Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

- Squats 10/20 -10/20
this is my las squat session
im having some problems with my squats. i bulk at home and find it difficut to lift the barbell from the floor to my shoulders.i dont want to hurt my back. today i did it with dumbells but i think it didnt go well anyway. i dont feel muscle failure, i just stop because i feel i could be hurting my soulders and my back as well. my back is really weak. im thinking about decreasing the weight and increasing the reps, but not sure. maybe i could do lunges with less weight instead. any advice would be great here!

Squats are one of the most powerful exercises for transform your body. That great power means you can also seriously hurt yourself. It is one of those things worth going out of your way to make sure the conditions are optimal. If not, you are better off not doing them as the kind of injuries you get can last for years.

1. Have a professional trainer show you how to do squats in person

2. Have a professional trainer watch your form many times until you feel confident you got it down

3. Do squats in a squat rack

4. Do squats with a weight lifting belt on

5. Do squats with a spotter present

Good luck.

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you could substitute deadlifts if you dont already do them until you get somewhere to train with a smith machine or squat rack. mix deadlifts, dumbell squats and lunges and that wouldnt be a bad home workout. you could also try one legged squats (with just your bodyweight) these are hard!

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i do deadlifts with 20 kg and its ok, because i dont have to lift the barbell up to my head. people who train with a squat rack dont have to lift the barbell in order to put it over their shoulders before they start the excercise, the barbell its already at their shoulder height. im pretty sure that my squat movements are correct, i dont have problems with the squat itself.
i think i will decrease the weight and squat as usual (i dont have problems with 12,5 k, will try 15k), maybe i add some lunges too, until my shoulders and arms get stronger so im not afraid of getting hurt
and yes, one legged squats are really a challenge!
thank you for your advice people!:)

Number 4 is the only one I would question. Belts are useful as the weight gets heavy (70-100% OF 1RM) as they help to create create extra stability through the core region as well as helping generate intra-abdominal pressure.

For the regular gym goers that are squatting for reps I would be personally be advising NOT to use a belt so that they can learn to activate their core and secondary/stabilising muscles. For someone that's squatting a weight that's in a normal rep range, they'll get much more benefit from not wearing one. Just my 2c of course, but apart from my clients that are powerlifting I advise against using them ~ girls especially (you'll also find that people tend to become reliant on them very quickly); the results in developing greater core core activation/strength from squatting without a belt is fairly evident.

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