Weight: 219. Time: 2:15.
Squat day today.
Warm-up on bike for 10 mins
SSB box squat - going for speed work, 2x8 @ 7, 1x2 @ 9
warm-up
245x2x4 @7 - These popped off my shoulders at the top, but the bottom part off the box was still slow. I have no speed through the bottom part of the motion for some reason.
225x2x2 @7 - Tried a lighter weight, but I didn't feel any different.
245x2x2 @7 - Went back up
295x1, 315x1
335x1x2 @9 - These were very easy at the top, but I struggled at the bottom. This is also the weight that I started to fall forward on.
This was a productive session of squats. I feel like I learned a few things, with some coaching help from Carlos:
- Keep glutes tight at the bottom to prevent "plopping" onto the box. I realized that I am not keeping tension in my glutes at all near the bottom. This is probably what gives me my "dip"/rebound at the bottom of normal squats, but isn't necessarily better in the long run. I think this might be the reason why I fall forward in my squats.
- I am supposed to be shrugging into the SSB bar to prevent from falling forward. I didn't actually try this today, I will do it next week.
- I am very slow off the bottom on these. These are definitely targeting something in the last 4-6 inches of motion that I am weak on. I felt very tired in the same muscles for sumo dead immediately following this, which to me means I normally don't use some muscles in squatting that I should be.
- These tire out my back like nothing else. This week it seemed more like a healthy tiredness rather than a pull in my glute/lower back. That part of my back felt tired but not aggravated.
Tires - I forgot about these until I saw Dee's post. Basically, I was watching Dee and Jansel flip tires, and Dee yelled at me calling me a pussy until I did them too. These were done in between sets of speed squats.
350x8? - Flip down the driveway one way.
450x3 or something - This was just dicking around.
Sumo dead w chains - going for 3x6 for volume. Feeling tired after squats, lower back not feeling good. Probably could have gone heavier, but because of the back I really wasn't feeling it.
warm-up
315+120x3x6 @8
Back not as good as usual. Rounding ever so slightly, especially on later sets. Murph says I need to get my shoulders back more quickly, immediately after the bar crosses my knees. I will try to do this, although I am a little vague on exactly what it entails.
Pause squat w chain - skipped because of back/time. I have yet to do these. That maybe says something about my exercise selection for this day ... Maybe I should choose something less stressful for the third movement?
Abs - sandbag crunch/twists - I really like these.
35x12x3
Overall, I feel like I am not going as heavy as I should be. But I think I am following the RPEs correctly. We'll see if this actually gets me stronger or not.
Videos:
ssb squats, third set
ssb squats, fifth set
ssb squats, eighth set
ssb squats, second single
sumo dead, third set
sumo dead, sixth set + bonus! dee doing hanging abs
4 comments:
THe bottom 4-6 inches is where your glutes will be most active, so I'd guess that it's targeting them, especially since you keep no tension on them normally during box squats. It is also probably why you're so slow off the bottom. Keeping the glutes tight at the bottom should actually increase your rebound becuase of the stretch you'll get out of your adductors. It'll also cause the groin pain we both sometimes get.
FYI: the tires at Seattle Strength and Power were 650, 800, 900, and 1000. The women flipped the 650.
@ Jake: Yeah, that is what I had guessed so it makes sense. I just don't understand why I'm so sloowwww on these. And can you comment anything about what muscles would be tiring to cause me to fall forward? Do glutes play a role in this as well? I definitely think I will keep some variety of SSB box squats in my rotation until I improve on them.
@ Dave: Well, I think Rene got the 750. They have 850 for sure and I think they have a bigger one, but I don't remember. At some point maybe I'll see what I can do. Did you ever give them a try?
So I thought about this for awhile. When your glutes don't fire, you're basically just using the quads to extend the knee without allowing your torso to rise at all. That puts you into a good morning position. Firing the glutes allows your shoulders and hips to rise at the same time. The glutes attach the hip joint, and (I think) the spine, to the femur. When you bend forward the glutes should be taking the load. If they aren't, it's on your back. That's why Brent's back rounds so much on his squats and deadlifts (flexibility notwithstanding). Your glutes are the heaviest muscle in the body. They should be doing the work.
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