From PChek@compuserve.com Mon Apr 28 09:24:25 1997 Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 03:42:16 -0400 From: Paul Chek Reply-To: weights-2@nbaf.com To: "INTERNET:weights-2@nbaf.com" Subject: (Weights-2) weights-2-digest V1 #12 **NBAF WEIGHTS-2** DEEP SQUATS: The most common reasons people can't squat below parallel are: 1. Restricted motion at the ankle and hip joints 2. Poor intermuscular coordination, which is common among those who train predominantly with machines! 3. Relative Flexability Imbalance between the hips and lumbar spine: - The hip joint/musculature has much less flexability relative to the back, resulting in hyperflexion of the lumbar spine in the lower portion of the squat. This happens because the passive tension of the musculoligamentous structures around the hip are out of proportion with the passive elastic forces of the back. The net result is over use of the low back and back pain! Often results in a disk bulg over time. 4. WEAK! If you are weak in the lower portion of the movement, your brain will try to avoid the test. It is inherant to human beings to follow the pathl of least resistance. TIPS FOR PERFORMING THE DEEP SQUAT: 1. Make sure you have full range of motion in all associated joints. 2. DO NOT attempt free weight exercises after blasting the hell out of your body on machines. Always perform the most complex movements, and those with the largest number of muscles and joints involved first in your workout (unless you want to look like your having an epoleptic seizure under the bar like most of the cement heads I see training in the gym!) REMEMBER, your nervous system is recording your movements and creating complex motor engrams for future use. If you program the nervous system with junk, GUESS WHAT WILL COME OUT!! 3. Practice the Squat Stretch. To perform the squat stretch, load the bar with 50-60% 1RM and settle into the squat as deep as possible with perfect form. Hold that position for 20-30 seconds and slowly settle deeper and deeper into it as the connective tissues warm. Repeat 2-3 times befor beginning your squat workout. Some gentle side to side and figure 8's with the body while setteling at the bottom will not hurt. NOTE: To protect your low back from injury while deep squatting, stand in a good upright posture and have a partner run a strip of good athletic tape down both lumbar erector muscles, anchoring the tape to your sacrum. After you pull your pants up, start your squat. You will be reminded by the tape every time you lose your lumbar curve (very effective if your back is harry!) By using this training aid, you will be more consiously aware of when to tighten the back and abdominal muscles to stabilize the pelvis against the pull of tight hip extensors. In due time, you will develop adequat hip flexability to squat like an Olympic lifter. If you ignore the tape, you may get to be on my waiting list for a disk rehab exercise program! I hope you find these tips usefull, P.S., I will be giving seminars in Australia and New Zealand for the next three months, so if you E-mail me, I may take a while to get back to you. THIS MESSAGE WAS TYPED FAST AND NOT SPELL CHECKED, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK Paul Chek MSS, HHP, NMT Paul Chek Seminars Ph 1-800-552-8789 www.paulchekseminars.com From PChek@compuserve.com Tue May 6 08:22:57 1997 Date: Tue, 6 May 1997 07:48:32 -0400 From: Paul Chek Reply-To: weights-2@nbaf.com To: "INTERNET:weights-2@nbaf.com" Subject: (Weights-2) weights-2-digest V1 #14 **NBAF WEIGHTS-2** Message text written by INTERNET:weights-2@nbaf.com > < Regarding Tom Griffin's Q's About Deep Squatting: Squat stretch with 60% too much to hold twenty seconds tells me that you have poor postural endurance and need postural training exercises. At this intensity you should be able to perform aprox 21 squats. At a moderate tempo of 202, that would equate to about 80 seconds of work. If you can't hold the bar for 20 seconds, you most likely have poor conditoning of your spinal erectors (your back muscles that run along your spine). The stretch should be performed two to three times with a brief rest between stretches (20-30 sec.). I suggest taping over partners watching your form; you are assuming your partner is good enough at movement analysis to see a loss of spinal position and to recognize form technicalities?! The tape never lies. How long it will take will depend on if this is truely the problem, and on just how tight you are? I go over range of motion assessment and squat technique in great detail in my video program titled "Scientific Back Training." This program is used and recommended by many elite strength coaches such as Charles Poliquin and Al Vermeil. It sounds like you could use the information. Sorry I took so long to reply. I am currrently in Auckland NZ teaching seminars and lecturing at the NZ Network Conference for Fitness Professionals. I only have tome to check my E-mail about once a week. Sincerely, Paul Chek MSS, HHP, NMT For further information call my office: Paul Chek Seminars 1-800-552-8789 619-551-8789 www.paulchekseminrs.com Date: Mon, 20 Oct 1997 08:03:04 -0600 From: Garry Holmen Subject: Re: Puzzling Squat Problem ------------------------------------------- >I am currently helping train a friend for his first powerlifting >competition, he is 5ft 10ins and 165lb of light-medium build. He is >reasonably new to both heavy training and powerlifting, but is making >reasonable progress in the d/lift and bench (330 and 180 respectively so >far). The problem he is having is with the squat, whenever the weight >starts to get heavy ( > than 240 on triples) he suddenly develops a >tendancy to bend over excessively and rely on back strength to perform >the lift (i.e. hips rise first, then back performs the rest). Without actually viewing your friends squat I would think that he has some technique problems with his squat. When someone 'caves' and their shoulders slump forward out of the hole it typically means that the abs are not keeping the body in an upright position. The hips rise before the back and then it's a good morning from there. As he is sinking his squat tighten up those abs as hard as he can... when I'm going down on squats I'm only thinking tight abs and knees out. The other possibility is that he is not starting the movement from the hips. Squats should start with a bend at the hips like he's going to sit backwards into a chair. If he's starting at the knees there is less likelihood he's going to stay upright, more back work at the bottom and less use of the large glute and hamstring muscles. As for training here are my two suggestions. 1) Heavy and static abs... forget the crunches for reps. Hold that 45lbs for 5-10 seconds at the top of the lift and concentrate on curling up through the abs slowly. I love to do these from a hyperextension bench so I can get a 'really' long movement. Reps don't count... heavy. static stomach exercises is what you want. And to concentrate on those abs to keep you upright in the squat. 2) Pause squats. Set your power cage pins/catch bars up so that you can lower the squat slowly to the pins. At the bottom position where the catch bars intervene you should be below parallel. Pause for a second. Now power up from there keeping your back upright and the abs tight. You're going to need to drop the weight to do these properly and they are very tough on the hip flexors. Garry