It's All Happening

"It's all happening" is one of my favorite lines from my favorite movie in Almost Famous. This line also describes how I feel about my squat progress in the last week.

It really is all happening. And it's all happening the way I wanted it to happen.

Put up sets of 185lbs and 200lbs for an easy three this morning. I thought the depth looked solid, as well as the little things such as focusing on using the legs to push upwards.

The set of 185lbs came up easy; however, I did notice that my heels came off the ground on the first repetition. Just have to make sure that I sit back on each rep.

 

I was also pleased with my set of 200lbs for three. Although, I could previously do this probably 12 times, the form was terrible. The depth on these repetitions vary slightly, which is something that I do need to work on, but with time, improvements will be made!

 

 



Working On That Low-Bar

FINALLY starting to become happy with my squat form.

Really have been working on keeping my upper back tight, pushing up from the ground during the transition from the downward to upward movement, as well as using my abs during the upward phase. Thought that I saw all of this during my light leg workout yesterday.

Below is a set of 155lbs for eight reps. Let me know what you think! Can only improve from here.

The Quest for a Clean Squat

I can't say this enough lately...form over weight.

I have really been working on my form lately. Specifically, I have been working on trying to stay more upright during the movement, as well as keeping my back and abs tight through each rep.

Despite completing a set of 12 reps today at 165 (extremely light from what I have done in the past month), my form still looks UGLY!

After a conversation with one of my 50 and plus year-old friends following that set (I'm 22, but I have grandpa swag), we decided that I was still lifting too much weight. Hearing that was an ego killer, but I knew he was right. Below is a video of a 12-rep set of 135lbs. I really concentrated on pushing up with my quads, as well being controlled throughout the set. It still may look like I appear to slightly fall forward, but I actually could feel my abs contracting during the set for the first time in who knows how long. Thus, I was content with this set, but believe me, I still need work.

It's hard seeing people your age squat 400lbs+, while you're still struggling to keep proper form at 135lbs. But in the end, it's about focusing on bettering YOU, rather than being better than the people surrounding you. And through really concentrating on using my legs and abs during this movement, I plan on doing just that.

Working on that Form

As I mentioned last week, form over weight.

It's not about how much you can lift, but rather HOW you lift.

Today was my first leg day session where I applied some new techniques that hopefully will improve my form. For starters, I made my grip more narrow, as well as put the bar primarily on my traps, instead of on the base of my neck. By placing the bar on my traps, I felt that it was easier to keep my upper back tight during the movement.

I did four sets of five at 185lbs, 195lbs, 205lbs, and 215lbs. The weight wasn't too difficult, but I feel like I still need to work on not falling forward. Is my chest up enough during the movement? Overall; however, I felt good about this form, and I feel like it'll only get better over time.

(185x5)

 

 

(215x5)

 



 

 

 

Let me know what you think, and how I can improve!

Squat Form Check

After recently realizing that my shoulders have been falling over while squatting, I knew it was time for a change.

Typically, I would use a very wide grip that would cause my elbows to slightly flare outwards, as well as limit my ability to keep my upper back tight. Due to this, I feel like my back (specifically my lower back) seems to round during the upward portion of the squat.

Thus, I have brought my hands closer together to hopefully avoid this problem. However, I still feel like there is unnecessary movement in lower back during the movement.

The video below is from this morning's leg workout. This is 10 reps at 185. It was done with ease, but I'm more concerned about my form in this situation, rather than the weight.

Let me know what you think!

A Time For Readjustment

It's very easy to get caught up in the amount of weight you're lifting.

Believe me, I'm notorious for this. If I don't lift a given weight I believe I should be able to perform for a certain amount of repetitions, I get very upset with myself. It's not pretty.

This happened yesterday for example, as I was hoping to squat a set of 250lbs for a set of four reps. I was able to hit the goal (sloppily with the help of a spotter). After the set, my spotter told me that he thought a lot of the force I was using to come up from the squat was from my lower back. I immediately went home to watch some clips of my previous squats sets, and read up on common squat mistakes when it finally it hit me...

During the last couple weeks, I've been forgetting about one of the "golden rules" of weight training: FORM OVER WEIGHT. 

I've been squatting with a hand-grip that its extremely far from my shoulders. This causes me to lose tension in my shoulders during the movement. By not keeping my shoulders tight, my shoulders fall forward during the upward phase of the squat, causing my back to round.

When I first realized this yesterday, it was extremely frustrating. This is because I've been able to squat heavier then ever. But the more I think about it, the more I begin to remember that what is the point of lifting a weight if you can't perform the exercise CORRECTLY?

A similar grip issue has occurred recently when bench pressing as well. I have been benching with a wide grip that certainly targets the chest, but not so much the triceps. As a result of this, I have realized that I have been putting additional pressure on my shoulders. Therefore, I plan on benching with a narrower grip that allows me to emphasize not only the chest, but also the triceps. In the end, I think this will also help me be able to lift even heavier, as the triceps are vital for bench press success.

The point of this post is to understand that you shouldn't become obsessed with what you're lifting, but rather HOW you're lifting. By performing each rep of each exercise with proper form, the gains you're hoping for will never go away.

Designing an Exercise Program (Part 2): Accessory Exercises

Last week, we stressed the importance of emphasizing compound exercises. By doing so, not only are you working two muscle groups at the same time, but you are also increasing the amount of testosterone that is being stimulated in the body.

As important as it is to perform compound lifts, it is just as essential to incorporate accessory (aka: secondary) exercises in a program as well.

I believe accessory exercises are important for two key reasons: 1. These types of movements typically allow you to isolate a specific muscle group, and 2. Performing these exercises can help you improve on weak points on compound exercises, thus creating more opportunity for growth.

Secondary exercises should always be performed for a moderate to high amount of repetitions (eight plus). I recommended that you include at least TWO secondary lifts (in addition to a compound lift) when training any body part, as hypertrophy (muscle growth) best occurs when you perform at least three exercises per muscle group per session.

Here are some of my favorite accessory lifts for the most common muscle groups

Chest: Dumbbell/Machine/Cable Flys, Dips (Chest slightly forward)

Back: Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows, Seated Cable Rows, Lying Bench Rows

Shoulders: Lateral Dumbbell Raises, Front Dumbbell Raises, Seated Incline Rear Delt Raises, Barbell/Dumbbell Shrugs

Legs: Seated Leg Raises, Seated Leg Curls, Dumbbell Calf Raises, Calf Raises on Leg Press

Biceps: Every bicep exercise is typically considered to be an accessory exercise. My favorites include: Barbell/EZ Bar Curls, Seated Incline Curls, Concentration Curls

Triceps: Every triceps exercise (except for close grip bench) is typically considered to be an accessory exercise. My favorites include: Triceps Rope-Pulldown, Dumbbell Triceps Extensions, EZ Bar Skull-Crushers

Make sure to perform at least two accessory lifts in each of your weekly training sessions. By adding these to your compound lifts, growth will be on the horizon!