OK, yesterday was my first day of MaxOT squatting.

I started light and I was fine through warmup, although squatting down all the way to parallel (even with just the bar) caused sharp shooting pains in my knees. (Problem #1)

Problem #2 was my BACK/SHOULDERS. As soon as the weight got over about 35lbs on each side of the bar, the pressure of the bar on the place on your neck it is supposed to go felt like it was crushing something. (This was WORSE without hte round padding thingy, I tried it both ways)

Alternative was to move it further down my back, but then I had to lean forward so my lower back hurt/form was wrong AND It hurt my shoulders to hold the weight "behind" my head (like why behind the head military presses are bad)

I was very discouraged cause I couldn't reach anywhere close to MaxOT because of the limitations with my knee / back / shoulders / etc.

Any suggestions? I did some leg press/hack squats instead where hte weight is distrubted on the shoulders via pads which I can do VERY heavy with.

Help Help I want to build a strong ass/legs with squats but I can't do em!

-Allen

your meant to rest it on the traps. (??) Why not deadlift...im sure your ass and legs get worked on with that.

You need to do some serious work on your form.

For problem 1, make sure to go ass-to-grass. Don't stop at parallel because that actually puts a ton of pressure on your knees. Point your toes slightly outward at a shoulder width stance, and sit back and down. Make sure your knees travel the path that your feet make. Don't allow them to buckle in or out.

For problem 2, make sure to pull your shoulders back and form a platform where you can rest the bar. Also, look into getting a bar pad or wrap the bar with a towel if it bothers you too much. If you feel it on your neck, make sure to scoot it back farther to where your shoulders are forming this platform. Don't forget to keep your core tight, chest out, and shoulders back during the entire movement.

Various form information:
EXRX Full Squat (http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/BBFullSquat.html)
More Videos (http://www.uwlax.edu/strengthcenter/videos/video_index.htm)

your meant to rest it on the traps. (??) Why not deadlift...im sure your ass and legs get worked on with that.
It is not a thight exercise, mainly hamstrings and lower back.

AKM3: If after form check, problem isn't solved, try hack squats and sissy squats. I assume you work out at home. If you are at gym, leg press.

Problem #2 was my BACK/SHOULDERS. As soon as the weight got over about 35lbs on each side of the bar, the pressure of the bar on the place on your neck it is supposed to go felt like it was crushing something. (This was WORSE without hte round padding thingy, I tried it both ways)
-Allen

Like the guys already said, your form might be off, also sounds like you're resting the bar on the wrong spot, grab just the bar and see if you can find the second grove from your neck, i've noticed that some people rest it on the first area just below the neck which can cause undue stress on the upper back area.

As to the shoulders hurting, once you get the bar and begin squatting, relax your hands and don't get the bar so tightly, as you begin coming up on the squats, see if maybe you're subconciously trying to press the bar up with your shoulders, that was something a friend of mine was constantly doing, and his shoulders stopped hurting when he realized.

It doesn't sound like you've been doing squats very long, so maybe it's just that you haven't gotten used to the motions or form yet, I can remember when I first started doing squats I was having to rely on the bar pads to do them, now I dont use anything.

Oh, and if all else fails, try the manta ray or something along those lines, that would probably help you.

I had problems with my knees doing squats and deads, too. I got a set of knee wraps from bb.com. They are long elastic bands that are stretchy, but very supportive. Here's a link...

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/gl/prowrap.html

They're $13, you can't go wrong. Anyway, knee problem solved, it might work for you, too. I'd also recommend not going so heavy on the squats. 115 pounds total is a lot of weight when you're still learning form. Go down by about 20 or 30 pounds and just learn form, then do the kind of squats rtestes suggested with more weight. I found that squats are a bit of a balancing act, and once I learned how to keep my heels down and sit back more, my leg muscles became fully engaged in the excercise and it felt right.

At first i had trouble with squats. I find it imperitive that you flex your abs, before i started doing this i would always have a sore back on my leg days.


I don't notice any problems when i rest the bar on my traps.

I heard sucking your gut in sort of curves your back, so its not recommended... any opinions?.

You need to do some serious work on your form.

For problem 1, make sure to go ass-to-grass. Don't stop at parallel because that actually puts a ton of pressure on your knees. Point your toes slightly outward at a shoulder width stance, and sit back and down. Make sure your knees travel the path that your feet make. Don't allow them to buckle in or out.

For problem 2, make sure to pull your shoulders back and form a platform where you can rest the bar. Also, look into getting a bar pad or wrap the bar with a towel if it bothers you too much. If you feel it on your neck, make sure to scoot it back farther to where your shoulders are forming this platform. Don't forget to keep your core tight, chest out, and shoulders back during the entire movement.
I second this advice. I recently moved to a new gym which is owned and operated by a certified trainer. The owner actually coaches powerlifting and olympic weightlifting teams. He spent about an hour coaching me on my form and all my problems went away. Powerlifting squats are somewhat different from bodybuilding squats. One of the main differences is that the bar is rolled much further down the back.

Over the last two months, I've been pain free, I'm squatting ass to grass instead of parallel (or above), and I've added 30 lbs to my squat. The lesson was well worth my time.

I heard sucking your gut in sort of curves your back, so its not recommended... any opinions?.

Sucking in your gut while squatting?

You want to make sure your abs and lower back are activated to help stabilize your back during the lift. If I tried to squat heavy weight and suck in my gut at the same time, I think I'd pass out. I need to breathe while squatting.