One thing I've noticed with those who have a big (raw) squat..

[InfiniteExcel]

Is that they all do a superb job getting DOWN and then UP. Some videos even seem as if they dropped themselves down with no control

Take this dude, for example. 529 lb squat, dropped right down there..



Then, take me, 425 for a triple, slow as f*ck



WHAT IS YOUR QUESTION?

1. Offer advice on how I can make the descent of my squats faster.
2.Nitpick my form. Willing to take in any help I can get.

[InfiniteExcel]

embed was disabled on the first video ..

[Black_Spit]

Your form looks ok man. It's partially blocked but I think you need another couple inches of depth.

Don't try to emulate people who are dive-bombing their squats.

[BTBAM]

dive bombing a squat is a quick way to shorten your (heavy) squatting career. I prefer longevity and have a relatively slow and controlled descent, with minimal bounce. Training to get STRONGER WITHOUT THE BOUNCE, will inevitably make you stronger in general.

[Big Sexy J]

I can't really think of any big raw squatters that dive bomb their squats except the olympic lifters. I am probably wrong though.

[yummy22]

The best squattters outside of oly lifters don't dive bomb squats -also many of they don't dive bomb either if they want a long career-

that is a good way to lose tightness and throw off your technique or at worst destroy your knees/back if your not very comfortable with your technique and don't shift at all+ have advanced flexibility



The best squatter on the planet right now doing nearly 1k raw


Really just avoid the dive bomb style if you can it in general does not work well for most and its dangerous no matter what the oly lifters tell you-not to mention they constantly are getting injured-

[BombDonald]

I can't really think of any big raw squatters that dive bomb their squats except the olympic lifters. I am probably wrong though.

This is a pretty big squat from a fellow MN brahge:



Last time I talked to him he was battling some pretty serious injuries and setbacks, which may or may not be correlated with the squatting style.

[ridge_forrester]

Don't try to emulate people who are dive-bombing their squats.

dive bombing a squat is a quick way to shorten your (heavy) squatting career. I prefer longevity and have a relatively slow and controlled descent, with minimal bounce. Training to get STRONGER WITHOUT THE BOUNCE, will inevitably make you stronger in general.

I can't really think of any big raw squatters that dive bomb their squats except the olympic lifters. I am probably wrong though.

The best squattters outside of oly lifters don't dive bomb squats -also many of they don't dive bomb either if they want a long career-

that is a good way to lose tightness and throw off your technique or at worst destroy your knees/back if your not very comfortable with your technique and don't shift at all+ have advanced flexibility


Really just avoid the dive bomb style if you can it in general does not work well for most and its dangerous no matter what the oly lifters tell you-not to mention they constantly are getting injured-

Valuable lesson learned. Thanks guys.

[LessThanLuke]

Your form looks ok man. It's partially blocked but I think you need another couple inches of depth.

Don't try to emulate people who are dive-bombing their squats.

Oh the irony.

[Black_Spit]

Oh the irony.

One of these days when I value your advice enough to ask for it, you're gonna be one helpful motherfucker, I can tell.

Until then I'll just put you on ignore. So please keep up the little verbal jabs if it pleases you.

[LessThanLuke]

One of these days when I value your advice enough to ask for it, you're gonna be one helpful motherfucker, I can tell.

Until then I'll just put you on ignore. So please keep up the little verbal jabs if it pleases you.

I will do. Maybe one day you will get the message.

[kayne695]

If I am not wrong, you should lower the weight controlled but not too slow. If you lower it too slowly you just lose more of the stretch reflex.

[samsont]

This is a pretty big squat from a fellow MN brahge:



Last time I talked to him he was battling some pretty serious injuries and setbacks, which may or may not be correlated with the squatting style.

I think I just tore my hip again watching that.

Yeah, I tore my hip trying to 'bury' squats too fast with just 50% of my 1rm at the time(to be honest though, it was because of my lack of flexibility, though descending way too fast was part of the equation).

[strengthsthetic]

dive bombing a squat is a quick way to shorten your (heavy) squatting career. I prefer longevity and have a relatively slow and controlled descent, with minimal bounce. Training to get STRONGER WITHOUT THE BOUNCE, will inevitably make you stronger in general.

what's wrong with going fast with a weight if you're in complete control of it?

[showmestate08]

what's wrong with going fast with a weight if you're in complete control of it?

maybe nothing at all.

though common sense tells me that achieving "complete control" will be more consistent with a relatively slow decent rather than dive-bombing each rep...

[PriceySocks]

Instead of looking up or straight forward, look down about 4-5 feet in front of you. This will help with hip drive. It will take some getting used to, but it's worth it. Many people say it helps to imagine holding a tennis ball down with your chin.

[InfiniteExcel]

Instead of looking up or straight forward, look down about 4-5 feet in front of you. This will help with hip drive. It will take some getting used to, but it's worth it. Many people say it helps to imagine holding a tennis ball down with your chin.

Get outta here lol, I've got a bad habit of looking at my feet/watching myself in the mirror..my head should be up

decent replies so far..usually this section is grumpy and unhelpful, I'm surprised. (at least 4 the last squat thread I made several months ago)

[babylover]

Dive bombing and descending quickly aren't the same thing.

Slow descents are usually correlatev with the lifter over using their hip flexor as a protective reflex against injury. Trust your hamstrings and hips, descend fast and let then take the loading.

THis is the only time I use box squats, to teach people to disengage the hip flexors. I don't teach them to sit back westside style, but instead focus on relaxing the flexors and trusting the hips.

The same applies for low bar and Oly squats.

[babylover]

Get outta here lol, I've got a bad habit of looking at my feet/watching myself in the mirror..my head should be up

decent replies so far..usually this section is grumpy and unhelpful, I'm surprised. (at least 4 the last squat thread I made several months ago)

Face the otherway.

Mirrors are bad.

[Big Sexy J]

THis is the only time I use box squats, to teach people to disengage the hip flexors. I don't teach them to sit back westside style, but instead focus on relaxing the flexors and trusting the hips.

What do you mean? Like a touch and go box squat? Similar to what Stan Efferding does in his squat vids?

[Trexmeyer]

Whether or not rapid descent is bad, you can't arbitrarily compare olympic squats and powerlifting squats. Olympic Squats are done as an assistance exercise to help athletes get out of the whole with snatches and cleans. Powerlifting squats are just trying to break parallel.

[Conquer92]

I can't really think of any big raw squatters that dive bomb their squats except the olympic lifters. I am probably wrong though.

Youre correct.

And the first and seconds guys OP posted are both Olympic Lifters, ive seen a ton of their vids. They take advantage of the stretch reflex at the bottom after catching a snatch/clean.

[strengthsthetic]

I can't really think of any big raw squatters that dive bomb their squats except the olympic lifters. I am probably wrong though.

[babylover]

What do you mean? Like a touch and go box squat? Similar to what Stan Efferding does in his squat vids?

Not at all like Efferding.

I'm not focusing on vertical shins as much as I am focusing on turning the flexors off.

People over control their descent using the hip flexors, when they need to open up and let the hips and glutes take it. The distinction is that single/raw lifters have more knee travel and it can be harder to teach this then extreme sitting back like westside.

[kayne695]

You have to remember he was also an olympic lifter. He does everything fast. Even his max attempt squats are faster than I squat with 1 plate haha.

[BenR1618]

It seems logical to me that how you squat, and how safe it is, is really just based on your training level and your goals.

Taking advantage of the myotic stretch reflex is a wonderful thing if you can squat 2 x bodyweight, and are looking to increase your power output for a sport. But if you're like me and are trying to overcome muscle imbalances or are just undertrained, divebombing any type of load is dangerous. If that's the case, let those hip flexors, tendons, and ligaments get a little girth before ya ask it to rebound the momentum of a 90% load, lol

[TheRealAPOLLOS]

You have to remember he was also an olympic lifter. He does everything fast. Even his max attempt squats are faster than I squat with 1 plate haha.

Personally I don't see anything wrong here, FOR THIS GUY. He's obviously strong as a bull. He completely owned that weight, kept good form, and basically made it look like a piece of cake. Mind you, just because he can do it that way, doesn't necessarily mean the rest of us can do this without having issues.

Different strokes for different folks. Like so many things, there isn't necessarily one way to do it right. Shane Hamman is THE MAN!

[BenR1618]

Different strokes for different folks. Like so many things, there isn't necessarily one way to do it right. Shane Hamman is THE MAN!

F'ing-a-right, he is!

[xRequiem]

Good lord, I've never heard of this guy before. He handed 986lbs unlike anyone else I've seen. By far the strongest squat I've witnessed.

[kaebow]

dive boming squat is retarded in my opinion and you WILL have a knee problem squatting like that
Do it like this chinese bro imo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y8yKSJbpFI