Adjustment Periods for Technique Changes

Possibly a dumb question or so specific to individuals that it is impossible to answer unequivocally but here goes.

I got/am getting ongoing coaching from a good PL coach at the moment, especially technically.

So far, it has been excellent but has seen my squat change a bunch from wide to medium stance and with much more of a drop down instead of pull back. It feels a ton better, much easier at a given weight.

For example, 341 lbs beltless in sleeves (70 of my max single in wraps with belt) felt REALLY nice for 5 reps, the same or even better than with my usual wide stance.

How long can I expect to need to adjust fully to using this new, narrower stance? I felt much tighter and much faster using it, and honestly, with a belt I’d be happy putting a fair bit on my back. The first two reps felt closer to 264 lbs or so.

Probably a dumb question, but I’m curious. We’re doing deadlift tomorrow, which I’m interested to find out about. I know it’ll be conventional because I asked him and he reckons I don’t have to motor control to pull sumo properly yet (no skin off my nose, conventional is my strong DL).

It seems like you are used to the new positioning already and just need to continue to build muscle. I think it wouldn’t take long if you’re already technically proficient using another stance. It would take a lot longer if technique currently isn’t good on the comp lift.

Good technical tweaks shouldn’t require an adjustment period because they put you in a stronger position and use more muscle mass.

Run it.

If it feels better now, then you should be good to go.

But I know what you are asking. I tried switching my bench to a narrower grip because everyone else does narrower, I gave it a couple months, saw no results, so switched back. I see you don’t want to waste training, but like you said, it works now, then run with it

Cool, thanks. That’s kind of what I thought. I figure also what’s going to happen is that I’ll be kept in line in terms of loading for a few weeks so when I do finally go heavy I’ll have grooved the new technique properly.

I’m just impatient is all.

Just be certain they are technique changes for the better, as long as the fundamentals are there and you feel comfortable in those positions. Its easy for me to come up to someone and say change this and that but it isn’t always the best choice unless they are making some grievous errors.

[quote]cparker wrote:
Just be certain they are technique changes for the better, as long as the fundamentals are there and you feel comfortable in those positions. Its easy for me to come up to someone and say change this and that but it isn’t always the best choice unless they are making some grievous errors. [/quote]

You kind of hit the nail on the head, I think. That being said, going narrower and using the cues provided did feel good on all my work sets.

The big issues with my wider stance he pointed out were 1) anterior pelvic tilt (I knew about that, but since I didn’t feel any discomfort I went ahead and ignored it); 2) my chest was caving in; 3) I was pulling back way too much instead of dropping my butt straight down and pushing my knees out; and 4) I was going way deeper than necessary.

I think for me the main element is I’m still unsure how well the narrower stance suits me because I haven’t tried it with my belt at around 85% for a triple. That combination is usually a very good indicator for me of whether I’m feeling strong/comfortable.

Although, of course, given I felt comfortable at 70% of my wrapped max for two sets of 5 in just sleeves and no belt with the narrower stance and new cues, I keep telling myself that’s a pretty good indicator that it probably is a good fit for me.

I had a similar experience my first couple years into powerlifting, I squatted a little too wide thinking it would be best to reduce ROM and just handle more weight. I made mildly decent progress then kind of stalled out, after some injuries and long plateaus I switched to a moderate stance a little outside hip width and it was like I relearned how to squat all of a sudden. I could hit depth no problem, my mobility improved, my numbers shot up and I almost never felt sore or injured.

[quote]cparker wrote:
I had a similar experience my first couple years into powerlifting, I squatted a little too wide thinking it would be best to reduce ROM and just handle more weight. I made mildly decent progress then kind of stalled out, after some injuries and long plateaus I switched to a moderate stance a little outside hip width and it was like I relearned how to squat all of a sudden. I could hit depth no problem, my mobility improved, my numbers shot up and I almost never felt sore or injured.[/quote]

That’s really reassuring to hear. I’ve got to admit its also really taking me out of my comfort zone having someone else determine my loads/reps/sets for the competition lifts. I’ve just got to pull the rod out my backside and trust the process - plus I get to do my own assistance stuff (within guidelines).

Deadlift and bench tonight after work. I’m so curious to hear what John has to say about my pulling. I’m preparing for an ego stomping. Its worth it if it gets me to 600+ lbs. I’m at 561 lbs at around 209 lbs now.

[quote]MarkKO wrote:

[quote]cparker wrote:
I had a similar experience my first couple years into powerlifting, I squatted a little too wide thinking it would be best to reduce ROM and just handle more weight. I made mildly decent progress then kind of stalled out, after some injuries and long plateaus I switched to a moderate stance a little outside hip width and it was like I relearned how to squat all of a sudden. I could hit depth no problem, my mobility improved, my numbers shot up and I almost never felt sore or injured.[/quote]

That’s really reassuring to hear. I’ve got to admit its also really taking me out of my comfort zone having someone else determine my loads/reps/sets for the competition lifts. I’ve just got to pull the rod out my backside and trust the process - plus I get to do my own assistance stuff (within guidelines).

Deadlift and bench tonight after work. I’m so curious to hear what John has to say about my pulling. I’m preparing for an ego stomping. Its worth it if it gets me to 600+ lbs. I’m at 561 lbs at around 209 lbs now.[/quote]

I’m in a similar situation except I made too drastic of a change. I started out wide, moved to slightly wider than shoulder width, then to narrow and now I’m moving it back out a bit. On the bright side, there is something to learn from all the differences so it isn’t a total waste of time.