Squat

Hi there

Just a quick one, if I squat, is it a good idea to put someting under my heels or not?

Cheers

Not good.

Cool, thanx

the only reason some people do it is to help them focus the weight on the heals, but then your feet arent flat, your knees go out and there's more strain on your ankles (so no its a bad idea:laugh: ). just squat normally but concentrate that your knees don't go over your toes, lean backwards and focus to push up the weight with your heals. this way you have the most power and your knees dont take a hammering! good luck

Thanx Frikkie, dankie my maat

I dont want to open a new thread but have some leg-related questions. (sorry for jacking, hope it is okey du Preez)
How can I get the most out of my legs? I know squats...but how many sets? Or is variation the key?
I am doing max ot now, but really doesnt feel it for legs, so want to do my own program next week, while still incorporating some max ot principles.
Also, will it be okey to maybe just add say 3 sets of squats 4 days after my leg routine, will that help or be over training?

I am really struggling to hit my legs very hard also, (mental focus or my back which is struggling to keep up), but I just cant get to ripping them apart. Should I just up the reps? Or man up?

Also, I read a piece on Frank Zane where he said if he could do it all over again he would rather have done more reps while going lighter, is this a good idea or will the fish oils compensate for the stress on the joints?

So, basically, tips on getting my legs up to par with the rest of my body. I can bench 120 properly but only squat 80 properly. depressing

How much do you dead lift?

I find when my lower back feels solid my legs feel solid

Also I have major problems with my knees, I can't squat more than 60kg's with severe pain, and that is strapped too. So I find I do legs very different to others, where I can don't lock out or pause at the bottom. I will will do what some would call bouncing with my squat, I get that DEEEP burn and my legs feel good afterwards.

I also warm up with leg extensions (light)

Deadlift is a 120 now, 6 reps.
But I used to be at 160 dl max and squat 140, then I changed to better form and did some super slow sets, (squats I dropped to 40 kg, nice and low). I also stepped back on the deadlift because my lower back couldnt keep up (hamstrings would really burn my back, rhomboids started acting up also).

Now my back is okey, rhomboids okeyish (gonna start a thread on that sometime, spasms a lot)
but my legs are just not on par, should I just be patient?

I have a feeling you have not used proper form in the past so what has happened is your body is out of balance. This is a typical mistake for majority of lifters, take your time to get some good form. Work this form through 1 or 2 additional cycles and I'm certain you will grow.

Don't worry that is all you can squat, you squatting allot of weight nice and low. If you doing proper form now it wont be long before you start to add 5'kgs a side and continue like this. Remember it takes time, so be patient, glad you found this now.

Thanks pump, that is what I am aiming for now. Just feels like I spend 3 times as much time on my upper body than my lower. But yeah, watch this space

Hey, Arnold and gang always had something under thier heel when they did squats...Doesnt that count for a plus in puttin something under your heel? And if its not good, why did they do it?

Wayne wrote: Hey, Arnold and gang always had something under thier heel when they did squats...Doesnt that count for a plus in puttin something under your heel? And if its not good, why did they do it?

Right! So i pull out a present from my wife from 1992 - Pro-Style Bodybuilding by the master himself Tom Platz.

i'll quote:

"i believethat it's better to squat flat-footed with shoes having no built-up heels."

"As long as you avoid bouncing in the low position of the exercise, however, squats can't damage your knees."

"Slowly bend your legs and lower your body down into as deep; a squating position as you can."

jackrabbit1 wrote:

Wayne wrote: Hey, Arnold and gang always had something under thier heel when they did squats...Doesnt that count for a plus in puttin something under your heel? And if its not good, why did they do it?

Right! So i pull out a present from my wife from 1992 - Pro-Style Bodybuilding by the master himself Tom Platz.

i'll quote:

"i believethat it's better to squat flat-footed with shoes having no built-up heels."

"As long as you avoid bouncing in the low position of the exercise, however, squats can't damage your knees."

"Slowly bend your legs and lower your body down into as deep; a squating position as you can."

OK, so what was Arnolds story?

Ok well lets look who has the biggest legs in the game, Ronnie Coleman, does he use something? No... compare him and Arnold I'd say Ronnie wins

I asked the late, great Reg Park this very question.

He told me to squat, no weight, in front of him, and this is what he said :

The fact that my heels don't lift, and it's comfortable when I descend, means I don't need something under my heels.

Should your heels lift when you squat or it's uncomfortable to keep them on the ground when all the way down, use something under them.

00pump wrote: Ok well lets look who has the biggest legs in the game, Ronnie Coleman, does he use something? No... compare him and Arnold I'd say Ronnie wins

But Pump, Arnie didnt have the super wonderful things that Ronnie had, Arnie most likely just had test and dianobols.....maybe deca? Ronnie had GH, IGF, Insulin, plus A long list of other goodies at his disposable....

Wayne wrote:

00pump wrote: Ok well lets look who has the biggest legs in the game, Ronnie Coleman, does he use something? No... compare him and Arnold I'd say Ronnie wins

But Pump, Arnie didnt have the super wonderful things that Ronnie had, Arnie most likely just had test and dianobols.....maybe deca? Ronnie had GH, IGF, Insulin, plus A long list of other goodies at his disposable....

Arnold didnt have the greatest legs amongst his peers anyway. And Platz came along in his era as well.

And if he could build that chest of his he surely could do legs as well.

Well we can't speak of whatifs. Fact is Ronnie is a giant and Arnold had a great body...

I would listen to the way Ronnies Trains.

00pump wrote: I would listen to the way Ronnies Trains.

Yeah noone wins the olympia 7 times by accident, no matter how good their genes are

if you squat and your heals lift take your shoes off,squat barefoot for a while,u will find when the tendons in the feet stretch and loosen up you will be able to squat lower and deeper.