I have been doing a lot of reading of form, and 2 exercises have the most inconsistencies in performing them.
1. Squat
Now, I was told to never bend the knees forward, only lowering the butt as much as possible. When I perform this, I feel a strain on the lower back. What would you recomend as good squat form?
2. Bent over barbell rows
Another tricky exercise. Let alone trying to actually hit the muscle, the positions of the elbows are equally important. Which is best, elbows tucked in, almost touching your sides, or flared out, creating a 90 degree angle inside the elbows?
Thanks
Ash
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Now, I was told to never bend the knees forward, only lowering the butt as much as possible. When I perform this, I feel a strain on the lower back. What would you recomend as good squat form?
Read this on squat form. In regards to your knees, you need to have them go foward unless your doing a PL squat where your shins will be almost verticle. Theres a myth floating around that having the knees go beyond the toes is also bad for the knees, dont listen to it.
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Another tricky exercise. Let alone trying to actually hit the muscle, the positions of the elbows are equally important. Which is best, elbows tucked in, almost touching your sides, or flared out, creating a 90 degree angle inside the elbows?
Depends on the row variation. Overhand pulls to the face or neck will require your arms to flare out. When pulling to the midsection, I like to have my arms tucked.
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Now, I was told to never bend the knees forward, only lowering the butt as much as possible. When I perform this, I feel a strain on the lower back. What would you recomend as good squat form?
In general this is bunk. Ever try to stand up from a chair without your knees going out over your toes? Best of luck. Ever watch a toddler squat to pick up something off the floor. They naturally do a full deep squat with the knees well out over the toes. If you have existing knee issues, this type of squat can certainly irritate things, but otherwise, it should be perfectly fine.
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2. Bent over barbell rows
Another tricky exercise. Let alone trying to actually hit the muscle, the positions of the elbows are equally important. Which is best, elbows tucked in, almost touching your sides, or flared out, creating a 90 degree angle inside the elbows?
As Gq mentioned, it depends entirely on the row variation you are performing. There's not a better or worse, just different depending on the goal. Where the lats are concerned, because of their fan shape, you'll want to vary hand positions on chin variations and rows.
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