Poor Balance Squatting...

[Home_Slice]

I find that I "fall" backwards whenver squatting. Are they any tips or ways to improve my balance to overcome this. I realize how important squats are so I really want to incorporate them into my routine over the holidays.

[R.O.D.]

Just over the holidays?

[Drivel]

stretch and use less weight

[mike_d]

Practice form with light weight, it takes a while. I would say strengthening your abs, hamstrings and lower back would help alot with this.

Some lifts you can add to help (along with practicing squat form, get deep on squats when you practice too)

heavy decline situps/crunches
cable crunches (standing, kneeling)
good mornings
hyperextensions
SLDL's

Start light enough on all them that you dont get hurt, but getting into lower rep/higher weight sets over time will help you build strength faster in those areas. Nothing wrong with going for a 3/2/1RM on good mornings IF you know how to do them right. If you dont it could be a disaster...

[Home_Slice]

Practice form with light weight, it takes a while. I would say strengthening your abs, hamstrings and lower back would help alot with this.

Some lifts you can add to help (along with practicing squat form, get deep on squats when you practice too)

heavy decline situps/crunches
cable crunches (standing, kneeling)
good mornings
hyperextensions
SLDL's

Start light enough on all them that you dont get hurt, but getting into lower rep/higher weight sets over time will help you build strength faster in those areas. Nothing wrong with going for a 3/2/1RM on good mornings IF you know how to do them right. If you dont it could be a disaster...

Great. Thanks alot. I guess the light weight is a good idea even though I leg press alot.

[MsDominatus]

Widen your stance first and formost and work on your form w/lighter weight As you get stronger and gain balance work on brining your stance in (so that you become more versatile and can work with different stances to hit different muscles). Definitely work on the core.

[Home_Slice]

Just over the holidays?

Holidays=2days from now.
I'm in exams, and I'm also using this as my one week away from the gym to rest and recoup after 10 weeks hard.

[mike_d]

Great. Thanks alot. I guess the light weight is a good idea even though I leg press alot.

Everyone leg presses alot

Squats test a whole lot more than quad strength. If you're more interested in squatting big numbers than you are in bodybuilder style quad development, follow Ms. Doms advice and widen out that stance. It makes it a whole lot easier to break parallel and use more strength through the lift. You dont see many guys squatting 500lbs with a shoulder width stance.

Those lifts I showed you were just a few of many good core/lower back/hamstring strength exercises. You could also do heavy situps on a hyperextension bench (most gyms have hyper benches, but no glute-ham bench or anywhere to do reverse hypers). Pullthroughs with a low pulley are good, I bet pullovers are great but I havent tried those, deadlifts obviously, deadlifting off a platform, heavy DB sidebends, the list goes on. If you want to strengthen your squat and get better balance, especially out of the bottom, spend alot of energy training your core, lower back, hams, quads and even upper back to an extent.

[Home_Slice]

Everyone leg presses alot

Squats test a whole lot more than quad strength. If you're more interested in squatting big numbers than you are in bodybuilder style quad development, follow Ms. Doms advice and widen out that stance. It makes it a whole lot easier to break parallel and use more strength through the lift. You dont see many guys squatting 500lbs with a shoulder width stance.

Those lifts I showed you were just a few of many good core/lower back/hamstring strength exercises. You could also do heavy situps on a hyperextension bench (most gyms have hyper benches, but no glute-ham bench or anywhere to do reverse hypers). Pullthroughs with a low pulley are good, I bet pullovers are great but I havent tried those, deadlifts obviously, deadlifting off a platform, heavy DB sidebends, the list goes on. If you want to strengthen your squat and get better balance, especially out of the bottom, spend alot of energy training your core, lower back, hams, quads and even upper back to an extent.

Alright, thanks for the advice. I've been doing deads a few weeks now and am already inproving alot, and I haven't tried squats since. I'll give those other excercises a try too.

I'd rep ya if I could...
EDIT: Now I can...repped

[RU4A69]

Your overall leg strength is lacking-you can barbell lunge your way out of that.

[$AJ]

proper form is squatting back and down. You may be doing proper form and not even realizing it. If you're literally falling back, that's lack of hamstring flexibility - work on it.