Quote: (05-31-2015 10:12 AM)KeepMovingForward Wrote:
It's interesting to note that Johnny Candito has been back and forth between high bar, low bar, and hybrid squat over the years, and he is an elite powerlifter.
Just goes to show that best form is highly individual after getting the basics down.
Exactly, and he'd be the same as most powerlifters. We'd tweak the tiny little things to get an extra 2.5kg / 5lb out of our squats, usually they're irrelevant for most recreational lifters.
Having said that, his squat style doesn't change that much. It's still a quad dominant squat like most IPF lifters do. Sitting down, not back etc.
Quote: (05-31-2015 11:30 AM)VincentVinturi Wrote:
Can't rep you again so I'll just say thanks for putting on this clinic, StrikeBack.
1. I see some of the IPF lifters going very narrow stance and others going rather wide.
What factors determine the ideal stance for a given individual?
2. What's the best way to address imbalances?
When I get up towards my max, I feel my left groin/psoas muscles under a lot of strain and my right leg is definitely way stronger than my left.
Cheers, no worries.
When watching those IPF guys, I'd choose the technical ones not the brute strength ones. Usually you wouldn't see very wide stance for the medal positions, because it's not ideal for raw. Very wide stance is to cut ROM and is a relic from equipped squats. It's not safe for powerlifters nor recreational lifters. Narrow to medium stance works best. I'd start with shoulder width and make small adjustments.
Try pause squatting for balance. Also, if you work with lots of submaximal squats (heavy enough to challenge but not overwhelm the weaker side) and good technique, over time, the imbalance will correct itself. I had the opposite imbalance to yours (right groin straining, left leg way stronger than right) due to an injury and it has now gone back to balance.
Quote: (05-31-2015 11:34 AM)kbell Wrote:
How do deep do you go when you squat? Looking at the competition they look like they go a little bellow parallel with the knee but not quite as deep as Johnny Candito with just a bar. I tend to lose a lot of strength at bellow parallel. But I have always squatted with a wide stance so perhaps that weakens it.
Will you cover the front squat too? I hear that can help with depth as well in tandem with the goblet squat.
I go just bellow parallel for my main barbell squat, but I do plenty of variations including bodyweight ones where I squat right to the bottom. If you have a medium stance, your legs will be right under your hips and you can push much stronger with them.
Everybody loses plenty of strength below parallel. I once attempted to prove this by repping my 1RM for 7 reps about 2 inches above parallel (albeit with a slight rest on the safety pins).
Yeah I will cover the front squat a bit. It's one of my favourite lifts, I still have the biggest front squat among my training partners (over 2xBW, 150kg, probably more now, but I haven't tested for a while). However it actually is a better assistant exercise for the deadlift, not for the back squat.
Quote: (05-31-2015 12:20 PM)Hades Wrote:
I thought IPF rules were different meaning that squat styles have to be adjusted. They have to have their hip joints lower than the knee or it's not greenlit. Most of the other top squatters in other powerlifting federations use a very wide, toes far out, manspreading on the subway type stance when squatting.
lol @ manspreading squat.
Well due to the rules, it means the IPF squats would make the closest example for how a recreational lifter should squat. You guys wouldn't have knee wraps and suits anyway, and you'd like to squat a bit deeper too.
Quote: (05-31-2015 12:45 PM)vinman Wrote:
I've had to strip my squats to bare bones. My shoulders and back are not very flexible, so I'm working that problem. Body weight squats, front squats, and even cleans into a squat are good to go. But strangely enough my back squats are shitty. I've changed foot placement, and I'm working on full stretch as to floor squats. I keep reminding myself to work the muscle, and not the ego, because the weight is a fraction of my personal bests. Excellent job with this post +1.
I'll try to post up some mobility work for the upper body. Meanwhile, I think you may find that tight chest might also be related to your issues.