On February 23 2015 09:56 eLyx wrote: Would it be possible to use beginner strength routines with front squats instead of back squats?
I have had back trouble on and off for years (bad posture, sitting a lot, the usual) and hurt myself a bit while doing stronglifts last year (not sure if it was bad form on squats/deadlifts or something else to be honest). After taking a break i started slow with light exercises to get in the swing of things, improve mobility etc. I have been doing goblet squats to improve my squat depth and am feeling pretty good about it but i feel like its hard to progress on it once the weight starts to get heavy. So i have been reading up about front squats which are more similar to goblet squats than backsquats. You can find articles/videos recommending the use of front squats in general, while if you google for stuff like "front squats instead of backsquats for stronglifts/starting strength" people say no or recommend to alternate them.
I understand the don't fuck with the program mantra but I thought asking here wouldn't hurt.
Front squats are going to demand much more core strength, and you have to get deeper in them to really utilize your gluteal and hamstring muscles. There's significantly more pressure on your respiratory system (you can't breathe) so it's a nightmare to do more than a triple with them, while sets of 5 are standard in the back squat. Your upper back is going to fatigue before your legs. You can't load it up with as much weight (and not getting psyched out by the number on the bar is one of the biggest teaching points of beginner programs) and you wont be able to progress it nearly as fast. There are a hundred other "it's not as good because" reasons... but if you absolutely refuse to do back squats, it's the best sub.
I would try high bar back squats first (and be very aware of your forward lean) and see if you can do those, because they are far superior for these types of routines, and I say that as a person who front squats 4x/week.
If you have good enough mobility in your shoulder area and strenght in your upper back there is no reason why you could not go really heavy with your FS. Proper form doing sets of 5 is not a problem either. If your upper back fails before your legs you need to strengthen your back and make sure your form is proper when you FS. FS or BS they are both great so doing either of them is good.
I didnt say you cant go heavy, I said you can't go as heavy as a back squat.
Sets of 5 in front squats are (relatively) harder than sets of 5 in back squats.
If your legs fail before your upper back, you need to strengthen your legs, not the other way around.
Front squat and back squat are both great, but back squat is far and away superior for a beginner program.
I stopped doing front squats. Having to hold your breath throughout an entire set of heavy lifting is just torture. Always felt close to fainting at the end :p
BUT the movement itself I really like, especially the core activation, so it's definitely a damn shame about my windpipe an all.
On February 23 2015 18:46 Osmoses wrote: I stopped doing front squats. Having to hold your breath throughout an entire set of heavy lifting is just torture. Always felt close to fainting at the end :p
BUT the movement itself I really like, especially the core activation, so it's definitely a damn shame about my windpipe an all.
If you are doing it correctly there should be no fainting The bar should not be pressing against your windpipe but resting on your shoulders. When you come up there should be no problem in breathing few times before the next rep. http://www.catalystathletics.com/article/1874/The-Clean-and-Jerk-Rack-Positions/ Check this for the right rack position and you should have no problems doing FS again.
On February 23 2015 18:46 Osmoses wrote: I stopped doing front squats. Having to hold your breath throughout an entire set of heavy lifting is just torture. Always felt close to fainting at the end :p
BUT the movement itself I really like, especially the core activation, so it's definitely a damn shame about my windpipe an all.
With inifinite upper back strength they become similar. I don't understand what kind of back issues would prevent back squat exclusively. As someone said before try high bar squats before with a very vertical torso.
On February 24 2015 03:50 decafchicken wrote: Shit. Am I too mainstream now? What are the cool kids doing now? Highland games trainng?
Don't worry, I think weightlifting is safe from the mainstream for another couple years.
Powerlifting will always be safe from the mainstream
The sport yes, but all the lifts are pretty mainstream now. My college gym always has a line for the power racks which is why I found a different place to go.
Cool Chaos and Pain article that says not doing accessory lifts is stupid. Especially like the chinese national weightlifting coach's take in there.
On February 20 2015 ChaosAndPain wrote: The coach of the Chinese Olympic weightlifting team, Coach Fang, says that "a weightlifter MUST use bodybuilding exercises to progress in the snatch and clean and jerk," and recommends that at every workout a lifter should choose one or two small bodyparts at the end of each workout and do 6 sets for each to failure, with whatever weight one chooses (Winter).
So it looks like those physiques are absolutely not an accident or a byproduct of weightlifting, but are just part of the overall training philosophy.
Also very important to know that his host is making him remove all nudity from the blog, so while it still won't be "safe for work" in the future, it's going to take one hell of a step in that direction.
So I did take an extended rest from squatting, while doing lots of ball-rolling. And something seems to have worked, I'm feeling a lot better. Managed to squat today with almost 0 pain. Nothing heavy though, mostly volume, but 20 reps are kinda brutal even at "low" weights. (It stops feeling like low weights pretty fast.) Also did some tweaks to my form, trying to sit back more compared to previously.
I think the key was finding the right spots around the knee and hitting them hard.
Hit 210 on front squats Monday and was planning to repeat it again today since the rest periods got long and the reps were a major grind... Getting pumped for front squats is always tough. Getting pumped for front squats if you aren't PRing anything is a whole different beast. Honestly was considering skipping the workout and just doing a crossfit wod, but then I remembered I deload next week, so I only have to grind it out today and Saturday and then I get a break. Fire reignited, 210x3x10 HERE I COME.
Might still make that wod a workout my first day back. For anyone curious, it was: 3 rounds. Round 1 power snatch. Round 2 power clean. Round 3 thruster. Each round is a 7 minute EMOM. minute 1 7 reps Minute 2 6 reps Minute 3 5 reps Minute 4 4 reps Minute 5 3 reps Minute 6 2 reps Minute 7 1 rep 3 minutes rest.
Looks like fun to me, and I miss power snatches.
Edit: 210 went up easy. Really felt a DOMS-like burn in my legs, but the lift wasn't any more difficult than the last time I did it. Physically I dont think I need the deload, but mentally I still do. I think I'll shoot for a max triple my first day back though. Somewhere in the 225-235 neighborhood, then back off and finish out the sets.
Small Amounts of Gluten in Subjects with Suspected Nonceliac Gluten Sensitivity: a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Cross-Over Trial. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25701700
Haven't been lifting a bunch lately. Was sick as fuck with something I ate on friday/saturday. I think my body is officially too much of a wreck, I need a week or two off of resistance training and just do mobility work and a ton of soft tissue. Got a massage yesterday and worked out a ton of knots but still tons to go and she said my left side (aka my side with the bad SI joint and shoulder) is just super inflamed compared to the right.
On the bright side I think between the back/shoulder massage and me REALLY hammering my stupidly tight pec muscles I got some pain relief on my shoulder. Going to keep really digging in there...it's ridiculous what a mess it is.
lol I did play around with OHS/Drop Snatch/Squat Jerk on an empty barbell after doing some squats/pistols (holy shit these are hard on my bad leg). Lockout and shoulder felt 10x better than usual. Then smashed my biceps/triceps/forearms with a barbell for like half an hour haha. Onwards to recovery! I want my shoulders in top shape for rugby season so they don't get any more fucked up.
EPT
The bar should not be pressing against your windpipe but resting on your shoulders. When you come up there should be no problem in breathing few times before the next rep. 
