Doc, need some squat help

[bigpianoman]

Do you have any advice or articles that can help with the fear of squating. I have been lifting for A Year now. My squat is at 450. Im so terrified.

IM on the 5x5, and my last set in the middle 400's is so tough. sometimes i rack it 2 or 3 times before i actually do it. how do i overcome this mental block?

[Doc.Sust]

Do you have any advice or articles that can help with the fear of squating. I have been lifting for A Year now. My squat is at 450. Im so terrified.

IM on the 5x5, and my last set in the middle 400's is so tough. sometimes i rack it 2 or 3 times before i actually do it. how do i overcome this mental block?

are you afraid of the weight crushing you? afraid of going heavier? my friends and i talk about this, only way to do this is to force yourself, do you train in a cage? the cage will catch you if you fall, also what helps are spotters.

[weeman001]

im not doc, and im not a workout guru, but find someone who squatts more then you and workout with them one day. i always stopped at 275 because i was scared of 3 plates for whatever reason.. then i worked out with my friend that does 4plates. all of a sudden 315 didnt seem that scary and i can do it with ease now.

hope that helps a litte..

[MuscleScience]

Why are you scared?

just put the wieghts on your back tell your self your a bad mother f^cker and lift, its that simple

[Thin Ice]

It sound more like a fear of failure than of physical injury. I used to feel that way before my first 300 pound deadlift.

300 Pounds

just seemed like such an unwieldy weight. So I just built up to it, 260 ...a few minutes...280 ...a few more minutes...and finally, with a deep breath, I just pulled as hard as I could and lifted the 300. That killed my mental block, and after that, it didn't seem like such a big deal.

[Doc.Sust]

im not doc, and im not a workout guru, but find someone who squatts more then you and workout with them one day. i always stopped at 275 because i was scared of 3 plates for whatever reason.. then i worked out with my friend that does 4plates. all of a sudden 315 didnt seem that scary and i can do it with ease now.

hope that helps a litte..

good advice, working out with people that are stronger than you will push you farther alot quicker

[bigpianoman]

It's so amazing how HEAVY the weight feel's on your back. I mean 425 to 450 is like HOLY ****.

i guess the fear starts right there. i unrack and feel the huge weight, then i start to psych myself out.

there is not even a comparsion to squat and deadlift, in terms of the metal aspect. It's pretty easy to bail at any point during a deadlift. Squat you have your whole body to think about and deal with.

I guess i will try and unrack 50-100 pound more then i can squat and just get use to the load.

[Thin Ice]

It's so amazing how HEAVY the weight feel's on your back. I mean 425 to 450 is like HOLY ****.

i guess the fear starts right there. i unrack and feel the huge weight, then i start to psych myself out.

there is not even a comparsion to squat and deadlift, in terms of the metal aspect. It's pretty easy to bail at any point during a deadlift. Squat you have your whole body to think about and deal with.

I guess i will try and unrack 50-100 pound more then i can squat and just get use to the load.

I can see what you're saying, but I'll have to take your word for it. I always use a hex bar like the one pictured below for my squats. It takes up so much less floor space than a squat rack, and it's easy to use it by yourself.


Anyway, if feeling the weight on your back keeps you from performing your best, you may want to work out with one a hex bar and just do regular squats once in a while to overcome your fear.

The picture is from a google image search; that's not me.

[Doc.Sust]

It's so amazing how HEAVY the weight feel's on your back. I mean 425 to 450 is like HOLY ****.

i guess the fear starts right there. i unrack and feel the huge weight, then i start to psych myself out.

there is not even a comparsion to squat and deadlift, in terms of the metal aspect. It's pretty easy to bail at any point during a deadlift. Squat you have your whole body to think about and deal with.

I guess i will try and unrack 50-100 pound more then i can squat and just get use to the load.

exactly, they are known as walk outs or you can do some partial squats, both will help you get used to heavier weights

[Doc.Sust]

I can see what you're saying, but I'll have to take your word for it. I always use a hex bar like the one pictured below for my squats. It takes up so much less floor space than a squat rack, and it's easy to use it by yourself.


Anyway, if feeling the weight on your back keeps you from performing your best, you may want to work out with one a hex bar and just do regular squats once in a while to overcome your fear.

The picture is from a google image search; that's not me.

no. not a good idea, two completely different movemnets, deadlifts and squats arent the same

[Thin Ice]

no. not a good idea, two completely different movemnets, deadlifts and squats arent the same

Those aren't really deadlifts. The biggest difference between deadlifts and squats is that deadlifts don't let you bend your knees as much to use your quads because the bar gets in the way. With the hex bar, the bar no longer interferes with the leg movement, allowing the lifter to perform as deep of a squat as desired.

[stacked566]

Ummmm, A. those are not even close to squats, not the same muscle groups under stress, not the same concentric/eccentric movement either...not even close.
B. deadlifts and squats help each other, as far as developing strength in the legs and hips, but other than that....moot point.

As far as a fear of squatting, partial squats and supramax walk outs help. I rep out 500 for 5 depending on where I'm at in my training, and do partials with 550 and walk out 585 raw just to keep my CNS going. Hope this helps.

[Thin Ice]

Ummmm, A. those are not even close to squats, not the same muscle groups under stress, not the same concentric/eccentric movement either...not even close.
B. deadlifts and squats help each other, as far as developing strength in the legs and hips, but other than that....moot point.

As far as a fear of squatting, partial squats and supramax walk outs help. I rep out 500 for 5 depending on where I'm at in my training, and do partials with 550 and walk out 585 raw just to keep my CNS going. Hope this helps.

Do you reach these conclusions based on personal experience with a hex bar, or just by watching someone else use it? To be fair, I haven't tried regular squats, but the movements look the same to me. Having the weight high up might make it harder to balance with a regular squat, but the hex bar would require more grip strength to hold onto it. Other than that, they look the same to me.

[Doc.Sust]

Do you reach these conclusions based on personal experience with a hex bar, or just by watching someone else use it? To be fair, I haven't tried regular squats, but the movements look the same to me. Having the weight high up might make it harder to balance with a regular squat, but the hex bar would require more grip strength to hold onto it. Other than that, they look the same to me.

they are NOT the same, there doesnt have to be research done on this, that is a fact. not even in the same ballpark, it is like comparing leg press to squats, or leg extensions to squats. a deadlift is a deadlift, yes the trap bar makes it a different bio-mechanical pull, but it CERTAINLY doesnt make it a squat. not even close

[number twelve]

i agree that your body needs to get used to the heavy weight. i used to do a lot of standing bb calf raises, and i still do heavy shrugs, i feel that it strengthens my erectors and breaks that mental block of lifting heavier.

-12