Adarq.org

You're missing the point ^^^

First off, gyms, in contrary to popular beliefs, don't grow in trees. In my area there are barely 3 gyms with 2 of them being pretty much "health" gyms with no free weights. The 3rd, where I go, has free weights but you won't see anybody doing snatches and cleans and dropping the bar on the floor.

These are perfectly acceptable exercises as clean and snatch replacements^^^

I am not missing the point, it's you that has no clue what he is talking about. Not being able to drop the weights to the floor is not a reason not to snatch and clean. Being able to do so makes training more effective and is, at some point, important for progress. But it is largely irrelevant for any beginner in the o-lifts because those should not drop the weight but learn to be in complete control of it. I powercleaned 100 kg for reps before I ever had to drop a weight in the exercise. And if you think that what is shown in the video is an "acceptable replacement" for clean and snatch variations you suffer from grand delusion.

Your programming looks weird. 2 heavy singles per week is not enough for most people to maintain their squat. Your training frequency declined as well. So your deloading-schedule might have been the cause for the decline in squat numbers.

The ongoing decline is probably because of your setup being not suitable for your training advancement. The 355 x 5 x 3 you have been doing would have felt heavy for most people with your strength. You are not adapted to doing heavy sets with 5ths, because you have been doing 7ths before at lighter weights. So that is not really strange. That the numbers got down further might just be an indicator of you not being able to recover from the current schedule which, again, is plausible. You are an intermediate trainee and going for 5 x 3 twice per week might just be too much, especially without recovery day.

My advise would be a Texas method setup from now on. You can keep the sets across with 5s on Monday, put a light day in there and go for high weights, low volume on Fri/Sat. You might find that much more easy to recover from and you get enough squat practice to progress further.

http://www.adarq.org/forum/progress-journals-experimental-routines/gukls%27-journal/new/#new - i put my plan in my journal if anyone wants to see it/analyse/criticise it...

Your goals are your goals, but I find them terrible. You want to gain muscle on thighs and lose fat on waist until the end of the month. That's a fantastic way of making sure that you won't reach either of those goals. If you want to be a beast, it's time to gain some muscle and stop worrying about the circumference of your bodyparts. You will have major thighs once you can squat 200 kilos, I promise.

Said it before, not worthwhile to just try to maintain squat while losing weight, especially if are doing it conservatively. Just do a Texas Method style set-up, maybe reduce volume on Monday session (3x5 instead of 5x5) and go for PRs every week. Far from impossible to do, even when you are on a deficit.

But you said you didn't squat until recently, but you were able to jump high before, meaning the "proper" squats have nothing to do with your jump
/thread

This.

Also about me being unable to critique your points... There are actually just too many things wrong with your analysis and I don't have time nor motivation to explain this exercise to you. I recommend that you read Starting Strength by Rippetoe for 60+ pages on just squat technique for one point of view. Just an example of a conclusive line of thought - something that you have not provided in the slightest.

To get you started: Why don't you explain to me what happens with high weights when balance is off the mid-foot and onto heels or toes. Your experience does not apply here since you have never in your life squatted a heavy weight. But maybe your amazing thinking skills can help you out.

Btw., the plural of amygdala is amygdalae and you don't seem to understand the purpose of this structure.

1. So that we do not have to play with imaginary numbers here: My best SVJ is 36", achieved several times. My best full squat was 441 lbs (200 kg) for 5.

2. We are discussing the ideas of someone whose best squat is 225 lbs - about as much as I powersnatch. There is nothing wrong with squatting that much, most people, obviously, have been there at some point in time. But most people would also ask for advice at this stage instead of giving it and pointing out form errors of much stronger people.

3. The main problem with Avishek's actual argument is that it takes no recognition of thoughts previously spelled out by experienced coaches and experts. One can certainly name several of those figures, many of which will voice different opinions. Avishek however does not take notice of anyone who has thought through a lot of things and has provided conclusive lines of thought regarding optimal back squat technique for performance training. Instead he constructs, due to his limited experience and knowledge, some dichotomy that is really not there (toe-to-heal and heal-to-toe) and tries to underpin it with an incomplete "analysis" of "something".

4. I don't know why my squat technique has been a point of discussion here, but I recognize that there have always been problems with my squat technique and never have I claimed to have textbook form. I will continue improving on that once I am back to squatting. What Avishek points out regarding my form errors is partially correct but probably more by chance than by correct observation.

I have not read that much rubbish in quite a while on this forum. The fact that you seem to train people makes me really sad. I really do not know what to say about this since so much stuff was already covered here and elsewhere about related topics. For example why it is fucking stupid to try to mimic a jump when back squatting. Also note how every squat you posted was done with inappropriate shoes. And that you did not post video of a squat that you thought was correct. Or how the first video is not even a squat in the first place. It is also fascinating that you dichotomize squats in "right" and "wrong" and continue to refer to two types of "squats", that not even many people do or propose and which are, btw., both wrong.

Quote from: Clarence on October 13, 2011, 07:26:29 am

Quote from: Raptor on October 13, 2011, 06:19:20 am

I don't see too much hobbling back and forth to be honest.

It's not so much of hobbling back and forth (instability) as it is inefficient bar path.  As he squats down the bar travels forwards as he goes up it travels back.

Well I don't see that happening too much... the bar path looks pretty straight to me. But man that's a long torso.

If you think that bar path is perpendicular to the floor than you are not qualified to make an assessment. His torso is long, but that does not prevent anyone from squatting correctly.