Today's Gym Session

[The devil's own]

Why stay away from the Smith Machine?

Free weight training is always seen as better than the use of machines. The smith machine is well known to cause injuries when squatting. Also not too clever for other exercises as you're forced into a fixed movement pattern, rather than the way your body wants to go, you don't have to balance the weight as the machine does it for you. The bar on a smith machine only weighs 9kg, compared to 20kg which an 7ft olympic bar weighs. So people often kid themselves about how much they are lifting. The list goes on, they are the same reasons free weight training is always seen as better than the use of machines. I'm pretty sure there is a whole host of other reasons but they are the one's that instantly come to mind.

[mattp]

Ok thanks. I always find my shoulders hurt before my legs do! Tend to prefer lunges instead but I will persevere....

[The devil's own]

Ok thanks. I always find my shoulders hurt before my legs do! Tend to prefer lunges instead but I will persevere....

You're shoulders hurt when squatting? In what way? Are you squatting in a smith machine?

[mattp]

No, its a squat rack but as a I balance the bar across my shoulders it always seems painful. The problem is that because of this I give up the sets too quickly. Not because my legs are sufficiently fatigued but because my shoulders hurt! How do you avoid this?

[The devil's own]

No, its a squat rack but as a I balance the bar across my shoulders it always seems painful. The problem is that because of this I give up the sets too quickly. Not because my legs are sufficiently fatigued but because my shoulders hurt! How do you avoid this?

Sounds like you've either got the bar in the wrong place, or you're not engaging your lats and shoulder blades. How much weight are you squatting when you have to give up, and at what rep count do you have to stop?Be also useful to know how much you weigh as this can be a guide to how much you can lift.

[mattp]

Sounds like you've either got the bar in the wrong place, or you're not engaging your lats and shoulder blades. How much weight are you squatting when you have to give up, and at what rep count do you have to stop?Be also useful to know how much you weigh as this can be a guide to how much you can lift.

Sorry, bit of delay in replying as hadn't got back in the gym for a few days. Decided to start off not lifting much to try and get the form right. Most I lifted was 70kg (inc bar) reps of ten. I also rolled up a towel to cushion the bar against my shoulders and it was an improvement. Guess I just need to build up slowly. I weight 73 kg so I should probably be lifting much more!

I also do more running than weights nowadays so a lack of frequency doesn't help. Is once a week enough for squats?

[The devil's own]

Sorry, bit of delay in replying as hadn't got back in the gym for a few days. Decided to start off not lifting much to try and get the form right. Most I lifted was 70kg (inc bar) reps of ten. I also rolled up a towel to cushion the bar against my shoulders and it was an improvement. Guess I just need to build up slowly. I weight 73 kg so I should probably be lifting much more!

I also do more running than weights nowadays so a lack of frequency doesn't help. Is once a week enough for squats?

I squat 3 times a week. I'd ditch the towel you shouldn't need it if you're doing everything right. You're right, for your weight you should be able to lift a lot more without any pain.
Talk me through how you squat. Set up and the squat it's self. More detail the better and we'll see if we can sort you out.

[ukhursty]

Back + Bi's last night, shoulders this morning.

[The devil's own]

Not posted any workouts for a while as the thread appeared to have gone dormant.

Light lifting day on wednesday. All about technique, and form.

300m row warm up. Usual stretching and smr work with roller and ball.

Numerous warm up sets leading to
Work sets:
Squat 75kg 2x5
Ohp 35kg 3x5
Chins 3 sets to fail
Good mornings 20kg 5x10

Met-con:

5 rounds for time:

350m row, 12 front squats @ 50kg

Time: 19.24

[mattp]

I squat 3 times a week. I'd ditch the towel you shouldn't need it if you're doing everything right. You're right, for your weight you should be able to lift a lot more without any pain.
Talk me through how you squat. Set up and the squat it's self. More detail the better and we'll see if we can sort you out.

Ok here goes. So I use a standard squat rack and set the bar so it rests about shoulder height and in front of me. I also set the safety rests about waist height. I step forward with one foot slightly and under the bar before lifting and stepping back into a standard squat postion. I then try and perform the squat with a straight back and sticking my bum out as if sitting down. Probably don't go down far enough, to be honest. But the main reason for the towel is that the bar often seems to rest on the back of my neck which isn't comfortable. I feel a little tension in my lower back as well which tends to mean I don't lift as much as maybe I could/should.

Any advice would be appreciated but don't worry if I'm a lost cause! Strange though because I don't have any problem with other free weight excercises, just squats!