going from smith squat to normal squat

[danielson]

before i do is there anything i should know? i only ask as im petrified of squats, i injured myself fairly badly once before.

should i expect more stress on the abs? how much weight should i expect to drop when i switch.

if its a dumb question dont reply! ill take the hint and wont bump it

thanx

 

[Exodus]

no its a very good question

first of all...... gravity is not a factor on smith mach.... no you will have to balance the weight..... also you will have to have your feet more under you

you will need a lighter weight also..... start with about 25 lbs less

go slow and be careful

good luck

 

[Phemomena]

start with the bar until you get comfortable with the motion and then add weight as needed... don't rush into things, its a different movement, and it feels a lot different (the first thing you will notice is trying to balance in 3 dimensions is a lot harder than just moving up and down...)

once you get the hang of it, you'll progress back up to just under your smith squat weight (probably within 25-50 lbs)... just take it easy until you are ready... don't be afraid to do a couple of really light sessions before adding any substantial weight...

being safe is much better than being sorry...

 

[kingsquat]

You're going to feel like you are falling backwards at first. Especially since you are coming off the smith. You will have a tendancy to lean forward and squat down over your feet.

You need to try and keep your shins as perpendicular to the floor as possible, the farther your knees go out past your feet, the more likely you will sustain an injury. (It's kinda hard to explain) I'd start with about half the weight you are used to, just until you get the hang of it. The trick is to stay as far back as you possibly can without falling over backwards, pushing hard from your heels. And for crying out loud, please be sure to go parallel!

Good Luck!

 

[bignate73]

its a whole new monster. youll like it when you can get down in a squat and feel strong at the bottom. chances are if you were doing smith mach. squats, you had your feet forward? this will be completely different now because you have to use your lower back and abs a great deal more to stabilize. your hips and calves will come into play more as well. hips being more for taking the brunt of the weight and calves to make sure you dont fall forward. hehe. good luck and go slowly. the gains you make on your stabilization alone will be enough to keep you motivated, then the big weights will come. put the ego in the closet and enjoy the new motion.

 

[Y_lifter]

On top of all the above good advice, have someone that knows how to safely squat, work with you the first few times off of the Smith.
Don't get cocky, It may take you a while to get up to the weight you were using on the smith machine.

 

[danielson]

well thankfully the rack has failure bars

but thanx for the advice. yes my feet were very far foward, so balance was my main worry.

im gonna go down there soon, and im gonna go soooo light at first, just the bar, then work up very slowly. i wont count this as like a proper leg day just a get used to the weights day. still, as frustrating as it will be to go down in weight, at least ill know my kness will thank me for it

besides no 'big lifters' there go paralel. more like an inch down an inch up ....still they are bigger than me so ill keep my mouth shut

thanx for ll the help u guys

 

[Tuna Guy]

Also dont let your knees wander. When you get tired there is a tendancy to lean forward and to bring the knees inwards to take the strain away from the fatigued quads. Do not do this as there is a very high probability of tearing(literally chopping off) part of your meniscus. Deep squating is the best form of squating but it does have the potential to be the most damaging if form is poor.

 

[Phemomena]

well thankfully the rack has failure bars

but thanx for the advice. yes my feet were very far foward, so balance was my main worry.

im gonna go down there soon, and im gonna go soooo light at first, just the bar, then work up very slowly. i wont count this as like a proper leg day just a get used to the weights day. still, as frustrating as it will be to go down in weight, at least ill know my kness will thank me for it

besides no 'big lifters' there go paralel. more like an inch down an inch up ....still they are bigger than me so ill keep my mouth shut

thanx for ll the help u guys

good stuff, don't worry about what other people are doing, do them to start your normal leg workout, call it a warmup if you want...

 

[Garza]

Coordination plays a big part in squatting.

 

[danielson]

i only got to 65 kg including the bar (which is 20 i think ?standard olypic bar)

felt really odd, as the m,uscles i usually use to squat felt fine and dandy, but different muscles which make up my quads felt really smashed, more on the outer parts. enough to make me sweat

but

i feel i am leaning to far foward. how far foward is not good. the last time idid ATF on a smith my chest virtually touched my knees and i strained my coccix (stop laughing!!!)...so thats too much i take it. but as hard as i tried *and as wierd as i looked) i couldnt keep my back very straight, i had to lean foward. any ideas.

i asked one guy at the gym, he said 'look up' which helps. but then again he said dont go parfallel, go like a few inches down, so there ya go. also he advocated holding the bar at the base of ur neck ( i always used th divot in my back just below it as i tghoght less strain on the spine and all that)....so not sure. i can lean foward a little, should i make sure my back doesnt arch by tighteniong the abs? and also when leaning foward i felt a tiny twinge on my ligaments near the coccix. not much, 6 monyhs ago i would never have felt it, but i have developed more ability to listen to me body since lifting

sorry about the length and the bumpola but any ideas? thanx

(oh and btw when i was squatting the guy said look upwards, never down. while doing it he pity his yhands near my hips (spotting?)....all i though was adabize, Oz and a very sore arse. innocent though!)

 

[John Holmes]

I think looking up might be a good idea. Find a mark on the wall, and stare at it. I really think you should drop the weight as much as you have to until your form is perfect. Even if you're only squatting 80 lbs, it's more important to do it properly. When you get used to the motion, you can increase the weight. One thing to remember about squats is that they'll make you, or break you, so don't worry how you look doing light squats.

 

[Imnotdutch]

Danielson,
Looking up is good advice. I dont mean stare at the ceiling but as Jack Holmes said pick a spot and stare at it as you lift. It helps you to keep your back in the right position. If you look down your back will round and that probably isnt a good thing if you have weight on your shoulders !!

I wouldnt rest the bar at the base of the neck....when you start using big weights that will get dangerous. Hold it a bit further down at least (I put it across my rear delts).

You should be holding your whole torso tight. That means the whole of your back, abs, the works.....

As far as leaning forward goes, you need to try to keep the weight directly above your heels. So lean as much as you need to to do that. If you lean too far your body will try to tip forward. Not far enough and you go backwards. Provided your upper body is tight this shouldnt be a problem. If your legs are long relative to your torso, you might want to widen your stance a bit to decrease the extent of the lean.

I think that you should at least hit parallel......I'm not sold on ATF squats. I have to use quite a wide stance and they hurt my knees (something other wide stance squatters have also told me about). No doubt somebody will want to tell me I am wrong on that

 

[danielson]

Danielson,).

You should be holding your whole torso tight. That means the whole of your back, abs, the works.....

As far as leaning forward goes, you need to try to keep the weight directly above your heels. So lean as much as you need to to do that. If you lean too far your body will try to tip forward. Not far enough and you go backwards. Provided your upper body is tight this shouldnt be a problem. If your legs are long relative to your torso, you might want to widen your stance a bit to decrease the extent of the lean.

perfect...

thats good news, because trying to keep my back completely vertical was impossible!. i will go parralel, got to get those glutes and hips into a strength position

and jack holmes thanx for the reply. i take comfort in the fact that i (not very big) at least lift more tan some of the guys there, so screw em if i look like a retard

 

[The mann]

i think the biggest problem you'll have t first is balance,but after a wile you 'll get used to it and be fine.