I notice when I'm doing normal style squats lately, my legs close in a little bit, and my quads seem to be doing most of the work to compensate for my weak posterior chain. So I decided to test my posterior chain by doing wide-stance powerlifting squats. I'm actually weaker on those and can barely manage 225lbs for 2 sets of 5 whereas (now I'm trying to get back into working out, with a new routine as Rippetoe's is getting monotonous for me) I can do shoulder-width stance squats easier with 3 sets of 5 for 245lbs.
Is this a sign that my glutes need some work? I thought I was suppose to lift more with a wider stance.
yes and I know exactly what exercise that will help with the stability and strength you need. do you have any resistance bands at home? Glute bridges and fire hydrants will work as well, but using the bands will be better to help keep the knees in the normal position instead of inward. The reason is because you need a lot of stability and strength from your butt to keep your knees from going inward
What you really have to focus on is pointing your knees outward and do not let them go inward on the band exercises. Strength for that all comes from your glutes firing.
Find out where you are at and which exercise you struggle to get your glutes to fire and work on it.
right here are the exercises. It is not just the exercises with bands listed. There are some with dumbbells too and on the stability ball, etc. There are also 3 levels they include. low, medium, high with low being easier to fire your glutes and high being hard to fire your glutes (advance) http://www.workoutz.com/category/leg_exercises
Hi,
Here is a link to "Robertson Training Systems", and an article on strengthening the posterior chain. These work really well and I have used them for myself, as well as clients.
This is a web site you will want to bookmark, and refer back for informaion quite often! http://http://robertsontrainingsyste...trongest+Link/
Luanne, you made a mistake in the url. It's http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/...trongest+Link/ You put http twice, so it didnt work. Just correcting the link for you so the poster will be able to go to it. Good article =)
Just a bit of an update. After working a bit with wide-stance squats focusing on pushing my knees out, it's woken up my glutes. I did regular below parallel squats today making sure my legs don't bow in and did my sets successfully with perfect form (at a decent weight, too). Not to mention getting out of the hole is a lot smoother.
Hard to say, you may just be lifting less because you dont have the technique of a wider stance too. There becomes a point where a stance is to wide and you will lift less.
If this problem continues, its most likely weak hips. Stiff leg sumo deads from the floor, good mornings etc will all help.
Stiff leg sumo deads? That's a variation I haven't thought of before. Thanks for the tips Frank, but for now I'm just gonna stick to normal below parallel squats until I stall or have bowing issues again. It's more comfortable for me anyway. It really does help to get out out of the hole if I keep my knees out though from bowing in. Activates my hips more.
If you aren't doing any form of heavy deadlifts, then you are really selling yourself short on glute strength. Sure squats will get them a bit, bot not at all like a real posterior chain exercise. If you cant handle the addition of deads in your routine with squats, then add some stepups, or 1-leg RDLs. Your squat will benefit more from increased glute strength more than you glutes will benefit from increased squatting.
Next week I'm just gonna go back to the old fashion starting strength which incorporates 1 set of 5 reps of heavy deads on workout B day. I'm gonna add in some iso work though like L-flyes on A day, and DB curls on B day (2 sets of 8 reps for both). As well as standing DB calf raises on all days.
try to isolate your gluts, e.g. do some machine hip extension, deadlift and stuff, coz as you proceed more on your squats and more and more your quads become stronger, your gluts will be doing much less work
try to isolate your gluts, e.g. do some machine hip extension, deadlift and stuff, coz as you proceed more on your squats and more and more your quads become stronger, your gluts will be doing much less work
Totally depends on how you squat. A wide stance PL style squat is going to be one of the best glute builders out there. Hip machine extensions are not of much use here.
Sign of glute and hamstring weakness?
Linear Mode
