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Article & Video Discussion / Re: What's wrong with the barbell squat?
« on: February 03, 2012, 11:13:32 am »
are you stretching your calves? you should be. as far as foot position and stuff on squats, here's something that's helped me:
put a little weight on the bar (an empty bar will be too light, start with 95# or so) and just squat a whole bunch of times, changing foot position until you find something that's comfortable and allows you to get low while still keeping your back neutral. once you find a comfortable position, squat down and just stay there for 15-20s. repeat. i've been doing that stretch for a few reps at the beginning of each workout for a few months now and it's made a big difference. i already had decent mobility and it's just getting better and better.
for what it's worth, i seem to do best with my feet about shoulder width and my toes angled out about 10-15 degrees. that is, pretty straight forward. what works for you will be dependent on your own mechanics.
put a little weight on the bar (an empty bar will be too light, start with 95# or so) and just squat a whole bunch of times, changing foot position until you find something that's comfortable and allows you to get low while still keeping your back neutral. once you find a comfortable position, squat down and just stay there for 15-20s. repeat. i've been doing that stretch for a few reps at the beginning of each workout for a few months now and it's made a big difference. i already had decent mobility and it's just getting better and better.
for what it's worth, i seem to do best with my feet about shoulder width and my toes angled out about 10-15 degrees. that is, pretty straight forward. what works for you will be dependent on your own mechanics.