I have had fear of failure while squatting. I just could not force myself to go low enough when the weight was heavy enough to give me trouble for fear that I would not make it back up. That's so stupid - I mean, what are the ****ing safety bars for, right?? Just before my last trip to Germany I managed to break through my fear of squat failure. I went heavy, I went low, and on the 5th rep I just could not get up, so I had to dump the weight. Well, not exactly dump, I gracefully set it down on the bar. Stripped it down to 135, got deep down under, and squatted the mother back up.
Don't get me wrong - I'd rather have been able to succeed, but I am no longer afraid. I'm going deep without fear and I think it has really helped me. It hurts so good....
Next up - socks! Last week I saw a kid (ok, he's probably about 20, but at our age, that's a kid) squatting with just his socks on, and then read BodyHard's post on guys squatting heavy-@ss weights barefoot and in socks. So I gave it a go near the end of my light squat day on Friday (took me a while to remember about it). And the difference was remarkable - at least 2 more reps and feeling more stable. I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow on my "heavy" (for me) squat day. Thanks BodyHard!
I feel like I'm getting my mojo back ("What the Hell are you talking about?" - Donald Rumsfeld)
|
-
08-13-2012, 04:34 PM #1
- Join Date: Sep 2011
- Location: California, United States
- Age: 60
- Posts: 3,217
- Rep Power: 15673
Failed! And proud of it. Plus ..... squats in socks
Peace: Lift Long and Prosper!
Alamagan Dgan - and proud of it!
Lean, mean, geek machine
-
08-13-2012, 04:53 PM #2
-
08-13-2012, 06:10 PM #3
-
08-14-2012, 12:12 AM #4
Nicely done Doc. Getting confidence up is a real morale booster. At my gym there is no cage, just a old squat rack. I am still to scared to go low with heavier weights. It really puts a halt on progressing forward. It is good that you finally overcame the worries about putting the weight down. From now on you can focus on doing them heavy. Just keep your form up and you are good to go.
I deadlift and squat barefoot. People look at me strangely when I remove my shoes, but I don't care. Luckily I do not have smelly feet lol.
-
-
08-14-2012, 01:57 AM #5
I just started deadlifting in socks - the last two times, and it feels good --- you get to feel the weight spread across the soles and heels during the lift and I also get a better ankle flexion. I'm still using my PL shoes for squatting but I'm thinking of going to 'socks only' there as wellA
"Better to wear out than rust out!"
Squat 165kg/363lbs
Deadlift 190kg/418lbs
-
08-14-2012, 02:32 AM #6
-
08-14-2012, 02:39 AM #7𝓐𝓲𝓻 𝓕𝓸𝓻𝓬𝓮 𝓥𝓮𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓷 1976 - 1999 - 𝓒𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓪𝓫𝓲𝓼 𝓔𝓷𝓽𝓱𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓪𝓼𝓽 𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 1960'𝓼
ᖇᗴ丅Ꭵᖇᗴᗪ ᗩ丅 40 ᑕᖇᗴᗯ - ᔕᗝᑕᎥᗩᒪ ᗪᎥᔕ丅ᗩᑎᑕᎥᑎǤ ᗴ᙭ᑭᗴᖇ丅 - ᒪᎥᐯᎥᑎǤ 丅ᕼᗴ ᗪᖇᗴᗩᗰ
ƚo| ɒ ꙅɿɘʞʞuꟻ bᴎɒ ɿɘʞʞuꟻ ꙅᴎuoᴎoɿq ɿɘbᴎɘǫ ɘʜƚ ɘꙅu I
𝕀 𝕕𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕒𝕝𝕨𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕒𝕘𝕣𝕖𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕞𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕤 𝕀 𝕡𝕠𝕤𝕥
🄸 🅃🄴🄻🄻 🄸🅃 🄻🄸🄺🄴 🄸🅃 🄸🅂, 🄸🄵 🅈🄾🅄 🅆🄰🄽🅃 🅂🄼🄾🄺🄴 🄱🄻🄾🅆🄽 🅄🄿 🅈🄾🅄🅁 🄰🅂🅂 🄾🅁 🅂🄾🄼🄴🅃🄷🄸🄽🄶 🅂🅄🄶🄰🅁 🄲🄾🄰🅃🄴🄳. 🄸 🅂🅄🄶🄶🄴🅂🅃 🅈🄾🅄 🄶🄴🅃 🄰 🄷🄾🄾🄺🄴🅁 🄰🄽🄳 🄰 🄿🄾🅆🄳🄴🅁🄴🄳 🄳🄾🄽🅄🅃
-
08-14-2012, 03:57 AM #8
- Join Date: Jul 2011
- Location: Gothenburg, State / Province, Sweden
- Age: 64
- Posts: 5,966
- Rep Power: 2432
hehe, if you are safe with your sexuality you can even wear ballet shoes, man. But seriously, if you don't feel comfortable with barefoot shoes with separate toes, there are alternatives that look like regular shoes too. The thing is to have a natural contact on the surface your standing on. I wear socks myself, but I had many enough to burn I wouldn't hesistate to grab those gay barefoot shoes.
-
-
08-14-2012, 04:12 AM #9
I find that going deep really allows the legs to fully activate when you push the weight up.... If you failed ... you learned what your limits are. I would suggest backing off the weight and sticking with a lighter load, getting use to the deep squat and slowly add on. I guess this is what I like about the stronglifts 5x5...I started off quite light and next thing I knew I was deep squatting 230!
Great job getting past those fears though!
-
08-14-2012, 04:53 AM #10
-
08-14-2012, 05:00 AM #11
-
08-14-2012, 05:02 AM #12
-
-
08-14-2012, 05:31 AM #13
-
08-14-2012, 09:13 AM #14
-
08-14-2012, 10:54 AM #15
-
08-14-2012, 11:02 AM #16
-
-
08-14-2012, 12:31 PM #17
Just crossed my mind, as a Navy man, that your user name has a very... uh, "unique" meaning for me
The ankle flexibility may be true, but not all squat methods require ankle flexibility. The more you sit back, the more vertical your shins will be, and the less ankle mobility you need. If you squat in a high bar/front squat/OH squat position that has your butt coming down between your heels, vice sitting back, then ankle mobility becomes and issue.GoRuck Challenge Journal: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=150446113
"No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little." -Edmund Burke
"Because your own strength is unequal to the task, do not assume that it is beyond the powers of man; but if anything is within the powers and province of man, believe that it is within your own compass also." -Marcus Aurelius
-
08-14-2012, 01:27 PM #18
Buy these. The difference is astounding.
I will never squat in anything else ever again. Oly shoes allow you to drop straight into rock bottom and sit upright doing so. Barefoot, socks, five fingers, they not compare. Not even close. This is the flexibility I have wearing these shoes:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3w_...bkE/edit?pli=1
They are the single greatest training investment I ever made. Seriously. BUY THEM. They're like $100 and will last you forever.
Get them here:
http://californiastrength.com/store/...tlifting-shoesLast edited by jb4476; 08-14-2012 at 01:37 PM.
-
08-14-2012, 01:34 PM #19
- Join Date: Sep 2011
- Location: California, United States
- Age: 60
- Posts: 3,217
- Rep Power: 15673
Thank you everyone!!
Thank you. I'm now a believer too.
Thanks! I should try socks on the deadlifts too.
The ballet points just didn't work for me - but I got the stares
Thanks - I feel liberated, so to speak.
I definitely feel that drive much more now.
Thank you! Now I need to raise that limit
Thank you - you have been a big help to me.
Good job so far! Good luck and let us know how it goes. I'm sure you'll nail it. It will be a while before I get to that point, but I am determined to get there too. My long-tern goal to to squat twice my body weight - but don't wait up nights!
edit: I'll look into those!
edit again: OMG on the video. Now that is deep!Peace: Lift Long and Prosper!
Alamagan Dgan - and proud of it!
Lean, mean, geek machine
-
08-14-2012, 01:46 PM #20
- Join Date: Jul 2011
- Location: New York, United States
- Posts: 15,251
- Rep Power: 123367
Grats Doc! Not to sound like Monty but the mind is a powerful thing.
As for barefoot or socks while squatting...I'd agree it feels much better for me in socks than in shoes. I haven't tried in OLY shoes but with any type of running shoes it sucks. I like to drive through the heel and with socks I can actually feel it. Try it with deadlifting too.
Good luck!
-
-
08-14-2012, 02:37 PM #21
Good for you OP!
FYI, wrestling shoes are cheap and basically have zero sole in them. I first tried chuck taylors as recommended on this board and they were good but the wrestling shoes feel much better to me. Found mine on Amazon a few years back for less than $40 and they are still holding up just fine. I do have to deal with the occasional 'are you a wrestler or something' question but no biggie.
-
08-14-2012, 03:44 PM #22
- Join Date: Mar 2012
- Location: Herefordshire, United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Posts: 1,000
- Rep Power: 4372
I just wear some old watersports shoes for everything, zero rise, flexible, bugger-all padding underfoot just like the barefoot style shoes and they survive being shoved in the washing machine every month or so to remove any sweaty odour. Only bad thing is my bike pedals are gradually chewing through the thin soles.
-
08-15-2012, 02:58 AM #23
- Join Date: Apr 2007
- Location: La Mesa, California, United States
- Age: 51
- Posts: 13
- Rep Power: 0
To the OP, great job with breaking the failure barrier. That's an inspiration within itself. Secondly about those Addidas shoes that have the toes in them, I've seen several folks with them, heard they are comfortable but haven't personally tried them. That being said I have seen many men lately squatting barefoot, even believe Arnold did a big article on it back in his time. May have to give it a try some day.
-
08-15-2012, 05:08 AM #24
-
-
08-15-2012, 06:57 AM #25
Bookmarks