Squats weak when going into the "hole"

[thedreamthief]

When I am doing squats, as I am about to get down into the "hole" my lower half feels very weak. It feels as if my legs and lower half are about to give out. I usually have to catch myself and not go down quite as far (which is a couple of inches below parallel) so I can get back up.

Is this mainly due to weak hips, hams, etc?

I've been doing good mornings and some stretching exercises to help with my flexibility issues.

 

[mm107]

1. Drop the weight
2. Stay as tight as you can
3. Go into the hole and sit for 2seconds and explode up
4. Increase weight if form is perfect.
5. Repeat 1-5 again once your form falls apart again

We all feel week in the hole, it is the weekest point, keep banging weight and you will feel more comfortable

 

[H_T_]

what MM said. pause at the bottom. this will be difficult, but it'll make gains come quicker....

 

[atp1000]

what MM said. pause at the bottom. this will be difficult, but it'll make gains come quicker....

Box squats can help in this regard, right?

 

[Cynical Simian]

For general training purposes I agree with all of mm107's steps except #3. Pause squats might be worth a try on your warmups or light day to get comfortable in the hole and used to staying tight, but ideally you should be able to decrease the weight to a point where you can stay tight and go deep at a natural pace, then work your way up.

 

[mad_monkey59]

When I am doing squats, as I am about to get down into the "hole" my lower half feels very weak. It feels as if my legs and lower half are about to give out. I usually have to catch myself and not go down quite as far (which is a couple of inches below parallel) so I can get back up.

Is this mainly due to weak hips, hams, etc?

I've been doing good mornings and some stretching exercises to help with my flexibility issues.

Work you hamstrings and glutes.

A good exercise for this is stiff leg deads.

However, as has been mentioned previously, the most effective method is train in that part of the lift. So train in partial squats going in and out of the hole. With pins, in a rack - or you will be squashed.

You should also drop your weight and nail your form in the full lift.

 

[nodiggitydave]

I use a smith machine - I can understand why some people on this forum would be against it though.

 

[Kabeetz]

I use a smith machine - I can understand why some people on this forum would be against it though.

Dude... When I was like 19 and also stupid I could do 495 to parallel for a few reps on a smith machine. And then I realized that there is was incredibly little carryover to real strength when I finally tried to squat with a barbell. Also it can be harmful because u're stuck in that one plane of motion.

 

[nodiggitydave]

I never did squats before this site where I read the 3x5 and I'm doing it now, I'm pretty hefty and I doubt I could even do a squat while balancing a heavy weight on my back. I've got the hang of the smith now, I think my techniques right because my legs feel very muscular these days. I am aware of the dangers though after googling it, maybe after I cut I'll try real squats...

 

[Cynical Simian]

I fail to see what your bodyweight has to do with being able to free squat. If it isn't such that you're unable to walk, you can squat. Nobody's asking you to balance a weight on your back while standing on a Swiss ball or some other personal trainer crap.

 

[thedreamthief]

What is the purpose of pausing in the hole? Is it like cs said, to mainly get comfortable going into the hole?

 

[stevius]

What is the purpose of pausing in the hole? Is it like cs said, to mainly get comfortable going into the hole?

The way I see it is like a checklist: hips feel ok- back, thighs etc... then bang, drive out a perfect rep. If I couldn't sit there and feel strong enough to blast back to the top, then I was too afraid to get into that position. I needed to feel strong and confident enough at the most highly stressful part of the squat. Anything less was pretending, where I could handle a weight for the most part, but not completely. That extra half an inch can be make or break time, and personally, I wasn't willing to accept getting pinned so I'd do near full reps, which isn't enough to be completely sure a weight was within my capability.

It really worked for me no matter that I'd been cranking out thousands of reps: to get full control over a weight as opposed to thinking I'm just hard enough to force my way through is a massive bonus. Training for strength or size, the quality accounts for both those factors.

Yes, get comfy: comfort equals confidence and more bang for your buck at the end of the day. Squats are f'ing hard but the payoff from a pure solid rep speaks volumes. make it easy on yourself, honestly.

 

[mm107]

What is the purpose of pausing in the hole? Is it like cs said, to mainly get comfortable going into the hole?

its more of letting your muscles stretch out and not have the rubber band reflex to help you get back up. It will help fire off muscle fibers that were not active.

 

[nodiggitydave]

I can freely squat fine I just can't keep my balance

 

[Powerbuilder333]

Box squats below parallel. Relax the muscles, and then explode up.
I'm against pausing at the bottom of a full squat because it MIGHT stretch out the patella tendon and several ligaments - thus destabalizing the joint.

 

[mm107]

Box squats below parallel. Relax the muscles, and then explode up.
I'm against pausing at the bottom of a full squat because it MIGHT stretch out the patella tendon and several ligaments - thus destabalizing the joint.

hey powerbuilder, i always respect your opinion and i will have to look into the fact it might destablaze the muscles down there. I was just instructed by an amazing sqautter that his squat increased when he used the safety squat bar and pause squats...

thanks for the info

 

[thedreamthief]

hey powerbuilder, i always respect your opinion and i will have to look into the fact it might destablaze the muscles down there. I was just instructed by an amazing sqautter that his squat increased when he used the safety squat bar and pause squats...

thanks for the info

let me know what you find out. part of the reason that I have "re-learn" squats is because I slightly injured my patellar tendon.

thanks

 

[perp69]

I never did squats before this site where I read the 3x5 and I'm doing it now, I'm pretty hefty and I doubt I could even do a squat while balancing a heavy weight on my back. I've got the hang of the smith now, I think my techniques right because my legs feel very muscular these days. I am aware of the dangers though after googling it, maybe after I cut I'll try real squats...

Some of those powerlifters are hefty boys also but they still barbell squat. You can always find plenty of excuses why not to do something but you just have to suck it up and do it.

Perp

 

[Powerbuilder333]

hey powerbuilder, i always respect your opinion and i will have to look into the fact it might destablaze the muscles down there. I was just instructed by an amazing sqautter that his squat increased when he used the safety squat bar and pause squats...

thanks for the info

Let us know what you find out mm107.
My opinion is based on something I read in a muscle rag many years ago, and it made since to me. I have small joints and sore knees after squat day as it is.

 

[mm107]

Let us know what you find out mm107.
My opinion is based on something I read in a muscle rag many years ago, and it made since to me. I have small joints and sore knees after squat day as it is.

i totally understand this, as it would take the pop out of the muscles over time(the pause squats), i m gonna try to find out anything i can, both arguements sound solid to me so gotta find out

 

[Cynical Simian]

I still say that whatever allows you to take the heaviest load safely through a full range of motion (i.e., Olympic squats with no pause) should be your main squat variant. mm107, I can see how an advanced lifter might have benefited from working on weak points in the lift. But if the option of simply starting light and putting more weight on the bar is available, it seems like a much more direct way to get stronger on the weak point and the lift as a whole.

 

[Kabeetz]

Being that I just read the chapter in SS multiple times..I am kinda reminded of when Rippletoe writes that you should not pause in the hole, but rather immediately should bounce right out (from the hips).

He goes on to right that this book is not being written for powerlifting, etc. and plenty of coaches might take issue with that point, but that from his strength training point of view, he did not recommend pausing.

Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks, I guess.