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JohnRobHolmes
Well-known member
My gym doesnt have a proper squat rack or power rack. The one they do have does not have adjustable safety bars, and is too high for me to do a comfortable squat. Right now I have to squat outside the rack to get low enough. So, I made an appointment with the head personal trainer (who is skinnier than me!) to come up with a solution to this issue. I haven't had any issues so far with squatting, but I am looking to avoid mishaps as my strength increases.
The first thing he commented on was my form. By going "so low" in my squat I am ruining my knees and lower back evidently. I informed him that I had a slipped disc and 2 knee injuries, and that squatting ass to grass was better for my body BY FAR. I have used squats to rehab my body, and I keep em tight. Going low allows me to transfer the weight into my hips and takes the pressure off my knees, I informed him. He reassured me that in 5 years I will ruin my knees and back. OK, fine. His second issue was how "wide" my stance was, slightly more than shoulder width apart. My feet and knees line up, I assured him. At this point I'm getting the feeling that he is going to say my squats are at fault and not the rack. So, after establishing that he is a "not below parallel" type of guy he starts into his four solutions. Solution 1-3 was to stop squatting and perform the motions on a machine. Smith machine for legs and core ball for core. WTF? What part of that says freeweight squat? "What about the angled smith machine or the fancy squat machine over here?", he suggested. I replied "Free weight squat is part of my routine, and I am not looking for a replacement. I am looking for a safe place to do them".
So, back to square one he states that my squatting form will ruin my knees and lower back. They might think about getting a plyo box in the current rack to raise me up a bit, but why the hell would I want a box to avoid and struggle to get on top of? I held my tongue though. Yes, walking (backwards) up onto a 12" box with more than my bodyweight on my back is exactly the answer I was looking for! I stated that if the box was long and wide enough it sounded like a good option to me. He replied "but it will probably be a while before we get that, we have no timeframe for the plyometric boxes".
So, back to square one he tells me that my squats are all wrong and that my knees and back will be ruined. The smith machine is my best bet he says. I asked him how I would ditch a bad squat since the machine is free floating on two planes. Basically, I would lean back and hope to GOD that it caught in one of the hooks on the back side. Yeah right.
So, we walked to the front while I outlined my routine to him. He had no comments on the routine (I was expecting some comments about deadlifts too), nor did he have any other suggestions (I expected one more about my squats being too low). Looks like I'm going to have another talk with the membership girl this afternoon. This huge, flashy, wonderful gym doesn't even have a damn power rack, nor do they see a need to get one. Suddenly the place seems like a ripoff that will only stagnate my progress from the lack of safe and proper equipment.
[/rant]
The first thing he commented on was my form. By going "so low" in my squat I am ruining my knees and lower back evidently. I informed him that I had a slipped disc and 2 knee injuries, and that squatting ass to grass was better for my body BY FAR. I have used squats to rehab my body, and I keep em tight. Going low allows me to transfer the weight into my hips and takes the pressure off my knees, I informed him. He reassured me that in 5 years I will ruin my knees and back. OK, fine. His second issue was how "wide" my stance was, slightly more than shoulder width apart. My feet and knees line up, I assured him. At this point I'm getting the feeling that he is going to say my squats are at fault and not the rack. So, after establishing that he is a "not below parallel" type of guy he starts into his four solutions. Solution 1-3 was to stop squatting and perform the motions on a machine. Smith machine for legs and core ball for core. WTF? What part of that says freeweight squat? "What about the angled smith machine or the fancy squat machine over here?", he suggested. I replied "Free weight squat is part of my routine, and I am not looking for a replacement. I am looking for a safe place to do them".
So, back to square one he states that my squatting form will ruin my knees and lower back. They might think about getting a plyo box in the current rack to raise me up a bit, but why the hell would I want a box to avoid and struggle to get on top of? I held my tongue though. Yes, walking (backwards) up onto a 12" box with more than my bodyweight on my back is exactly the answer I was looking for! I stated that if the box was long and wide enough it sounded like a good option to me. He replied "but it will probably be a while before we get that, we have no timeframe for the plyometric boxes".
So, back to square one he tells me that my squats are all wrong and that my knees and back will be ruined. The smith machine is my best bet he says. I asked him how I would ditch a bad squat since the machine is free floating on two planes. Basically, I would lean back and hope to GOD that it caught in one of the hooks on the back side. Yeah right.
So, we walked to the front while I outlined my routine to him. He had no comments on the routine (I was expecting some comments about deadlifts too), nor did he have any other suggestions (I expected one more about my squats being too low). Looks like I'm going to have another talk with the membership girl this afternoon. This huge, flashy, wonderful gym doesn't even have a damn power rack, nor do they see a need to get one. Suddenly the place seems like a ripoff that will only stagnate my progress from the lack of safe and proper equipment.
[/rant]
