Problem getting down to parallel on squats - UK-Muscle Body Building Community

Keyser Soze · 07-02-2006, 08:04 PM

Hi all,

I need some help finding the weakest link in my squat! You see, I'm having trouble going near parallel during squats, I've got up to 170Kgs for 3x6, I go down halfway to parallel and no further, terrified I'll collapse down/back/forward.

Yet, I can leg-extend 110Kgs for reps??!!?? Plus, my lower back is pretty strong, I do Good Mornings after squats with 72Kgs (160Ibs), so to my mind, that only leaves a weak hip joint. If that's the case, would resuming deadlifts (which I've given up a while back) strengthen them?

I train in the shed at the bottom of my garden, and alone - so although I want to resolve this problem, I can't afford to take any risks.

My options, in descending order of desirability, as I see them (ANY others welcome!!!)

1) Putting a low chair just below me, using that to get confident enough to go down to parallel;

2) Joining a gym with a smith machine/spotters;

3) Reducing the weight to something I KNOW I can do;

Thanks in advance,

KS

dynamatiz · 07-02-2006, 08:12 PM

hello mate am no expert, but a had a similair problem(still on goin really) were i was tryin to get down parallel in my squats as well, what i done tho which you ve already thought of is drop your weight

you ll be able to get used to the feeling of goin deep, and itll streghten your glutes and hams which are used to lower the weight down, then keep on goin til ya get bk up to weight

this is jus my opinion tho, bump 4 the experts, ad love to see what they say too seem as am in the same boat

DB · 07-02-2006, 08:14 PM

drop your weight!!

170 is too much for u to handle if u cant go to parallel

it aint a squats unless its 90 degrees imo

crazycacti · 07-02-2006, 08:52 PM

I'm with the narrow backed DB above - drop the weight until you can squat properly and load up from there

Watching people squat and Bench without a full ROM - annoys me more than anything else in the gym

**big pete** · 08-02-2006, 09:20 AM

drop the weight.

box squats are useful, using a chair (if you prefer) put it below parallel. when you get down to the chair, you can either go straight back to the top to finish the movement, or rest on the box momentarily; take the strain off the glutes/hams and then blast back to the top. beware on the weight you use, full box squats are alot harder and be cautious on loading the high weights on. but again, they work well.

and add the deads back in

damagedgoods · 08-02-2006, 09:35 AM

my suggestion would be to drop the weight way downand focus on your form... I've recently done the same thing - I was squatting 270 for 6 but my form was SH*T and wouln't get quite to the 90degree mark.. I've changed the gym I go to on the weekends and they have a lot of BWLA powerlifters (all naturals) and one of the coaches there gave me some pointers... here are a few of the things I've found helpful.

1. if you have a pad/towel on the bar get rid of it.
2. grip the bar hard - and have quite a wide grip, with the bar low down on the traps.
3. focus your eyes on a spot on the wall - quite high up to ensure you keep your chin up.
4. find the best width of stance that works for you.
5. start off by lifting just the bar and get your ars* on the floor and slowly build up from there... fo rhe first couple of weeks don't go above say 60kgs just get the movement right. - you can up the reps and I BET you that you will have DOM's the next day.

**Aftershock** · 08-02-2006, 11:08 AM

You need the confidence of been able to squat in the power rack mate.

Get to the gym and do your squats there..

ONE SMART COOKIE · 08-02-2006, 05:29 PM

Start doing overhead squats as a warm up to help open up your hips and strengthen your tendons etc and inprove balance.....

You doing these yet DB you should be......

samurai69 · 08-02-2006, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ONE SMART COOKIE

Start doing overhead squats as a warm up to help open up your hips and strengthen your tendons etc and inprove balance.....

You doing these yet DB you should be......

They are so difficult.........:boohoo:

crazycal1 · 09-02-2006, 01:10 PM

i too train alone-recently i made a power cage-steel was £70-
as an alternative to squats-you could as i do and use a trap bar-(to mimic a parallel squat i do partials
alternatively drop your weight to something you can do-then add a small amount of weight each workout-
oh and hows your flexibility-stretching may give you more confidence in your stability

Keyser Soze · 10-02-2006, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ONE SMART COOKIE

Start doing overhead squats as a warm up to help open up your hips ....

Is that a polite way of telling me to open my backside and get ready for action?

Everyone, great suggestions, I think the concensus, and incidentally the best policy, sadly, is to reduce the weight. I can't imagine LITERALLY going ass-to-grass - I don't think I'm that flexible yet.

I'll start on Monday and let you all know how I get on.

KS

samurai69 · 10-02-2006, 03:43 PM

You could also try stretching calfs before a squat workout

Keyser Soze · 21-02-2006, 12:15 AM

Ok, results are in my journal....

Couldn't touch the concrete, but certainly had my hips below my knees, for sure. Had to do them with 70Kgs....

THAT'S A REDUCTION OF 100KGS....

and then they felt hard on the second set!! Coming up from that far down, it feels like an airplane taking off!!

I'll let you know about the doms (if any) in the morning...

KS

jim · 21-02-2006, 09:00 AM

i had a problem with that aswell try widening your stance. also it could be your shoes if your wear trainers with big cushiony soles you could be tipping forward and all the pressure is going to your knees and back? it could be your form either when you squat you should feel the weight in the top of your quads i tend to look up at the ceiling right above me and push off with my heels and that really hits the upper quads. i could be wrong but check what your doing and try my technique and your back and your knees might feel alot better.

trickymicky69 · 21-02-2006, 10:27 AM

going down to parallel or less will be so much better for your overall development its unreal. many so called heavy squatters would fail under competition rules because by cutting the length of the exercise in essence, you are cheating. the strength will come very quickly but it will be hard to start with cos those muscles havent faced that load before. keep it up

07-02-2006, 08:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
Keyser Soze Banned Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Harrow, London, England. Posts: 729	Problem getting down to parallel on squats Hi all, I need some help finding the weakest link in my squat! You see, I'm having trouble going near parallel during squats, I've got up to 170Kgs for 3x6, I go down halfway to parallel and no further, terrified I'll collapse down/back/forward. Yet, I can leg-extend 110Kgs for reps??!!?? Plus, my lower back is pretty strong, I do Good Mornings after squats with 72Kgs (160Ibs), so to my mind, that only leaves a weak hip joint. If that's the case, would resuming deadlifts (which I've given up a while back) strengthen them? I train in the shed at the bottom of my garden, and alone - so although I want to resolve this problem, I can't afford to take any risks. My options, in descending order of desirability, as I see them (ANY others welcome!!!) 1) Putting a low chair just below me, using that to get confident enough to go down to parallel; 2) Joining a gym with a smith machine/spotters; 3) Reducing the weight to something I KNOW I can do; Thanks in advance, KS

07-02-2006, 08:14 PM	#3 (permalink)
DB UK-Muscle Moderator Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: SW London Posts: 11,430	drop your weight!! 170 is too much for u to handle if u cant go to parallel it aint a squats unless its 90 degrees imo __________________ DB To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. often imitated never duplicated To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. DB sleeps with a night light. Not because DB is afraid of the dark, but the dark is afraid of DB. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

08-02-2006, 09:20 AM	#5 (permalink)
big pete UK-Muscle Moderator Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: south midlands Posts: 3,797	drop the weight. box squats are useful, using a chair (if you prefer) put it below parallel. when you get down to the chair, you can either go straight back to the top to finish the movement, or rest on the box momentarily; take the strain off the glutes/hams and then blast back to the top. beware on the weight you use, full box squats are alot harder and be cautious on loading the high weights on. but again, they work well. and add the deads back in __________________ any questions?? feel free to email me on.... To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. 'there is greatness inside all of us, how deep are you willing to dig? '

08-02-2006, 11:08 AM	#7 (permalink)
Aftershock UK-Muscle Moderator Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 4,029	You need the confidence of been able to squat in the power rack mate. Get to the gym and do your squats there.. __________________ "You are what you eat you can't possibly be anything else" or put another way "eat sht look like sht!!" Aftershock

09-02-2006, 01:10 PM	#10 (permalink)
crazycal1 Old Git Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Nowhere Posts: 245	i too train alone-recently i made a power cage-steel was £70- as an alternative to squats-you could as i do and use a trap bar-(to mimic a parallel squat i do partials alternatively drop your weight to something you can do-then add a small amount of weight each workout- oh and hows your flexibility-stretching may give you more confidence in your stability __________________ D.T.A. Cal 3:16 To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Einsteins mind was the key to all things...to understand more than to know. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Last edited by crazycal1; 09-02-2006 at 01:13 PM.

07-02-2006, 08:12 PM	#2 (permalink)
dynamatiz work in progress Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: NORTHEAST Posts: 329	hello mate am no expert, but a had a similair problem(still on goin really) were i was tryin to get down parallel in my squats as well, what i done tho which you ve already thought of is drop your weight you ll be able to get used to the feeling of goin deep, and itll streghten your glutes and hams which are used to lower the weight down, then keep on goin til ya get bk up to weight this is jus my opinion tho, bump 4 the experts, ad love to see what they say too seem as am in the same boat

07-02-2006, 08:52 PM	#4 (permalink)
crazycacti Fat and bulking... Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Isle of Man/Newcastle Posts: 1,417	I'm with the narrow backed DB above - drop the weight until you can squat properly and load up from there Watching people squat and Bench without a full ROM - annoys me more than anything else in the gym

08-02-2006, 09:35 AM	#6 (permalink)
damagedgoods Looking Freaky Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Wisbech Posts: 763	my suggestion would be to drop the weight way downand focus on your form... I've recently done the same thing - I was squatting 270 for 6 but my form was SHT and wouln't get quite to the 90degree mark.. I've changed the gym I go to on the weekends and they have a lot of BWLA powerlifters (all naturals) and one of the coaches there gave me some pointers... here are a few of the things I've found helpful. 1. if you have a pad/towel on the bar get rid of it. 2. grip the bar hard - and have quite a wide grip, with the bar low down on the traps. 3. focus your eyes on a spot on the wall - quite high up to ensure you keep your chin up. 4. find the best width of stance that works for you. 5. start off by lifting just the bar and get your ars on the floor and slowly build up from there... fo rhe first couple of weeks don't go above say 60kgs just get the movement right. - you can up the reps and I BET you that you will have DOM's the next day.

08-02-2006, 05:29 PM	#8 (permalink)
ONE SMART COOKIE Decided to leave due to idiots & and their over inflated egos Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 2,017	Start doing overhead squats as a warm up to help open up your hips and strengthen your tendons etc and inprove balance..... You doing these yet DB you should be......

10-02-2006, 03:43 PM	#12 (permalink)
samurai69 Banned Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Mid Portugal - by the sea Posts: 3,076	You could also try stretching calfs before a squat workout

21-02-2006, 12:15 AM	#13 (permalink)
Keyser Soze Banned Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Harrow, London, England. Posts: 729	Ok, results are in my journal.... Couldn't touch the concrete, but certainly had my hips below my knees, for sure. Had to do them with 70Kgs.... THAT'S A REDUCTION OF 100KGS.... and then they felt hard on the second set!! Coming up from that far down, it feels like an airplane taking off!! I'll let you know about the doms (if any) in the morning... KS

21-02-2006, 09:00 AM	#14 (permalink)
jim Newbie Trainer Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 37	i had a problem with that aswell try widening your stance. also it could be your shoes if your wear trainers with big cushiony soles you could be tipping forward and all the pressure is going to your knees and back? it could be your form either when you squat you should feel the weight in the top of your quads i tend to look up at the ceiling right above me and push off with my heels and that really hits the upper quads. i could be wrong but check what your doing and try my technique and your back and your knees might feel alot better.

21-02-2006, 10:27 AM	#15 (permalink)
trickymicky69 bashing the bishop Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: in your mothers pants Posts: 1,561	going down to parallel or less will be so much better for your overall development its unreal. many so called heavy squatters would fail under competition rules because by cutting the length of the exercise in essence, you are cheating. the strength will come very quickly but it will be hard to start with cos those muscles havent faced that load before. keep it up __________________ 'those who look but do not see, go away no wiser than whence they came"