Q&A with BBOD

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Swedish_hulk

Hi Steve! I filmed my Squats from some new angles so you can se it better i hope you don't mind criticising my form again. The thing is that when i use lighter weights i feel nothing in my quads but when i go heavier i can barely hit parallel but i feel it a lot more in the quards. Training log... - YouTube

Glad to help.

With the 130kg I can tell your toes are pointed out pretty far compared to the angle your knees are at. You want the angle of your knee to follow "about" the angle of your tows.

Second, your elbows are loose. This is contributing to you falling forward when squatting. keep your elbows tight and battened down. when your elbows fly back, your head will roll forward and you will tilt forward enough to mess up your squats.

You are burying the lighter squats. You are tentative on the heavy ones. This comes down to two possibilities:

1) You are tentative on heavy reps, not trusting your ability to get out of the hole.
2) It's simply too heavy.

I recommend not forcing your feet out so wide. Leave them at a natural position, point toes out naturally about 25-30 degree angle, and trying some squats like that. Right now your knees are inside your toes, and you are squatting a bit knocked-kneed on the heavier reps. Relax and let those knees open naturally.

I also recommend focusing on discipline. Only move up in weight when you hit 5-6-8 whatever parallel squats. If they are high squats, don't count them.

Form and depth are works in progress, so don't get discouraged. Overall you're doing great and just need minor adjustments. Your first squat sets looked good. Keep focusing on using that depth and form, while adding 1-2-3 good reps per day. This will give you all the strength and muscle you could want, and at a rapid pace.

[tayjeremy]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

Glad the help.

Form and depth are works in progress, so don't get discouraged. Overall you're doing great and just need minor adjustments. Your first squat sets looked good. Keep focusing on using that depth and form, while adding 1-2-3 good reps per day. This will give you all the strength and muscle you could want, and at a rapid pace.

SweedishHulk, please don't set it on private. Us other noobies who'd most likely lurk this thread might be able to see what BBOD says, watch the video and learn so much more.

Just asking and sorry if it annoys you

[Es0n]

Hi Dulac,
I'm from northern Sweden, I'v been lifting seriously for 1 year 3 months.
3 months in I got a lower back injury that made me have to start all over again, so you could say I'v been lifting seriously for 9 months
Reason for the back injury was bad squat and dl form.
I'm 6'5 250 lbs. (115 kg), I'm currently cutting down, I gained 25 kg total body weight during 2012, so I have to get back to reality.

My only goal is strength, It's nice with muscles, but that's not my forte.

My lifts:
Bench: 80 kg
Strict OHP: 62,5 kg
BB Pendley Row: 105 kg
DB Row: 50kgx8 (on each side)
Squat: 122,5 kg
Deadlift: 167,5

I know that I can't gain any muscle, and very little strength while cutting down in weight.
But I still wanted to ask you for your opinion on my form, or what I need to work on.

What I think my problem is upper back strength. When I load up heavy, my upper back falls at the bottom of the Squat, So I loose all hip drive.
I'v been stuck on 122 kg squat since feb 2012, I really need some help with that.

My other problem is deadlift, I cant get my weight behind the bar, if I do I loose all my power and just sit there..

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Add the (.) after youtube

Squat problem:
youtube com/watch?v=aKHZQPIXjC8[/YT]

Deadlift suckie suckie 5 dollah: DL starts at 4:00
youtube com/watch?v=dOI5gtDK2vc

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Es0n

Hi Dulac,
I'm from northern Sweden, I'v been lifting seriously for 1 year 3 months.
3 months in I got a lower back injury that made me have to start all over again, so you could say I'v been lifting seriously for 9 months
Reason for the back injury was bad squat and dl form.
I'm 6'5 250 lbs. (115 kg), I'm currently cutting down, I gained 25 kg total body weight during 2012, so I have to get back to reality.

That's a lot of weight. Was that from a bulk?

What I think my problem is upper back strength. When I load up heavy, my upper back falls at the bottom of the Squat, So I loose all hip drive.

If you mean that you are leaning forward, this usually isn't upper back strength. This is usually lack of tightness in the upper back. It can be spotted easily. Watch as see if your elbows are flying up during reps.

Try using a death grip on the back, pulling it into your back, and keep your elbows battened down and locked into place.

Also, no plates. Pull them out. Practice hitting depth using goblet squats. From the side it looks like your knees aren't open enough. From the back they seem to be ok. Just try and work on proper depth, opening those knees a little more if need be.

Check out the videos here for more help:

How to Squat

My other problem is deadlift, I cant get my weight behind the bar, if I do I loose all my power and just sit there..

Try focus on 3 things:

1) Standing up instead of pulling.
2) Pulling the bar back towards your body.
3) Locking out by pushing your hips forward while also driving your head back.

You are starting with your hips too high, and not in a good leverage position. Trying lowering them until you feel a more optimal leverage position. Reset your hips after every rep.

[Swedish_hulk]

Originally Posted by tayjeremy

SweedishHulk, please don't set it on private. Us other noobies who'd most likely lurk this thread might be able to see what BBOD says, watch the video and learn so much more.

Just asking and sorry if it annoys you

It's on public now if you wanna check it out.

[SaxonViolence]

Let me ask a few questions that are rather specific to my situation and condition.

I'm 56 years old, weigh 380 and I'm in very poor shape.

A little over a decade ago, I reduced from 480 to about 260.

I did it largely by walking ever-increasing distances (I was up to 12 miles per day at the end) and only consuming four pints of milk daily.

It took me over eighteen months—and at the end I was still too weak and stiff to touch my toes easily.

Now I'm older, milk is much more expensive and I've done the walking thingy once.

I'm losing weight and exercising a bit—down from 445 a few months ago.

I'm waiting for my sister to get her taxes back so I can get my truck up and running...

And then if nothing in my finances changes drastically, I can go to the gym again.

While I'm waiting:

I've been doing some free-hand Squats.

At first I couldn't do one. Wednesday I got 3X20—but that's using a stool to spot me to just below parallel.

When I tried holding a long wooden dowel across my back, like doing a Barbell Squat, I found that I could only do 7 or 8—Arms had been going forward to counter-balance me.

Outside of Squats—And Many Toe-Raieses from the floor--I have a pair of 6 pound sledge hammers that I sawed off about 20".

I do Toe-Touches with the hammers to the point of boredom—over 20 Reps, Curls, Presses, Triceps Kickbacks and many Wrist Exercises.

I also have one 12 pound sawn-off hammer too heavy for most stuff.

I have no Bench or Squat Rack—and I really don't have even $5 to spare at the moment...

But I do have an old set of Iron Weights buried in the Debris of a collapsed garden shed in the back yard.

It would be a multi-day pain to dig it out, but could be done.

{O and I go for a walk daily—presently about 350 yards... }

My ability to do bodyweight exercises is very limited—push-ups for instance, are completely impossible.

{O yes, I do have an Abdominal Wheel on hand, I've been meaning to work it in at some point...}

Can you think of any other Exercises that I should be doing, to give me a head start when I do get back to the Gym?

In my position, would you dig out the Barbell Set just for the Upright Exercises that could be done off the Grass?

{There's not much more than 200 Pounds—If that.}

Any hints would be Appreciated.

Any of you young folks reading this:

Life can slip up on you.

You get out of shape a bit at a time.

It becomes increasingly harder to come back with age and from an ever deteriorated condition.

It is much easier to stay in shape than to have to try to fight your way back upstream at some point.

Thanks.


Saxon Violence

[Es0n]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

That's a lot of weight. Was that from a bulk?

Yeah ofc, I decided to bulk, but it became dream bulk, I'v learnt my lesson

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

If you mean that you are leaning forward, this usually isn't upper back strength. This is usually lack of tightness in the upper back. It can be spotted easily. Watch as see if your elbows are flying up during reps.

Try using a death grip on the back, pulling it into your back, and keep your elbows battened down and locked into place.

Not that I'm leaning forward, but that my chest falls in, my upper back bends at the bottom of the squat.

I went in today and squatted before dl, 60% 3 reps 10 sets, just speed work.

I managed to get a lot tighter from pulling the bar into my back.

Going in tomorrow with heavy squats, so I'll film that and report back here

God I cant wait for next week deload week.

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

Also, no plates. Pull them out. Practice hitting depth using goblet squats. From the side it looks like your knees aren't open enough. From the back they seem to be ok. Just try and work on proper depth, opening those knees a little more if need be.

Check out the videos here for more help:

Never even heard of it, going to try it out tomorrow, goblet squats it is

Mobility is my nr1 problem (in life) haha

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

Try focus on 3 things:

1) Standing up instead of pulling.
2) Pulling the bar back towards your body.
3) Locking out by pushing your hips forward while also driving your head back.

You are starting with your hips too high, and not in a good leverage position. Trying lowering them until you feel a more optimal leverage position. Reset your hips after every rep.

Managed to focus on 1 & 2, but forgot about 3 pushing my hips into the bar while driving back.

Really got to work on that, anyway I PR! 170 dl! most I'v lifted in my life.

Tnx for the advice, going to be making adjustments and see if I cant make some more PR's in this cut

Fucking 6 month cut, who's regretting dream bulk?

I am... haha

[skids]

Gidday Mr BBOD,

Concerning muscle growth, what would you say is more important, Protein or Calories ?. Cheers Nath.

[nacho]

Which grip do you prefer for upright rows?

[bruteforce]

Is it normal for my DB rows to be leaps and bounds ahead of my BB rows?