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Sandin Face
Member
Go right down in weight - as in the Mehdi Starting Strength program - go down to a ridiculously low weight, and gradually go up each session.
You can keep up your leg work - and your ego, if necessary - by doing heavy leg presses &/or dead-lifts, but with this squat routine, you'll learn to get it right.
When I first started (without any trainer's instruction), I got my legs reasonably well developed (at least to my own, low, standards), using leg presses, and other machine exercises, but I was never really comfortable with squats. I thought I would need some sort of "yoke" to keep the bar in place.
Anyway, many years later, taking up lifting again, but without a gym, squats were my only leg option. I struggled like you did for quite a while, but since I have done the "Starting Strenght" program (which says to start off squatting an empty bar - I didn't go that far), my form has improved automatically, and I don't have a problem placing the bar now (I'm up to 5 sets of 5 reps with 98kg on the bar, as of today).
You can keep up your leg work - and your ego, if necessary - by doing heavy leg presses &/or dead-lifts, but with this squat routine, you'll learn to get it right.
When I first started (without any trainer's instruction), I got my legs reasonably well developed (at least to my own, low, standards), using leg presses, and other machine exercises, but I was never really comfortable with squats. I thought I would need some sort of "yoke" to keep the bar in place.
Anyway, many years later, taking up lifting again, but without a gym, squats were my only leg option. I struggled like you did for quite a while, but since I have done the "Starting Strenght" program (which says to start off squatting an empty bar - I didn't go that far), my form has improved automatically, and I don't have a problem placing the bar now (I'm up to 5 sets of 5 reps with 98kg on the bar, as of today).
Some mobility work, foam rolling and stretching should help. You could be tight in the chest, where your chest connects to your shoulder, triceps and biceps, that's what I find for myself personally. Get a massage ball into there and see if it helps. Are you doing high bar or low bar? I find high bar alot easier than low bar on my shoulders and getting into position.
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Sent from my C5303 using Tapatalk
Goosey
.
At the moment i don't have anything on the bar to make sure i do get the form right. With or without weight though, holding the bar hurts my shoulders cause i have to stretch pretty far
Will try chins, dips and rows
pressing behind the neck is also a good exercise.
actually a couple of sets of presses B4 squatting is a good thing.
I agree with this. BTN presses starting off very light were great for shoulders.
The current fad is recommending foam rolling and mobility work for everything and I can say both haven't ever done a thing for any injury I have ever had. Absolute waste of time.
slingy
New member
I can't believe that anyone would have problems with shoulder flexibility if I don't have problems with it...
I've had 7 shoulder reconstructions (and Bristow procedure on both sides) and can still just manage to get my arms around enough, but I do need to have the bar pretty high.. Really need to squeeze my shoulder blades together hard too. I need to position my hands, duck my head under the bar and lean forward, using my body weight and traps to get the bar into position.
From there the weight of the bar is what keeps everything set..
slingy
New member
If you can do BTN presses you can get a bar into position for squats.. I can't even press from behind the neck.
Goosey
.
I could not agree more with you.
like massage...balls and rollers feel nice, good for releaving a spasm or two.
The one and only thing that is going to increase flexibility (an element of strength) is correctly applied resistance and most importantly the negative portion of it.
Grunta
Packing a Huge Member
Do this, it will stretch and pump blood into the area, will definitely help.
Goosey
.
The bloke didn't say he had an injury.
He's looking for some flexibility.. stretching and massage of muscles connecting in and around the shoulders will help a lot.
If you have a Scap injury then I see your point.
But tightness in traps, rear delt, and chest where it joins up near shoulder will all cause difficulty getting under the bar (extreme case I'd say) so the current fad of rolling and mobility and massage there will see great improvements.
I find this the quickest and easiest before squatting...
Called a door stretch but works perfect in squat rack
