How the fuck do people squat so much?

I can't comprehend it. I started lifting a year ago after being a sedentary nerd-neck gamer my entire life, I had absolute zero muscle on my frame. All of my lifts have been progressing well since then- except for squats. When I started lifting, I could barely squat 135lbs for 3x8- Now I can barely squat 165lbs for 3x8. Sure, there's an improvement, but I'm still so far away from hitting a 2 plate squat, and I'm still squatting 10lbs under my bodyweight.
For a progress comparison, I could hardly even complete a full flat bench rep of the empty bar when I started. I currently bench 145 3x8. My bench is 20lbs less than my squat and rapidly increasing, what the frick is going on?

Ape Out, Gorilla Mindset Shirt $21.68

Rise, Grind, Banana Find Shirt $21.68

Ape Out, Gorilla Mindset Shirt $21.68

  1. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Squat 2x a week or more if you wanna improve your squat

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      I've been squatting two times a week the entire time I've been lifting.

      You have some combination of bad technique, poor mobility, and poor work ethic when it comes to squats. Anyone squatting less than they bench is in this bucket. It's vastly easier to squat a weight than bench it.

      What are some aspects of poor form I should look out for? I've had people spot me and asked them to tell me if I'm doing anything wrong, and I've never been told anything.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        Squat three times. That's how everyone used to do it in the "do SS/SL" days. Obviously you can't sustain heavy squatting 3x a week at heavier weight, but you are nowhere near heavy weight.
        As for the matter of form, do you ever feel your weight shifting anywhere outside of the middle of your foot?

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      I squatted a single set of 5 once a week and got my squat to 500 x 5 like that 🙂

      Couple things that'll improve your squat - squat more, glute kickbacks, leg raises, cycling, stepper. Also work your core, back, and shoulders more. I failed 4 plates last night and it wasn't my legs that bottle necked me, it was my shoulders.

      really dumb

      https://i.imgur.com/xHGVtta.jpg

      I can't comprehend it. I started lifting a year ago after being a sedentary nerd-neck gamer my entire life, I had absolute zero muscle on my frame. All of my lifts have been progressing well since then- except for squats. When I started lifting, I could barely squat 135lbs for 3x8- Now I can barely squat 165lbs for 3x8. Sure, there's an improvement, but I'm still so far away from hitting a 2 plate squat, and I'm still squatting 10lbs under my bodyweight.
      For a progress comparison, I could hardly even complete a full flat bench rep of the empty bar when I started. I currently bench 145 3x8. My bench is 20lbs less than my squat and rapidly increasing, what the frick is going on?

      Outside of truly disastrous technique (and mine is pretty bad), you must relentlessly progress and push every time
      You should be adding weight every single time you squat until at least 315 x 5 when maybe more complex programming is warranted.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        Just to be a bit clearer
        >Now I can barely squat 165lbs
        Good. And next time you'll barely be able to do 170. And so on. The whole point is each time you edge right up to the limit of what you can do, so you can sufficiently disrupt homeostasis and actually progress. Every single time you squat will be a near limit set. That is how you get better on the squat as a novice and early intermediate.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        >really dumb
        Explain.
        >no bro you're not allowed to do supplemental exercises to work all of the muscle groups involved in a squat on days you're not squatting!! You are only allowed to squat more!!!

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          You're just wasting time with that nonsense at your dyel weights. And most of what your listed is incredibly low intensity nonsense that literally won't make you stronger. (Cycling, stepper, leg raises).
          Assistance stuff works (not what you listed, but things like hamstring curls and leg presses and belt squats certainly have utility), but their premature inclusion in a training program represents a misunderstanding of training adaptations and such inclusions are a waste of time in this context. You, OP, and all the other dyels just need to squat.

          • 2 years ago
            Anonymous

            My squat went from 135x10 to 315x10 within 5 weeks and I've only hit the squat rack 4 times. They're only low intensity if you make them.
            >dyel
            Within another month or two I will far surpass your squat with my waste of time exercises.

            • 2 years ago
              Anonymous

              You did not, and you will not. Go larp elsewhere.

  2. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    You have some combination of bad technique, poor mobility, and poor work ethic when it comes to squats. Anyone squatting less than they bench is in this bucket. It's vastly easier to squat a weight than bench it.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      >It's vastly easier to squat a weight than bench it.
      *Your legs have much stronger potential than your chest.

      I started squatting a year ago. I was a skinny fat manlet and started out doing 65lbs 12x3. Now I do 185-195 for 5x5. This is after a knee injury in June too. I squat twice a week, and focused on form for months before increasing the weight.

      OP, post form.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        >OP, post form.
        I don't have the time to upload a video, but I hope pic related helps a little. Sorry for the poor camera angle, my rack is in my bedroom and there's barely two feet of space on either side. No room to get a good profile shot of my form, this is the best I could get.

        Squat three times. That's how everyone used to do it in the "do SS/SL" days. Obviously you can't sustain heavy squatting 3x a week at heavier weight, but you are nowhere near heavy weight.
        As for the matter of form, do you ever feel your weight shifting anywhere outside of the middle of your foot?

        >As for the matter of form, do you ever feel your weight shifting anywhere outside of the middle of your foot?
        Yes, when I'm at the bottom of a rep I can feel the weight start to "tip" forwards to the ball of my feet ever so slightly. I think this is because I don't brace my core enough and my torso starts to dip forwards, but I obviously have no idea what I'm talking about.

        I squatted a single set of 5 once a week and got my squat to 500 x 5 like that 🙂
        [...]
        really dumb
        [...]
        Outside of truly disastrous technique (and mine is pretty bad), you must relentlessly progress and push every time
        You should be adding weight every single time you squat until at least 315 x 5 when maybe more complex programming is warranted.

        Very impressive, I hope to achieve even a fraction of the strength you have someday.
        How much weight should I be adding? 5lbs? And what happens when I fail, should I do the same weight again the next day and hope I succeed that time?

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          >How much weight should I be adding? 5lbs?
          Yes
          > And what happens when I fail, should I do the same weight again the next day and hope I succeed that time?

          Rest at least a day. You shouldn't fail. You need to eat enough that adding 5 lbs every time is feasible. Also, from your pics it looks like you don't have safeties. You will need safeties. Bailing the bar off your back only works in controlled failure and also impacts your confidence to do hard reps.

          • 2 years ago
            Anonymous

            Alright, I'll invest in some safeties before I start applying your advice. Thanks for the help.
            >You need to eat enough
            I should be, I'm consistently eating 3000-3200 calories a day with more than enough protein from different sources.

            • 2 years ago
              Anonymous

              > 3000
              This isn't very much. Don't eat a static amount; if you start to fail and you're pushing hard, up your calories slightly.

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          Don't squat barefoot that shit is a meme

          • 2 years ago
            Anonymous

            Don’t listen to this dork. Barefoot is king, also ATG low bar barefoot.

            • 2 years ago
              Anonymous

              atg low bar is moronic
              barefoot is a meme
              high bar w/ proper shoes is the best way to squat

              I've squatted 575 barefoot, I wouldn't worry about it too much

              it's objectively worse than wearing WL shoes

              • 2 years ago
                Anonymous

                The only thing WL shoes actually do is increase knee joint angle to get more forward knee flexion, they aren't fricking magical. A homie can just put their heels on a pair of 5 lb. plates and get the same effect.

              • 2 years ago
                Anonymous

                What? WL shoes have a solid rubber heel, butthole. They provide more arch support than other shoes with a solid rubber heel like Chuck Taylor All Stars. They do more for you than "get more forward knee flexion".

                Don't make it sound like they do nothing for you. You can put five pound plates on the ground while you're working with baby weight, or "taking some exercise", but three plates on the bar three times a week is asking for injury.

              • 2 years ago
                Anonymous

                I own a pair, and they never gave me more than simply using some plates under the heels. It's not like putting heels on a wedge or a pair of small plates is different, it's just that the wedge is built into the fricking shoe vs. using an external object.
                They don't offer "more arch support" than anything else I wear, do you literally take the arch supports out of all your shoes or something to frick them up? Sure, some cheap shoes may not have much support, but I threw my orthotic custom supports into my flat as frick Nike SB Blazer low tops I squat in and I've got all the support I need. My Nike Oly shoes don't have all that much support, rather, they're just super cramped shoes with minimal mid width and toe box width so it makes me feel like I'm a fricking geisha walking around with bound feet, they're not meant for everyone as far as comfort, and crushing my wide feet into mid-width shoes isn't exactly performance enhancing.
                Literally, the purpose of Oly shoes is to increase flexibility in the ankle via allowing more forward knee flexion to allow for easier time getting under a deep clean or snatch at rock bottom, where in that case, THEY DO have benefit. But for actual standard squats, there's a reason a LOT of top lifters don't wear them, because they cause a change in technique via the elevated heel and for low bar squatters, that's not always a good thing to have. I squat with shins nearly vertical for best results, why would I want my knees to go forward more and take away from my posterior chain's ability to fire optimally?
                And FYI, I've squatted 4+ plates standing on a pair of 5 lb. plates, it's fine and not worse than wearing oly shoes unless you have the feet of a 90 year old woman.

              • 2 years ago
                Anonymous

                I still have the all stars I used to wear to the gym. They have no arch support. And I've also squatted 4+ plates standing on pair of 5 lb plates wearing them, but that weight crushed my arches and after a few years I was essentially flat-footed. I didn't even know "squat shoes" existed back then.

                I had repeated bouts of patellar tendonitis, and I don't mean "my knee hurts", but "my knee swelled up and I can't bend it beyond 15 degrees without excruciating pain" until I "fixed my form", and the first thing I did to fix my form was ditch the all stars in favor of squat shoes.

                I squat somewhere between low- and high-bar, and you won't catch me in the rack without them these days.

            • 2 years ago
              Anonymous

              >atg low bar barefoot
              Based as frick

              atg low bar is moronic
              barefoot is a meme
              high bar w/ proper shoes is the best way to squat

              [...]
              it's objectively worse than wearing WL shoes

              >high bar w/ proper shoes is the best way to squat
              Maybe if you are
              >a woman
              >a redditor
              >have shit ankle mobility
              >have yet to move 2pl8
              >have to envision a dildo at the bottom of the rep to hit depth
              Then yeah, high bar squatting with squat shoes and a squat plug is for you

              • 2 years ago
                Anonymous

                >People with bad ankle mobility prefer high bar squatting
                You have no idea what you're talking about

              • 2 years ago
                Anonymous

                People with bad ankle mobility prefer squat shoes because of heel elevation.
                People with less testosterone than a hospice patient prefer low bar.

                Squats are for women.

                Arnold squatted 545 btw

          • 2 years ago
            Anonymous

            I've squatted 575 barefoot, I wouldn't worry about it too much

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          others can correct me if they want (I'm only up to about 265 5x5 squat), but here's some tips I've found helpful:

          >only go super far down (significantly below parallel) on lighter (relative to your ability) weight. Otherwise, stick to parallel or slightly above.
          For instance: let's say you're doing 5x5 at 165lbs. Start with 95lbs and go ALL the way down. Nice and easy, for a warmup set of 5. Then, on your working sets, go to parallel or slightly above parallel as the sets get harder. Then, finish up with another lighter set of 5-10 reps ALL the way down

          >Try bulgarian split squats later in the day after you've done squats and rested. They will KILL your legs and help with stability

          >When you squat, make sure you can always lift/wiggle your toes, and aren't placing any weight on your toes themselves

          >Also, take a little extra time between your last few sets if necessary. If you're not at your last set yet, and you're really struggling, just add a few more minutes of rest before the next one so you don't fail too often

          Something else to try:
          >increase the volume by a ton for a few months and see what happens. Athleanx had some leg routine where he did:
          >1x10 warmup squats
          >5x5 or 4x8 working sets squats
          >1x10 cooldown
          >1x25 last set

          Few more general points. How old are you? If you're older than 24/25, you might benefit a lot from:
          >sleep more, WAY more
          >creatine for recovery and ATP
          >lots and lots of water will help with energy

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          >I think this is because I don't brace my core enough and my torso starts to dip forwards
          While that might not actually be it, it's not an unreasonable explanation. It very well could be the problem, the important thing is figuring out where the problem is and then possible explanations/fixes.
          At the bottom, it could be for a couple reasons. One is the one you mentioned, and of course at this weight the best advice is to squat more. If that really doesn't help, you could incorporate more core-intensive movements into your schedule.
          Especially with high bar, ankle mobility can often be a limiting factor in the bottom position, which can cause a shift forward of the foot. The ankle goes as far as it can, and when it does it has to shift the weight onto the balls of the foot. Ankle mobility is a b***h to actually increase, take my word for it. Try squatting with your heels on a small plate (with shoes on, not barefoot) and see if that helps the issue. If so, well weightlifting shoes might be a good idea to get, since the plate under heel setup is not so good at highter weight. Or you can walk the righteous path of ankle mobility, but that's a long road.

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          You're getting SOME good advice here (and some shitty advice as well), so I'll chime in with my 2 cents on your situation.
          Squatting is scary if you let it get inside your head. Most people never squat jack shit because of I GON GET CRUSHED OR HURT mentality, getting rid of this by really understanding that as long as you have the safeties set right, you're gonna be fine no matter what. So, first, stop getting in your own head so much and overthinking your situation, it'll frick with your progress forever.
          Next, if you're "tipping" at the bottom position, I strongly suggest learning to go low-bar unless you really plan to focus on your weaknesses that are making you tip forward (likely a combination of poor core strength/bracing, not firing out of the hole properly and then it all goes to shit unless you are good to brute that fricker back up, and other potential things).
          When I was trying to get beyond the low-400s and was squatting high bar ATG (literally, ass 4" off heels, I had amazing flexibility back then), it just never budged. I spent a day working on low bar positioning, and by end of the session, I knocked out 10x2 @ 405 with relative ease whereas a few doubles with high bar left me crushed at the time. Depending on your anatomy (I have long femurs, making low bar ideal), you may find that a form change can make a world of difference. And even then, making simple changes to experiment with foot position changes can make even more difference, as I get WAY more power out of the hole going a few inches wider stance than shoulder width where I used to squat narrow stance.
          Also, no matter what the 150 lb. squatters here say about belts, don't hesitate to get a good one at some point as it will make a LOT of difference coming out of the hole and helping you to learn how to properly brace and keep your core tight. Get a wide leather belt, learn how to use it, and I bet you'd see your poundages go up by 10%+ in a few weeks, easily.

  3. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    It’s psychological. You are afraid of failing. Happened to me until I got access to a squat rack. At two plates I pussied out again so I learned to fail a squat.

    I’ve never failed a squat and the weight continues to go up.

  4. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    unironically starting strength.

  5. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Couple things that'll improve your squat - squat more, glute kickbacks, leg raises, cycling, stepper. Also work your core, back, and shoulders more. I failed 4 plates last night and it wasn't my legs that bottle necked me, it was my shoulders.

  6. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    >lifting a year
    >didn't do a beginners program
    You guy told me it was a meme

  7. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    I started at 135, and I just did 5x5, until I got up to 315. Took me about 8 months doing that twice a week.

  8. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Squats are for women.

  9. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    >I started lifting a year ago after being a sedentary nerd-neck gamer my entire life,
    And there you go OP. You have mobility issues. That doesn't self-correct overnight.

  10. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    You don’t eat enough calories to put on muscle that’s your problem start counting your calories and eating 3k+ and you’ll see a very noticeable difference

Leave a Reply to Anonymous Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *