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Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

Lifter problems

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  • T
    tmg
    Joined: 10 Sept 2010

    ^completely agree with @TrickHell you shouldn't be afraid of squatting to the limits of your mobility/skeletal mechanics. There's much higher risk to your knees from not doing so and only going to parallel since this doesn't make use of the stretch reflex action. It's been mentioned by others in this thread, but I'd highly recommend reading Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe, and/or watching his YouTube vids.

    Leg press machines are useful for bodybuilders but not so useful if you want to build functional strength and not compromise joint mobility. If you're squatting with proper form (and full depth) and on a good program for your specific goals then you shouldn't need to be doing leg presses, so I'm curious as to what you felt they were providing?

    last edited by 4 May 2017, 16:16 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
    • N
      neph93
      見習いボス
      Joined: 18 Aug 2014

      Just to be clear, I have nothing against going ATG or breaking parallel and I'm not a stranger to Rippetoe. But without boring you all with specifics about my body shape and injury history, my knees definitely don't like the concentric movement of a below parallel squat done with normal foot stance. They tackle breaking parallel in a front squat and they tackle ATG with an exaggerated wide stance/borderline sumo squat, as long as my feet are properly flared and my knees track over them.

      I'm going to keep on doing my regular Friday squat regardless. I've made great progress with it and it has done wonders for power, muscle growth and, in fact, my knees. The point was I guess, is a squat variation a useful substitute for the leg press. The consensus here seems to be it's actually an improvement. So I'm going to do straight sets (3x10) of wide stance deep squats on deadlift day, in addition to standard squats on squat day. My standard squat at the moment is 3x8 @ 140kg, so I guess 90-95kg (my bodyweight) would be a good place to start the wide stance, ATG variation?

      Either way, thanks for all the input guys.

      “Some of those that work forces
      Are the same that burn crosses”

      • Virginia Woolf
      last edited by 5 Apr 2017, 17:51 4 May 2017, 17:36 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • S
        spitfiredealer
        Raw and Unwashed
        Joined: 8 Apr 2013

        Bit late on this, but I do front squats and rate them much more than leg press. I do them after low bar squats, 5 sets of 10 reps.

        last edited by 4 May 2017, 17:52 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • N
          neph93
          見習いボス
          Joined: 18 Aug 2014

          @jvicente86:

          @neph93 that should be a good starting point for the wider stance…

          Thanks for the advice. First day with the wide stance was yesterday. Did 90kg for 3x10 with my ass way below parallel. Felt good, but different for sure. Could really feel the work my hip joints and core muscles were doing. Looking forward to perfecting form and throwing on weights.

          I made the mistake of starting hill sprints at the same time as I tried moving into a calorific surplus. I was eating about 2000 cal more a week and still lost a kilo [emoji28]

          “Some of those that work forces
          Are the same that burn crosses”

          • Virginia Woolf
          last edited by 10 May 2017, 18:03 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • D
            DrBabyhorse
            Joined: 28 Dec 2012

            @neph93:

            @jvicente86:

            @neph93 that should be a good starting point for the wider stance…

            Thanks for the advice. First day with the wide stance was yesterday. Did 90kg for 3x10 with my ass way below parallel. Felt good, but different for sure. Could really feel the work my hip joints and core muscles were doing. Looking forward to perfecting form and throwing on weights.

            I made the mistake of starting hill sprints at the same time as I tried moving into a calorific surplus. I was eating about 2000 cal more a week and still lost a kilo [emoji28]

            I'm late to the party but +1 for ditching the leg press. Consider switching every other week between front squats and overhead squats

            Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk

            last edited by 16 May 2017, 10:31 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • G
              Graeme
              啓蒙家
              Joined: 30 Mar 2012

              @jvicente86 I'm feeling like a seven stone weakling in comparison! 😃

              Just done my first proper arms session in weeks. I had a bursitis on my left elbow, and it's been really slow to heal up.

              last edited by 3 Jun 2017, 00:36 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • G
                Graeme
                啓蒙家
                Joined: 30 Mar 2012

                I know that feeling too @jvicente86! I used to train with some powerlifters in Newcastle. One of them, Andy Thompson, was a UK heavyweight champion. He could bench 250 kg! :o

                I've got a really bad shape for lifting heavy. I'm 6'3" with long arms and legs, and a short torso. My bench and squat suffer as a result.

                Thanks for the compression cuffs recommendation. I'll look into them.

                last edited by 3 Jun 2017, 02:06 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • G
                  Giles
                  IHUK Crew
                  Joined: 22 Sept 2009

                  Sheeeeee-it…..

                  "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                  last edited by 14 Jun 2017, 16:45 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • D
                    DrBabyhorse
                    Joined: 28 Dec 2012

                    Solid! Nice work.

                    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                    last edited by 14 Jun 2017, 16:46 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • N
                      neph93
                      見習いボス
                      Joined: 18 Aug 2014

                      That last deadlift was badass. Great clip, thanks for sharing.

                      “Some of those that work forces
                      Are the same that burn crosses”

                      • Virginia Woolf
                      last edited by 14 Jun 2017, 17:20 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • T
                        tvenuto
                        Raw and Unwashed
                        Joined: 15 Sept 2016

                        9/9. Nice work.

                        last edited by 14 Jun 2017, 19:01 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • S
                          spitfiredealer
                          Raw and Unwashed
                          Joined: 8 Apr 2013

                          Nice work man. They are really decent lifts.

                          last edited by 14 Jun 2017, 20:18 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • S
                            Sreeni
                            Joined: 22 Aug 2014

                            Very impressive! I wonder which Iron Heart bottoms fit your huge thighs.

                            last edited by 17 Jun 2017, 05:07 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • G
                              Giles
                              IHUK Crew
                              Joined: 22 Sept 2009

                              IH-888S will release in August…..

                              "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                              last edited by 19 Jun 2017, 07:42 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • N
                                neph93
                                見習いボス
                                Joined: 18 Aug 2014

                                @Giles:

                                IH-888S will release in August…..

                                Can't come soon enough.

                                “Some of those that work forces
                                Are the same that burn crosses”

                                • Virginia Woolf
                                last edited by 19 Jun 2017, 07:57 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • T
                                  tvenuto
                                  Raw and Unwashed
                                  Joined: 15 Sept 2016

                                  Indeed. I refuse to size up in the waist.

                                  last edited by 19 Jun 2017, 17:01 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • N
                                    neph93
                                    見習いボス
                                    Joined: 18 Aug 2014

                                    @tvenuto:

                                    Indeed. I refuse to size up in the waist.

                                    It's taken one pair of 301's and two pairs of 555's for me to reach that conclusion.  Which is why I'm stoked about these.

                                    “Some of those that work forces
                                    Are the same that burn crosses”

                                    • Virginia Woolf
                                    last edited by 19 Jun 2017, 17:06 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • R
                                      richardjohn22
                                      Joined: 5 Feb 2016

                                      @TrickHell:

                                      Count me among the bro scientists who thinks "ass to grass is bad for your knees" is a vicious communist lie. Go ass to grass, you'll be fine, your body will get used to it. Start light and build up.

                                      Once your knees are shot, depth can become a problem, as I'm finding.  My sister-in-law is a surgeon who also lifts, and is convinced that below parallel isn't for everyone.  I studied biomechanics back in the day at university, and it's easy to see how some percentage of people would have difficulty.

                                      last edited by 22 Jun 2017, 16:55 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • T
                                        tvenuto
                                        Raw and Unwashed
                                        Joined: 15 Sept 2016

                                        @richardjohn22:

                                        @TrickHell:

                                        Count me among the bro scientists who thinks "ass to grass is bad for your knees" is a vicious communist lie. Go ass to grass, you'll be fine, your body will get used to it. Start light and build up.

                                        Once your knees are shot, depth can become a problem, as I'm finding.  My sister-in-law is a surgeon who also lifts, and is convinced that below parallel isn't for everyone.  I studied biomechanics back in the day at university, and it's easy to see how some percentage of people would have difficulty.

                                        I think the first sentence here is key. A2G squats will not mess up healthy knees, but there are circumstances where they're not a good idea. Of course if the person had been doing proper squats in the past they might not be in the state they're in, but you have to work with what you've got.

                                        last edited by 23 Jun 2017, 13:20 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • N
                                          neph93
                                          見習いボス
                                          Joined: 18 Aug 2014

                                          @TrickHell:

                                          Absolutely garbage week at the gym. I'm blaming jet lag.

                                          Seems legit. Have you had a break from training? Even a week out will knock reps or kilos off what you were doing before the break. Luckily it comes back quickly.

                                          “Some of those that work forces
                                          Are the same that burn crosses”

                                          • Virginia Woolf
                                          last edited by 24 Jun 2017, 14:50 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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