I live in Meadowvale, Mississauga. I currently train in a commercial gym that, fortunately, allows chalk and deadlifts. However, I was actively looking for a lifting focused gym in the area. I found one off the link you provided, I’ll give it a visit sometime.
[quote]Mina293 wrote:
StrengthDawg: I think this series is more appropriate for geared lifters since its from elitefts, but I’ll watch it just in case it has something of value for me.[/quote]
EFS isn’t for geared only, in fact half the guys on that site compete raw now a days. Training these videos are for someone doing a power squat. Those are relevant for geared lifters as well as raw. There are tons of fundamental things in this series that transcends the raw / geared thresholds. Use it as a resource. The guy in the video, Matt Wenning is a well respected lifter, coach and trainer. All of us on the webs are just regular jack offs who enjoy lifting. With those two sources for advice, I’d ALWAYS defer to the pro’s. The guy in the video is raw btw…
if you are OLY squatting this isn’t probably applicable for you.
good luck on your lifting journey.
I’m power squatting (low bar), so I’ll try to pick up what I can from the videos. Good luck to you as well 
[quote]Mathew Bertrand wrote:
Hey man,
Good on your for squatting 3x a week at 17, that’s going to build a solid base that will pay off in your 20’s like you can’t believe.
If your butt is rising up on the squat it’s due to quad strength. Basically as you go below parallel that’s where the most quad demand takes place, if your quads are weak, then your body is going to rely on your glutes and low back try to get it, this causes the forward lean.
What you need to change right away for the next 6 weeks is to FRONT SQUAT 3x a week, trust me, this one thing will build your squat form like you can’t believe. it’s going to be exactly what you need to coach yourself on an upright posture which will translate very well to your back squat.
google russian squat routine, it’s a really good one.
Also, what will help immediately is plates under the heels, use 25’s, no joke. this is going to allow your knees to travel way furrther forward allowing you to stay more upright and put more emphasis on the proper squatting muscles of the quads and glutes. Or do one better and get weightlifting shoes.
On that same topic, starting an immediate stretching and soft tissue program for your calves and ankles is going to be a great help. This is as easy as foam rolling your calves, and stacking one leg on top of the other for added pressure, as well as getting a thera stick to roll out your calves by hand, these work really well for this. Also, simple straight leg and bent leg calf stretches work great. another way is to stack 2 25’s and do squats with your knees coming way way forward for a warm up.
From there make sure you stretch your hips, hamstrings, lats and pecs before squatting, loosening up those key areas realy allows you to get into proper form.
That’s about it, good luck man, and post a video[/quote]
Awesome post. Thanks a lot.
I squat the same way, and I’ve some of 'dem long legs too. Your form is probably shit, lower the weight, and ingrain proper form in.
Find your bar position, then start taking your stance out to where you like to squat. Lock your upper back in, push your knees out, get an arch, and get a big breath. Walk the bar out, keep everything locked in, look up, lock your neck in position. Sit back, and force those god damn knees out. Keep sitting back, and try to keep the bar over your mid foot, and keep trying to open the hips open. Then you are going to want to focus on keeping your chest up, and your knees out while driving your hips through. You also want to be pressing out to the SIDES of your feet.
Oh, I would also say everything is weak for you. Don’t bother with weaknesses, you don’t have a base to build off of. Here is a article for form. Master the Squat
Narrow stance, SSB… Cures everything.
I will video myself back squatting and front squatting tomorrow and upload them on this thread for a form check.
DSSG: I did exactly what you said twice already and I made no progress, that’s why I started this thread. I started light with relatively good form, but it got shittier and shittier as the weights progressed. I deloaded and my form was better with lighter weights, but the whole cycle repeated again. I’m afraid I won’t make any progress if I keep doing this over and over again, but what do I know, maybe this is how others got stronger. Anyways, I will try this front squat cycle thing and see if it makes a difference, they say nothing replaces experience under the bar.
All the things DSSG wrote about is in the video series I suggested you watch. I will bet my paycheck that what I said earlier - “you are trying to squat with muscles you don’t have”, by “don’t have” I mean are weak. Your assertions are correct that time under the bar accounts for a lot. Keep at it. I’ve had years - YEARS- where I struggled to add 10# to a lift and I’ve had years where I have totally kicked ass. This is a marathon not a sprint. Those “beginner gains” everyone chases like a meth head may last for weeks, months, a year… everyone is different. It’s likely that you may have reached the end of that phase and now the real work comes in. Just keep plugging away dude, you’ll be ok.
My squat is shit on Dave Tate’s Shit-Suck-Good-Great spectrum, so I’m not sure if I ran out of my beginner gains.
Anyways, we’ll see how good the video series is when I implement its cues tomorrow with light and heavy weights.
[quote]StrengthDawg wrote:
[quote]Mina293 wrote:
StrengthDawg: I think this series is more appropriate for geared lifters since its from elitefts, but I’ll watch it just in case it has something of value for me.[/quote]
EFS isn’t for geared only, in fact half the guys on that site compete raw now a days. Training these videos are for someone doing a power squat. Those are relevant for geared lifters as well as raw. There are tons of fundamental things in this series that transcends the raw / geared thresholds. Use it as a resource. The guy in the video, Matt Wenning is a well respected lifter, coach and trainer. All of us on the webs are just regular jack offs who enjoy lifting. With those two sources for advice, I’d ALWAYS defer to the pro’s. The guy in the video is raw btw…
if you are OLY squatting this isn’t probably applicable for you.
good luck on your lifting journey.[/quote]
Hey man,
not to get into a pissing match… but I thought the video was horrible… when I have some time I’ll put together a list of stuff that names it as retarded. But like… it’s a power squat, within reason he’s right… but he’s not. that’s how you wide squat, not squat.
I thought I’m supposed to squat wide cuz of my long legs?
I thought I’m supposed to squat wide cuz of my long legs?
[quote]Mathew Bertrand wrote:
Hey man,
not to get into a pissing match… but I thought the video was horrible… when I have some time I’ll put together a list of stuff that names it as retarded. But like… it’s a power squat, within reason he’s right… but he’s not. that’s how you wide squat, not squat.[/quote]
WOW, So what do you offer that’s better than the multiple world record guy who’s making a squat video at one of the EFS learn to train seminars? And that guys slightly wider than shoulder width stance is hardly ‘wide’ from what I saw and this is the PL section.
fegggeetttttttttt strengthdawwwg
Mina,
Half the problem is that there isn’t any such thing as the best way to squat. It depends on your goals, and it depends on your body’s athropomentry, too.
The best thing you can do is post videos because (like someone said already) what you think is happening and what is actually happening can often be two different things.
Side on would be great (can see the amount of sitting back / forward lean) and front on (can see your stance width and what your knees are up to). Where your form starts to get shaky.
(Still, you will find almost everyone has got a different opinion).
Try different things and figure what seems to work for you
[quote]StrengthDawg wrote:
[quote]Mathew Bertrand wrote:
Hey man,
not to get into a pissing match… but I thought the video was horrible… when I have some time I’ll put together a list of stuff that names it as retarded. But like… it’s a power squat, within reason he’s right… but he’s not. that’s how you wide squat, not squat.[/quote]
WOW, So what do you offer that’s better than the multiple world record guy who’s making a squat video at one of the EFS learn to train seminars? And that guys slightly wider than shoulder width stance is hardly ‘wide’ from what I saw and this is the PL section. [/quote]
Hey man, I have to agree, Matt Wenning is a smart guy in terms of programming and is definitely a wild lifter… I don’t have much to offer except experience with myself and others shoulder width stance olympic squatting, I’ll take a few minutes and go over my thoughts on it, I actually only watched it a year ago and can’t remember, but I hated it.
[quote]Dbolocaust wrote:
mark bell agrees with him. hes trained stan efferding,which raw world record holders have you or elitefts trained?[/quote]
Was this for me? if so here’s your answer…
http://asp.elitefts.net/qa/training-logs.asp?qid=189852&tid=124
So you then go to attack me on how many folk I have personally trained? IS this correct? That’s a classy move from behind that keyboard. lol
Like I said, when looking for knowledge on an activity I’m going with well established lifters from a reputable source such as EFS over some random internet guy who has yet to offer anything other than "I hated it when I watch it a year ago and I have no experience other than myself and squatting olympic style… ( no offense Matt)
See the difference is I offered advice from a reputable source and not of my own opinion. Take it or leave it. You will not hurt my feelings and I will not get trolled.
Side
Front
Please dissect my form