Squat Walkouts

Hey I was just thinking about how hard it is to walk he bar out with heavy weight and get set up. I mean for me its like the hardest part of the lift almost. Must take allot of weight off my squat.

Well I was thinking, sooner or later when you get a big squat 600+lbs that walking the weight out would be really hard and waste allot of strength.

Anyway my reasoning is this

If your squat workout was like this
135x10
225x8
315x4
405x4
495x2
635x5

that you would have hit 33 squat reps, but you would only have walked out 6 times and that wasnt 1 set. That was including the warm ups which arent hard at all and even then, the walkouts are only singles per say.

So looking at those facts, once you get heavy in squat, your walkout could be holding you back from allot of weight.

I was thinking, why havent I ever seen anyone train walkouts like they would normal sets.

Like a 5x5 walk out. Unrack, walk back, position, rack, repeat. And work up to weights much higher than their actual squats.

The heaviest walk out I ever did was for a high box squat - YouTube that walkout was much harder than the lift its self. And no doubt had to have taken close to 50lbs off what I cold have done if I had a stronger walk out.

I just think of how much more power full I would feel if my walkout was always the same foot movement, set up right the first time etc. And how much more I would be able to lift if I could easily walk out and get in position with 200lbs over my squat.

This make any sense?

thoughts?

I used to walk out with substantially more weight than I could squat. Making my body used to holding heavier weight than I’d need to squat made the walkout easier, much easier.

I did nothing like that amount. I might do 3 total walkouts after a workout, just really pushing the weight up. 200 lbs is a LOT to do a walkout with no matter how high your max is.

5x5 appears unnecessary. I think just 3 to 5 total walkouts after a workout would help.

You shouldn’t focus so much on walkouts that it tires your back out. That’s a major factor since you have other things to do besides just squatting and walkouts.

[quote]Mega Newb wrote:
I just think of how much more power full I would feel if my walkout was always the same foot movement, set up right the first time etc. And how much more I would be able to lift if I could easily walk out and get in position with 200lbs over my squat.

This make any sense?

thoughts?[/quote]

Isn’t this kinda the point of warm up sets? To set yourself up to use the same foot positioning and same steps to put you in the correct position every time no matter what the weight is.

Starting with the light sets you should be concentrating on your steps and positioning for every walk out. Ideally, a walk out shouldn’t be more than: step back with foot 1, step back with foot 2, adjust foot 1 if necessary. That’s it. Of course it doesn’t always work that way.

All this being said, if walking out is a weakness, then do it. Do some heavy walk outs. Do some medium walk out to work on and concentrate on the positioning while still having more than warm up weight on your back.

I’m also a big fan of hi box squats. That way you can make sure your walkout actually puts you in a good squatting position. I think with your strength levels, doing some heavy singles for a while would solve any walk out problems. But it has to be singles so you are actually walking out each rep.

Finally, and I realize this is not an option for most people, but I would think yoke walks would be great for addressing something like this. Maybe backwards yoke walks to simulate the walk out – pick up, step, step, drop, and repeat.

I like to do “Power Curtsies” about once a
month. Load the bar with 120 - 150% of your
max, unrack, walk it out, and just bend your
knees slightly and straighten them back out.
I do a few of sets of 3 - 5 reps.

If nothing else, they let you feel a big load.

Of course, most of the guys in my gym do
these and call them squats. :wink:

Rick

[quote]Mega Newb wrote:

I just think of how much more power full I would feel if my walkout was always the same foot movement, set up right the first time etc. And how much more I would be able to lift if I could easily walk out and get in position with 200lbs over my squat.

This make any sense?

[/quote]

Are you saying…

“When you get as strong in the Squat as me, walkouts are hard. All you 200lb Squatters who can walk out 405, you guys got it easy.”

or are you saying…

“I should buy a super Yoke and start prating heavy walkouts.”

?

Or Both?

It sounds to me like you need to find a gym with a Monolift or get 2 spotters to help you with the walk out. Powerliftingwatch.com will have a list of good gyms in your state. If they’re on the list they’ve usually got Monolifts.

I think the only way to answer the question you posed is to Squat in a Monolift. That’s the only way to tell how much of a difference your walkout makes at this point.

I think a lot of lifters train the walkouts. One of the guys I train with practices supramaximal walkouts, supramaximal negatives (with spotters obviously), and supramaximal 8th squats. If you try heavy walkouts, make sure you are positioning the bar in the same spot as usual. Don’t cheat and change the position.

I have not done heavy walkouts, but we have trained something similar before.

Basically, like a pin press, only it’s a pin squat.

Set the pins up to where when you stand all the way up the bar is less than 6" off the pins. Load the bar up beyond any weight you’ve squatted, then try to move the fucker off the pins. We worked this a ton when I was trying to increase my yoke.

Monopoly

[quote]FightingScott wrote:
Mega Newb wrote:

I just think of how much more power full I would feel if my walkout was always the same foot movement, set up right the first time etc. And how much more I would be able to lift if I could easily walk out and get in position with 200lbs over my squat.

This make any sense?

Are you saying…

“When you get as strong in the Squat as me, walkouts are hard. All you 200lb Squatters who can walk out 405, you guys got it easy.”

or are you saying…

“I should buy a super Yoke and start prating heavy walkouts.”

?

Or Both?

It sounds to me like you need to find a gym with a Monolift or get 2 spotters to help you with the walk out. Powerliftingwatch.com will have a list of good gyms in your state. If they’re on the list they’ve usually got Monolifts.

I think the only way to answer the question you posed is to Squat in a Monolift. That’s the only way to tell how much of a difference your walkout makes at this point.

[/quote]

neither of those, that first one sounds like Im trying to put someone down, and buying a super yoke to practice my walkout doesnt seem practical. Also doesnt look like it would have the same carry over using a bar would.

the point was:

if we trained walkout we would be able to get much stronger on walkouts than squats. I however a really not that significantly stronger on walkouts than squats. And I thought this may take a significant bite out of the weight I can lift.

I can get access to a monolift at a different gym, but I would rather walk the weight out at my normal gym.

[quote]Mega Newb wrote:
if we trained walkout we would be able to get much stronger on walkouts than squats.

[/quote]

I think answers everything right here. Working the walk out = stronger walk out.

I do walkouts occassionally, just for a bit of fun really. Walkouts aren’t a problem for me at this stage, I haven’t squatted more than 220kgs yet, and that felt pretty easy to walkout.

If my walkout was a problem, I’d say training it would be a good idea though. Getting used to weights heavier than you will have to squat can’t be a bad thing!

My max squat is 275, but I’ve walked out 315 for sets of 5 just for the fun of it, 1/4 squat ROM. I like getting the feel on my back but my coach punked me out because it wasn’t prescribed and it affected the quality of some prescribed DLs later in the workout. Oops!

I do like trying the weight on my back. Once I get used to the, “Oh crap! This is heavy!” it gets easier.

Powerlifters have trained their walkout w/overload for as long as I’ve lifted. I have never trained for a competition with a routine that didn’t include it.(usually 10% more than my planned third attempt)

If your walkout/set-up requires more than the two steps mentioned by others…you should start here. The 'two step’set-up is critical to optimizing your squat work. Different lifters may place the bar in a different spot or use a different foot placement; but they all should master the ‘two step’ set-up. Maybe it is because I started lifting long before the Monolift; but I think they diminish the lift. I think the walkout is part of the demonstration of strength. Look at the old clips of Captain Kirk or Hatfield breaking 1,000. These are more impressive that a guy bracing his feet against the base of a rack and having the mechanism do a portion of the lift for him; regardless of weight.

[quote]BlueCollarTr8n wrote:
Powerlifters have trained their walkout w/overload for as long as I’ve lifted. I have never trained for a competition with a routine that didn’t include it.(usually 10% more than my planned third attempt)

If your walkout/set-up requires more than the two steps mentioned by others…you should start here. The 'two step’set-up is critical to optimizing your squat work. Different lifters may place the bar in a different spot or use a different foot placement; but they all should master the ‘two step’ set-up. Maybe it is because I started lifting long before the Monolift; but I think they diminish the lift. I think the walkout is part of the demonstration of strength. Look at the old clips of Captain Kirk or Hatfield breaking 1,000. These are more impressive that a guy bracing his feet against the base of a rack and having the mechanism do a portion of the lift for him; regardless of weight. [/quote]

ok Il start training my walkout with like 50-100lbs over the max Im looking for. I never put much thought into my lockout but now that I read this Im seeing it more as a technique to waste the least ammount of strength possible, rather than just getting into position to squat.

that guy has a awesome walkout.

Without trying to stir anything up, what’s the difference between using a monolift, which “does a portion of the lift” for you, and using a squat suit, which also does a portion of the lift for you?

[quote]Ryan P. McCarter wrote:
Without trying to stir anything up, what’s the difference between using a monolift, which “does a portion of the lift” for you, and using a squat suit, which also does a portion of the lift for you?[/quote]

If you want to debate gear, I think Loui Simmons made the best argument when he said something along the lines of ‘I’ve got a Triple Ply Bench Shirt and a bottle of testosterone sitting on my desk, and I’ve yet to see them bench two wet socks.’

I think most people would disagree with your statement that a squat suit performs a portion of the lift. It may help you a lot through the lift, but it’s not like you’re just there to steady the bar while some exoskeleton performs hip extension for you.

To each his own. Some people love gear because it saves their joints and it lets them lift bigger weights. Some people, both raw and geared lifters, wish that powerlifitng gear would disappear so we could figure out who really is the strongest.

To make it simple, you might as well just consider a monolift squat and a walked out squat to be different lifts. The difference between the two lifts is the differences that you just stated.

What’s the difference between a Front Squat and a Barbell Curl? Well in a Front Squat you do this and in a Barbell Curl you do that: They’re different lifts.

The only alternative is to ask questions that you can’t answer. “What Could Chuck Squat if he walked out his Squats and did them in single Ply? What Could Ed Coan have squatted in his prime if he competed in the IPO?” There’s no way to know. It’s just silly.

[quote]Mega Newb wrote:
BlueCollarTr8n wrote:
Powerlifters have trained their walkout w/overload for as long as I’ve lifted. I have never trained for a competition with a routine that didn’t include it.(usually 10% more than my planned third attempt)

If your walkout/set-up requires more than the two steps mentioned by others…you should start here. The 'two step’set-up is critical to optimizing your squat work. Different lifters may place the bar in a different spot or use a different foot placement; but they all should master the ‘two step’ set-up. Maybe it is because I started lifting long before the Monolift; but I think they diminish the lift. I think the walkout is part of the demonstration of strength. Look at the old clips of Captain Kirk or Hatfield breaking 1,000. These are more impressive that a guy bracing his feet against the base of a rack and having the mechanism do a portion of the lift for him; regardless of weight.

ok Il start training my walkout with like 50-100lbs over the max Im looking for. I never put much thought into my lockout but now that I read this Im seeing it more as a technique to waste the least ammount of strength possible, rather than just getting into position to squat.

that guy has a awesome walkout.

[/quote]

Looks like bar whip is going to be a major factor.

[quote]FightingScott wrote:
Mega Newb wrote:
BlueCollarTr8n wrote:
Powerlifters have trained their walkout w/overload for as long as I’ve lifted. I have never trained for a competition with a routine that didn’t include it.(usually 10% more than my planned third attempt)

If your walkout/set-up requires more than the two steps mentioned by others…you should start here. The 'two step’set-up is critical to optimizing your squat work. Different lifters may place the bar in a different spot or use a different foot placement; but they all should master the ‘two step’ set-up. Maybe it is because I started lifting long before the Monolift; but I think they diminish the lift. I think the walkout is part of the demonstration of strength. Look at the old clips of Captain Kirk or Hatfield breaking 1,000. These are more impressive that a guy bracing his feet against the base of a rack and having the mechanism do a portion of the lift for him; regardless of weight.

ok Il start training my walkout with like 50-100lbs over the max Im looking for. I never put much thought into my lockout but now that I read this Im seeing it more as a technique to waste the least ammount of strength possible, rather than just getting into position to squat.

that guy has a awesome walkout.

Looks like bar whip is going to be a major factor.[/quote]

yeah man!

I walked out 800 and almost fell fowards and backwards 10 times because of how bad the bar was whipping back and forth.

I have never felt anything in my core like walking out 800, and I have tryed all the bullshit core work.

If you can walk out and stabilize a 1000lbs on a normal bar you are a brick shit fucking house. I have never in my lift had more respect for the IPF when I realized what a single or double ply walked out squat with 800-1000lbs truly is.

Anyone who has a problem with the IPF can just die.

/rant

I’m amazed you still even bother to ask for advice with all the progress you’ve made over the last few years, but:

Quarter squats. Doing them a couple times helped me out tremendously. Just don’t overdo it.

[quote]LUEshi wrote:
I’m amazed you still even bother to ask for advice with all the progress you’ve made over the last few years, but:

Quarter squats. Doing them a couple times helped me out tremendously. Just don’t overdo it.[/quote]

hah thanks man

quarter squats walked out? or quarter squats from the pins?

Quarter squats walked out, but set the pins in the rack plenty high. You’re only going to be going down about six inches or so anyway. I like 125%-150% of free squat max.

(Just for reference, there’s a video floating around ironscene of one guy doing 1/4 squats off the pins with 1200 pounds. This same guy walked out 900-something in a belt and wraps and did it with the greatest of ease. Shows what it can do for you. Pretty sure it’s Robert Wilkerson, but not 100% on that)