The Bodybuilders Thread!

[Batista]

Why are the personal trainers always such lard-arses?

You just want a picture of my rippedness

 

[Aghori]

Klapppppit boets. Put on 'em wifebeaters and pop it like its hot!

 

[Batista]

Thank you for the advice and tips Tinuva. I really thought I was going to be terrible and totally useless.

As I've said. Never seen the inside of a gym, no partner and I just try to replicate what I saw in videos and articles.

I totally get the balance thing and I have actually watched that video you suggested a few weeks back. I do actually implement that but obviously as I tire, I lose focus and form. Will need to stay more focused and perhaps slow down each rep.

I'm definitely going to work on all of these issues. And I really hope it helps other people too.

Next I will film bench and then probably deadlifts.

Nice power rack!

You need to squat a lil deeper, go below parallel.
Also try putting your heels on that piece of plank at the back, because i see your balance is a bit off, and thats what i did when i started squats just to help my balance.

 

[APoc184]

Nice power rack!

You need to squat a lil deeper, go below parallel.
Also try putting your heels on that piece of plank at the back, because i see your balance is a bit off, and thats what i did when i started squats just to help my balance.

Thank you. Built it myself a while ago.

I'll definitely go deeper.

Will the planks help for balance in the beginning and then I can ditch it later, or do I continue with the plank? They are actually there to give me the lift off the ground for when I do calf raises.

 

[Tinuva]

You could also go barefoot, that will give far better stability than using planks and stuff to try and help balance you. Otherwise, use shoes that doesnt have air in the sole, and doesn't have a heel.

 

[thestaggy]

Does anyone have extensive experience with front squats? From what I am reading, front squats put far more strain on your knees and my knees are not the greatest.

 

[thestaggy]

Oh man... Here goes.
Squat video uploaded for help and critique. I filmed my 4th and 5th set to make sure I catch any bad form/errors because I was getting tired by then. I do feel at times that I come unto my toes a little bit and not drive through my heels. Otherwise I am pretty clueless and will appreciate any help.

Total weight of 80kg.

Excuse the cap. I was busy dirt biking the whole day and my hair was standing in all directions. MyBB cap was the easiest fix for filming.

/flamesuit on

Video here: http://youtu.be/EK8Fr33IlF0



EDIT: I'll probably only see replies tomorrow as I am going to bed now.

I struggle with toe-heel towards the end as well and it is really frustrating because I know I am mucking it up. After taking an hiatus and getting back into it, I've decided to lower my weights a bit in an attempt to perfect form.

 

[Sensorei]

Thank you. Built it myself a while ago.

I'll definitely go deeper.

Will the planks help for balance in the beginning and then I can ditch it later, or do I continue with the plank? They are actually there to give me the lift off the ground for when I do calf raises.

You should work on ankle flexibility first with lighter weights before you attempt weights where you end up having bad form. Maybe 40Kg total. With squats your power comes from driving through your heals. Some people just don't have the flexibility so putting plates under your heels isn't always a bad thing if you want to recruit the right muscles.

If you lean forward like you are doing you will progress very slowly. If you can't keep your feet planted then widen your stance a bit with your toes out a bit more. You are leaning forward as you come up and this is bad for your back. Once you have your feet sorted it will be a bit easier to avoid, but people also lean forward when their glutes and spinal erectors aren't strong enough yet.

This and restricted hip mobility seems to be your case. You're leaning to move the tension more onto your quads and off your spinal erectors onto your abs. This will cause rounding of the back if you go heavier and earn you a free ticket to snap city. Take a deep breath into your stomach and push out your stomach while tightening your abs to increase intra abdominal pressure. This will protect your spine and help a bit with the lean.

The squat is a very technical lift and takes ages to perfect so don't be hard on yourself. It took me a few years to get right because I didn't take the time to study the mechanicsof the lift, but once my form was right I quickly got up to squatting double my body weight.

 

[StrontiumDog]

...
If you lean forward like you are doing you will progress very slowly. If you can't keep your feet planted then widen your stance a bit with your toes out a bit more. You are leaning forward as you come up and this is bad for your back. Once you have your feet sorted it will be a bit easier to avoid, but people also lean forward when their glutes and spinal erectors aren't strong enough yet.
...

Is Medhi from stronglifts.com doing squats right? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnV7vEi7Sz8

The angle of his lean doesn't look to be too different to Apoc?

 

[Sensorei]

Is Medhi from stronglifts.com doing squats right? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnV7vEi7Sz8

The angle of his lean doesn't look to be too different to Apoc?

Medhi does low bar squats where the bar sits as far back on the rear delts as possible. Apoc is doing high bar squats. Totally different biomechanics... A quick Google will teach you the difference. The bar path should stay constantly over the middle of your feet. See here as well:

 

[StrontiumDog]

Oh crap, now I wonder what I am doing then. Trying to emulate Medhi but I could be going wrong

 

[Sensorei]

Most of the impressive squat tutorial videos on youtube are done by powerlifters. I also got mixed up for a while after watching the top pros squatting. For powerlifting, or lifting the most weight possible, low bar is better. But for overall leg development and hypertrophy the high bar squat is better. You won't find many bodybuilders doing low bar and I can't think of any top powerlifters who do high bar in competition.

 

[StrontiumDog]

And front squats? Highly rated by Elliot Hulse Certainly more challenging that low or high bar back squats.

 

[Sensorei]

And front squats? Highly rated by Elliot Hulse Certainly more challenging that low or high bar back squats.

Yes I agree they are harder to master. What you choose to do really depends on the goal you're trying to achieve from lifting. Front squats put most of the tension on your quads with much less emphasis on the glutes and hammies. You're much more aware of your core with front squats I find because there is very little room for error with form. If you can't maintain an upright back all the way through the movment you're screwed, whereas with back squats you can get away with with bad form and still get through a set.

 

[StrontiumDog]

Thanks, starting to understand things a bit better , busy reading this: High Bar vs. Low Bar Squats for Powerlifting

 

[Tinuva]

Low-bar squat it is easier to go heavier, so for power lifting competitions that is what you want to do, to get the biggest possible numbers.

High-bar squat is harder than low-bar squat, also more balanced for muscle building in my opinion.

Front-bar squat is super difficult, I can't say much about it, because I haven't mastered it, but attempted it at least a few times.


From what I read, you can practice in high-bar squat, and all gains you make, will spill over into low-bar squat. Low-bar squat however, you can gain a lot over a period of practice, but most of those gains won't spill over into high-bar squat. Ultimately it lead me to believe, and other's opinions, that high-bar squat is the better one to use overall for practice, whether you are a body builder or a power lifter. As a power lifter however you should still practice low-bar squats while high-bar squats is the main lift to work on.

 

[APoc184]

Thanks so much for all the replies guys.

I haven't been able to implement and test all the suggestions because I came down with a bit of flu directly after making the video. I'm feeling much better now but still going to give it a day or so before hitting the garage again

Thankful for all the info being shared just because I don't know how to squat.

I'll also be filming another exercise when I'm back to full speed again. Looking to film bench press because I might be doing it wrong. Not seeing a lot of visible results like the other muscles.

 

[Hemps]

Thanks so much for all the replies guys.

I haven't been able to implement and test all the suggestions because I came down with a bit of flu directly after making the video. I'm feeling much better now but still going to give it a day or so before hitting the garage again

Thankful for all the info being shared just because I don't know how to squat.

I'll also be filming another exercise when I'm back to full speed again. Looking to film bench press because I might be doing it wrong. Not seeing a lot of visible results like the other muscles.

I'm fairly new to squats , I only started this year and only really started in the last 2 months.
I can feel the difference already as my upper legs are getting bigger as my work pants start to get tighter.
I'm not really after huge legs but more athletic and more for the other benefits of squats like core, HGH and burn more fat etc.

I am looking at rather going high reps, drop sets for 1 week and then high weight low rep the next.
Like you I gym from my garage so have trouble making sure my form is correct and might have to video something as well.

MY deadlift increased on Saturday, I had been hovering around 130 odd kg for weeks now, managed to bump it up to 145kg for 2 reps.
It felt good but I could feel tightness is my right upper quad so I'm assuming I might be leaning into my right and placing more weight on that leg.

 

[thestaggy]

Any advice on what would be a good protein shake to take as a 2nd breakfast? Around 8am-ish.

 

[StrontiumDog]

Any advice on what would be a good protein shake to take as a 2nd breakfast? Around 8am-ish.

I think this would depend on what your goals are and what the rest of your day's macros look like.