I switch it up for shits and giggles and its been working for me.. good luck!

 

[donjob]

Look! if you want to get serious about your squats get yourself a partner. Someone that can spot you and give you that warm and fuzzy feeling when doing the exercise and help you out when in trouble. Also, you need to increase your weight wk to wk. I dont believe in the right shoes and that nonsense. Sure, it might help A LITTLE but just get something that you feel comfortable in.

Also, hit different angles..GET CREATIVE!!!!!!

I DO NOT agree with DON and Heavy ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ about doing front squats compared to back squats. I can only speak for myself and my experiences but I hardly EVER do fronts and my legs have grown CRAZY over the years.... GENETICS??? maybe....but I think its just hard work...especially since I have focused a lot of attention on my wheels over the years.. I'm 5'8 180-200lbs (depending on what Im doing) and can easily squat over 600lbs.

Hope this helps bro

to each his own, just tryin to help the guy out here. there's a lot of other options out there besides back squats, especially if you don't plan on competing in a meet any time soon. and i gotta disagree with you about the shoes, squatting barefoot or as close as you can to barefoot (chucks, wrestling shoes, minimalist running shoes) is a lot better for you and helps you sit back better. i'd highly advise against squatting in your run of the mill running shoes..... there's a reason the guys putting up heavy weight and setting records train like this. i'm not suggesting some 90 dollar pair of shoes "made" for squatting but some 40 dollar chucks are where it's at. and they look cool

 

[Alani]

if you wanna squat more do some good mornings some deadlifts and dont go every week 100 % .you should try to squat 100% once every 4-5 weeks .that means while you workout you have to reach your 90 maybe 95 % of the 1RM.
one example
75 % 5 reps
85 % 3 reps
90-95% 1 rep
then 3 sets on 85 % for 3 reps

do squats 3 times a week

 

[cbman2184]

ive been squating and deadlifting barefoot lately and i like it alot.

this is where it's at my friend ^^^
I feel way more stable!!

 

[cbman2184]

numbers never started to increase untill
I hit it ass to grass. gained a lot of power
by doing deadlifts too.

few tips that helped me
- thumbless grip helps to focus the weight
resting on your back and not your arms.

- try to pinch a quarter in between your sholder
blades to stiffen upper back.

- toes 30 deg out.

-if you don't squat barefoot try it out.
also try focusing on pushing with your HEELS.
I curl my front toes upward to keep weight on
heels. I feel way more power/stability when
I do this.

my .02c