i cant squat at all

[SirIsaacBrock]

so Ive been trying to get into lifting weights, Ive been at it now probably three weeks, doing the stronglifts 5x5 and trying to eat 3k or so calories a day of mostly clean food, ground beef, tuna, pasta, oats, natty pb, whole grain breads, fruits and veggies etc.

my bench, overhead press, bb rows, and deadlifts have all seen gains and I am seeing gains in size as well without any real fat gain so I know I am on the right track. Im drinking a few litres of water a day and taking animal pak and flex, a long with a whey protein supplement. Im hitting between 1-1.5g of protein per day

the thing is, my legs are dead. I had to skip squats all last week because my legs hurt too much, like serious stabbing pains in my quads as I tried to even just squat my body weight. At this point im pretty much just trying to squat the bar, but I can only do a few sets of 5 before they feel like theyre going to die. Ive tried laying off them and letting things heal, but I waited like a week and then I lifted at half the previous weight and they still got crazy sore.

I was pretty sedentary for a while, and I am a huge lightweight.. Ive been walking a lot more and thats made my legs sore too I suppose..

I guess I just want to know is this normal? I feel like squatting 3x a week is never going to be possible.. I cant seem to go as 'hard' as I can on every other exercise, barely pounding out the last set..

I need that natural HGH runnin through my veins but I cant seem to squat at all without serious doms for a long time. All my other muscles are sore as fuck the next day but by day2 they're good for another beating.

Should I just do the squats like once a week until my legs work in if they ever do, and just keep the other exercises up? right now im lifting far more on every other exercise.. its pretty embarassing to say the least

 

[bluetoolpaul]

If u've only been lifting 3 wks ur body isn't even used to the movements yet. U don't need to be concerned at all w/ how much weight ur using but using correct form. Believe me when I say this, u will save urself from a ton of injuries and pain if u focus on the form ur using and 'feeling' each rep. Ur diet sounds good. Scrap the 5x5 wrkout. Start w/ a 3x10 on al lifts for right now, it'll be a lot easier on ur joints if u do.

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[micanovic]

When I started squatting I would be sore for a week and would wait that long to do it again. Over time technique improved, but the main thing that helped speed up recovery and make gains was eating more food. Lots of meat and milk. I don't know how much you weigh or how many calories you should eat, but it is a number higher than 3000cal for your workout program.

 

[SirIsaacBrock]

im 130lbs pretty much.. Ive hit as high as 4k per day but I don't want to go overboard and become skinny fat.. ive done the caloric needs calculators based on moderate exercise and they all pegged me around 22-2500 cals a day, adding another thousand that puts me around 3500~

I got blasted for drinking milk on here before so I didnt even mention it but I try to drink around a litre a day

my daily meals go something like this:

breakfast:
(loosely somewhere around 500-600cals with 45~g protein)
1+1/3cup large flake oats
2tbsp pb
1 scoop whey

mid morning:
pb sandwich, or a tuna/egg salad sandwich (ill make a huge batch and just bring it to work with me and a loaf of bread, pretty much eating whenever hunger strikes, along with pb if I am runnin low on tuna/egg salad)

lunch: apple, two more sandwiches

mid afternoon: same shit, or another thing of oatmeal (I just put the same as I have for breakfast in a little tub and then just add boiling water.. does the trick)

dinner: this is where I feast, 1-1.5k cals, typically Ill have pasta and ground beef.. Ill eat up to a pound of ground beef if Im not tryin to conserve food, or something like basmati rice and 1-2 chicken breasts, peas, corn etc, I make sure its a good healthy dinner anyway

later on ill just have some more pb, even more oatmeal

after workouts I slam a shake of just water and whey, sometimes ill throw in a banana if I have em..

now you may think thats a lot of sandiwches and I guess maybe it is. I eat only ancient grains bread (thank god I got over white bread, that shit sucsk!), and Ill layer the pb on till its oozing out, and the tuna sandwiches well.. sometimes I'll pretty much have an entire can of tuna on a sandwich :rofl:.. its spread out more though when I make my egg/tuna salad, I throw in green onions, pickles and shredded carrot

add in various quantities of milk, mostly with breakfast and dinner and im hittin pretty good numbers I think :dunno: I dont eat any sweets or chips or anything like that at all, no soda or even juice really.. just water and milk.

 

[training700]

Milks always good!! Yeah would agree that a 3x10 more straight forward basic kinda workout 3 or 4 days a week would be better for you. Squating 3 days a week is a bitch if ur that in experienced and also when you get advanced enough that you can push too much weight for 3 days a week

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[SirIsaacBrock]

I dunno how much more basic than the 5x5 you can get
workout a: squat 5x5 bench 5x5 bb row 5x5
workout b: squat 5x5 overhead press 5x5 , deadlift 1x5

with of course having a warmup set for each exercise at half weight

I guess Ill just keep the squat till once a week until my legs are conditioned enough. Im seeing improvement each time I workout on every other lift so I know its workin good.. im a weak ass and this is a strength program and I did a shitload of research before I settled on the 5x5 so I know its for me.

 

[micanovic]

Have you read Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe? You can buy it or find it in PDF form on many torrent sites.

 

[bluetoolpaul]

5x5 is very basic if you've been lifting awhile. 3 wks is not awhile. U have to get ur muscles used to the exercise. If they're not used to it, u barely being able to do 5 reps of evry set will promote bad form and increase ur risk of joint or ligament injury. That's why you use a lighter weight for sets of 10 so ur muscles become accustomed to the movement.

Lifting weights, while very basic and far from rocket science, also require respect for what ur doing and what ur trying to get out of it to avoid serious injury. If u feel 5x5 is the best thing for u, stick w/ it and see where it takes you. However, in my experience, lighter weight and higher reps are best for a beginner.

Btw, if ur having trouble w/ squats, do bodyweight squats, reps of 25-30 to get used to the movement. Then get dumbells when u get used to it, then move t th bar ad then start adding weight to the bar. I can't tell u how many people I see at the gym w/ terrible form , load waaaaaay too much weight on the bar bc they never learned to do the movement correctly.





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[training700]

Ya sounds like not used to it/possible off on ur form squats are not as natural a movement for a lot of ppl I know when I first started felt so unnatural and difficult it still sucks now but in a good way and don't gotta think about a thing can just hit it.

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[lweaver]

I would just continue to perform the squats as prescribed in the program, even if the weight needs to be light. Take as much time between sets as you need in order to prepare yourself for the lift. If the weight is getting heavy for you, 3-5 mins of rest or even more between sets isn't unheard of.

 

[stevesmi]

we all started somewhere.. i started out in my parents garage at 15 with weights that had spiders all inside of them... i would lift and get bit. it wasn't easy. the key is to lift big and eat big and good things will happen. be patient, weight training is like anything else.. you gotta do it often and you gotta commit. if you want to learn how to fly a plane, you need to do it and learn and practice. or play basketball.. or anything. now some guys start lifting and automatically start putting on muscle fast.. i was like that when i started lifting.. it was pretty cool. but other guys it takes a little while. we all have different genetics.

below in my signature there is a workout program i put together which is a good blueprint, check it out. also there is a bulker down there as well..

 

[burnthiscorpse]

we all started somewhere.. i started out in my parents garage at 15 with weights that had spiders all inside of them... i would lift and get bit. it wasn't easy. the key is to lift big and eat big and good things will happen. be patient, weight training is like anything else.. you gotta do it often and you gotta commit. if you want to learn how to fly a plane, you need to do it and learn and practice. or play basketball.. or anything. now some guys start lifting and automatically start putting on muscle fast.. i was like that when i started lifting.. it was pretty cool. but other guys it takes a little while. we all have different genetics.

below in my signature there is a workout program i put together which is a good blueprint, check it out. also there is a bulker down there as well..

Fuck that shit bro!!!! I do NOT do spiders. FUCK THAT!!


As an example to the OP....if I were to take a 3 month layoff....then start up again, It would take me a solid 6-8 weeks to get my body accustom to all the movements and soreness and healing ect....

If your a true beginner 3 weeks in I would expect at least a solid 3 months break in if not more. Hell it takes me at least 4-5 leg workouts once a week to even get to the point where I can do multiple sets of any decent weight and make it through the workout and still be able to walk the next day.
Keep at it, you'll be fine.

 

[underattack]

Dont Start with 5 sets.
I would rather do 2-4 warmup sets focusing on form. Goblet squat is great for warmup. Makes ur postorial chain activate better. Then do 1-2 sets of squat until ur body adjust. Then add more sets. U dont need more than 1 set 3x a week to grow at start anyways.
To get a perfect form u need to do around 3000 correct reps. So warm up with 2-4 sets of 20 reps. And u wil soon have great form. And good progress, and dont be that soer

 

[burnthiscorpse]

to elaborate a little more on my comments....

After a long layoff, I wouldnt be able to get through one set of squats without cramping and soreness. Then I would be sore as hell for a week. Then each time gets a little more and a little more.
Takes time.

 

[die faster]

theres alot of different muscles that go into squatting. you werent lifting at all then you start squatting with 5x5, you have serious weak points in your legs that are getting hit really hard because they havent been used. 3x a week is alot, once every 4 days is the maximum for me for any muscle group.

as others have said, i would recommend going higher on the reps and lower the weight and also lower intensity. start increasing the weight and intensity as you feel comfortable

 

[burnthiscorpse]

theres alot of different muscles that go into squatting. you werent lifting at all then you start squatting with 5x5, you have serious weak points in your legs that are getting hit really hard because they havent been used. 3x a week is alot, once every 4 days is the maximum for me for any muscle group.

as others have said, i would recommend going higher on the reps and lower the weight and also lower intensity. start increasing the weight and intensity as you feel comfortable

I have to agree 1000% on then end comment. Being experienced and switching to a 5x5 isn't going to be the same as starting brand new and trying to tackle a 5x5.
DEFINATLEY go easy to start with. Don't be an asshole like I was get a good head start on fucking your tendons up by lifting as much as possible every single workout when starting out.
And another piece of advice.....training triceps......don't go ape shit with heavy weights on the skull crushers and shit like that. Use a lighter weight and slow your rep speed down a lot and get to a point where its easy before you add weight then do the same allover again.

 

[SirIsaacBrock]

well as far as the joints go, I mean, I have bad knees I would say but squatting doesnt hurt them, nor does any other exercise really. I am just starting to get into lifting, but throughout the years Ive been on and off researching how to put mass on my bones, exercises etc.. I just never actually STUCK to it.. Ive read loads and loads of articles about form and watched videos etc. My joint health is quite important to me, as I have a slight connective tissue 'disorder'. Time to put my knowledge where the weights is I guess..

My shoulders do twinge a bit after some heavy benching (ive dislocated both 2 or 3 times and had to be knocked out a few times to have them reset they were out so bad) but I am pretty sure my form is pretty solid. I pinch my shoulder blades together and try to arch my back slightly with my feet planted firmly on the ground. Arms at about a 45 coming down parallell to the floor (i dont bounce the bar off my chest). I keep my eyes straight at the ceiling and just focus on pushing the weight up evenly and cleanly. The last 2 or so reps I'll sometimes struggle to push out and lose a bit of form but I would think thats normal.

As far as squatting and any other exercise really I make sure my back is straight, feet about shoulder width and I squat ass to grass, eyes focused straight ahead with my head up, just focusing on pushing my feet through the floor. Squats are killing every muscle group there is in my legs, after the first time I squatted I couldnt even sit down on the toilet without easing myself down my ass hurt so much :rofl:

I'll lay off a bit on the weights and come down on the number of sets for now. Good to know that it takes some of you over a month to get used to everything again though. I am really happy with my progress so far though, and I look forward to lifting nights all the start of a good healthy lifestyle. Hell I even look forward to popping all 19 animal pills per day too ..

Ive been waiting until the intial soreness issues go away until I start supplementing with creatine, but Ive also heard that it may indeed help with my soreness as well..

 

[gatemoney]

I took about 3 months before i started my 5x5's just going through the movements with a comfortable weight.
i still did it 5x5 and kept the schedule i just didn't do the progressive loading.
I had the same problem with the squats and this really helped to condition my legs. It toke about 6 weeks before the doms stoped.
with the risk of sounding like a dick there is the "man the fuck up and do it anyway approach" you might want to consider. I did it, its what it takes. No matter how bad it hurt i did that shit anyway. I was determined that that shit was not going to beat me.
Body building without squats is like a monster truck without tires. You would really be selling yourself short not to do them. You gotta dig deep bro and make that shit happen!

 

[SirIsaacBrock]

So Ive decided to just keep at the 5x5 and doin squats 3x per week,.. Ill get used to it I guess. Tonights workout was good, I did drop the weights by 10lbs and focused on keeping perfect form rather than pushing out what I can muster, felt better too. Realized my left shoulder cracks and pops if I try to overhead press too much, my back begins to arch back and the shoulder bears the brunt I guess. Keeping my elbows out and not locking them at full height kept my shoulder feeling good, which I guess is the proper form. Squats hurt a bit still but I managed to get them out at the same weight as wednesday. My right knee actually cracks a bit once I hit dead bottom, but no pain. My knees will actually lock if I crouch down too far, that is if my heel comes close to touching my ass under any strain the knee literally locks up and it hurts like hell to unlock it heh. Im pretty damn sure my squat form is spot on though. Looking at my thighs, they've doubled in size in a month so I guess thats where a lot of my food energy has been going.. feels good.

I've just been working at home, and planned to for a little while until I am lifting less than embarassing weights but a gym around the corner has pretty good incentives going on right now, no sign up fees, no first and last payments, buncha free stuff and access to an exclusive adidas store with 50% off everything which is quite the perk.. I just have to see if they have a power rack because if they don't I dont want any part of the gym heh.

 

[moya]

I would just continue to perform the squats as prescribed in the program, even if the weight needs to be light. Take as much time between sets as you need in order to prepare yourself for the lift. If the weight is getting heavy for you, 3-5 mins of rest or even more between sets isn't unheard of.

this is good advice...

 

[mohdgame]

in 5x5 you should start light and then increase the weight by 5 from the empty bar. It'll take some time for you to be accustomed to that.

 

[MadCityGymRat]

Goblin squats aren't too hard and they would help build up your core/chain muscles. When you go heavy on squats you'll need more than just quad strength to keep balanced and maintain proper form.