Box squats: proper technique

• Society04/09/2019

Even in the 21st century, educated people who do not believe in God or the devil will sit down on the path. Or a businesswoman will run into the apartment, throw her fashionable bag on the floor, and then realize: “You can’t put it on the floor, I’d better throw it on a chair.” He will come back and throw him on the chair. All these signs may seem funny and absurd. Well, how can a bag that is on the floor deprive you of money? But still, an unpleasant worm begins to stir inside, and just in case, the person does not act as he originally wanted.

How are the most famous signs that we have heard about since childhood explained? Should we listen to the voice of our ancestors, which reaches us literally from the depths of centuries, or should we completely drown it out within ourselves and boldly run away on a long journey without “sitting down on the path”?

Spilling salt means a quarrel

The explanation here is quite simple. Salt is very cheap now, but literally 100–150 years ago it was hard to get. The thing is that supply did not keep up with demand, salt production technologies were imperfect. In addition, states strictly controlled the extraction process, issuing licenses only to certain companies.

Since this product was scarce and expensive, it had to be protected and used only for its intended purpose, and not wasted on the floor. It is easy to assume that if someone spilled salt, then other family members would be angry about this offense. They could have scolded the “crooked-handed” relative.

Before a long journey, everyone needs to sit down

This superstition is explained by the fact that brownies allegedly do not like it when one of the family members leaves the home. Because of this, he may become upset and begin to play pranks, for example, take and hide some important thing for those leaving, or negotiate with other spirits so that they interfere with the trip and return those leaving home as quickly as possible. The residents sit down to convince their brownie that, in fact, there is no fuss, no one is going anywhere. We were just playing around getting ready and now we sat down to rest. The brownie will relax and will not hide or interfere with anything, and when he realizes it, it will be too late, and there will be no trace of the travelers.

This is a magical explanation of superstition, but the practical one comes down to the fact that getting ready is always a bustle, and before going out you need to give yourself at least a moment of calm. During this time, you can remember whether the iron is turned off and whether the passports are in the side compartment of the suitcase.

Squats on a bench (box)

It would be correct to classify squats as auxiliary exercises. But it deserves its own category because it is especially effective for increasing squats.

Confidence is very important during leg curls. This is not about not being afraid of the exercise itself, but this, most likely, can be called a “muscle feeling.”

Imagine for a second that you are squatting with a heavy weight. Several repetitions with 70-80% of one repetition maximum (1RM).

After stepping back from the racks with a heavy barbell on your shoulders and starting to move down, the thought runs through your head: “how hard it will be to get back!”

So with heavy weights we try to go down very slowly.

Self-confidence decreases, especially when we drop to “parallel” or below. Therefore, in the eccentric phase (on the descent) we move timidly (with caution).

This leads to an interesting consequence: the buttocks and hamstrings cannot fully engage in the movement during the lifting phase.

What happens is that the quads are too tight to try to slow the descent, and we fail to switch to an explosive thrusting movement of the glutes and hamstrings from the bottom of the exercise. Now let's look at squats on a bench (box).

This is essentially an exercise that separates the eccentric phase (lowering) and the concentric phase (standing up). You may have noticed that some powerlifters do them very often. And there are those who train bench (box) squats as often (and sometimes more often) than free (without a bench) squats.

When you lower yourself with more weight on your back, and know that you are sitting on a bench, it allows you to perform the movement more smoothly.

You can’t go back, but if you do, look in the mirror

This sign has no practical meaning, or it existed in ancient times, and now it is difficult to restore the picture and understand the real need for such a sign. But there are several magical explanations.

When a person returns, he changes the given direction of energy movement to the opposite. This is probably fraught with various misfortunes. To start the flow of energy again in the right direction, you need to look in the mirror. True, according to this logic, if a person looked in the mirror before leaving the house for the first time, then this was tantamount to returning for a forgotten thing, since “the energy is restarted.”

In addition, the sign is explained by crossing the threshold, which was previously considered a mystical place in the house: it was considered the border between worlds. Crossing the threshold in the opposite direction to retrieve a forgotten item is undesirable, as it disrupts the traveler’s mood. And now he will go the whole way with the wrong attitude.

If you put your bag on the floor, there will be no money

If you put the broom with the handle up, there will be no money; if you whistle, there will be no money. Having money worries people very much, so they try to lure it by hook or by crook. In fact, you won't have money if you spend it recklessly, if you don't work, or if you work in a poorly paid job.

So, about the bag. The floor is a magical place in the home. All the evil spirits live there (though the floor in high-rise buildings is also someone’s ceiling, but it doesn’t matter). All negative energy collects on the floor. And if someone puts a bag on the floor, then all the energy will “run” into this bag, and you will have to bring it to your house. With all the ensuing consequences. In addition, if there is money in the bag, then it is impossible for the money to come into contact with someone else’s negative energy, and also with your own, otherwise they will be “offended” and everyone will leave.

A practical explanation of the sign may come down to the fact that the floor may be dirty, but why dirty the thing? Again, in ancient times, things were treated with care, they produced less than was needed, and therefore they took care of them. Literally 70–80 years ago in villages there were only felt boots for five children, there was no paper, schoolchildren wrote on newspapers between the lines. Of course, if someone got a real bag, they wanted to take care of it and take care of it, so they didn’t throw it on the floor.

Box squats

Louis Simmons on squats. Translation: Philip Savkin. The original article is here: https://www.westside-barbell.com/HTM/box_squatting.htm A video on this movement is here: https://www.joeskopec.com/joeskopecboxsquat.mpg

Box squats are the most effective way to achieve perfect squats. This is, in my opinion, the safest method of squatting because it does not use as much weight as a regular squat. First of all, I want to say - no, they will not harm your spine, they do not need to be done with a weight of 400 kg on a 60 cm high bench, you do not need to fall on a box, you do not need to stand up immediately after contact, and there is no need to do regular power squats before the competition. There is no need to wrap knee bandages or tighten the straps of your overalls. Doing at least 8 sets of 2 reps with short rests between sets will add 200 pounds to your regular squat weight. Two of our lifters finished pre-contest with 227kg for 8 sets of 2 reps using a box that allows them to sit just below parallel, and both squatted 315kg in competition. One of them competed in the category up to 110, the other - up to 125. Two years ago, at his first competition, the one who in the category up to 125 only squatted 210 - a good increase! There are many benefits to box squats. One of the most important is recovery. This way you can train more often than doing regular squats. The original West Siders (from Culver City, California) make them three times a week, which I personally think is a little extreme. We do them on squat day on Friday, and sometimes on Monday to strengthen the hips and lower back for the deadlift. The Utah Jazz do box squats, again for the reason of faster recovery. Their strength coach, Greg Shepherd, used to train in Culver City. Another reason is just as important. It is known that during a squat, the shin should remain perpendicular to the floor. By squatting on a box, you can lean even further, i.e. so that an imaginary line drawn through your ankle and knee will point in the direction of your torso. Thus, the entire load is shifted to the main muscles involved in squats - thighs, buttocks, lower back and hamstrings. This gives a huge advantage. Third, you don't have to ask anyone to see if you're falling below parallel. You set the height just below the parallel once and it stays that way all the time. I see this all the time: the more weight you lift, the shallower your squats become. This won't happen if you box squat. If your hips are weak, work in a wide stance with the box just below parallel. If your lower back is weak, do the same, in a narrow stance. In case of weak quadriceps, squat on the box until parallel. If your sticking point is 2 inches above parallel (which is common), work with a box that allows you to squat 2 inches above parallel. Our athletes who excel in squats always work with boxes below parallel. This allows them to develop enough strength to overcome sticking points. Among other things, box squats are a good help in deadlifting, giving additional stress to the hips and back. Your ability to “lift” the bar off the floor will increase significantly. One of ours, Jerry Obradovic (125), added 22 kg to his deadlift in three months, doing additional box squats during this period, from 302 to 325 at the APF Junior National Championships in 1994. Chuck Vogelpohl only deadlifted once every 8 weeks, but lifted 355 in the 110 category. He based his training on wide squats on a low 8-inch box, and also did a lot of reverse hyperextensions and bent-over rows. And yet, how to do this exercise correctly? About the same as regular squats. Fill your lungs with air and tighten your abdominal muscles. Spread your knees as far apart as possible and, with your back slightly arched, squat back, not down, until you are fully seated on the box. While sitting on a box, keep all muscles tense except your hip flexors. By relaxing and then tightening your hip flexors and arching your upper back, “jump” out of the seated position to develop sufficient launch force. Don't forget that you need to sit down and back, and not just down. Your hamstrings will become significantly stronger, which is very important. Many people do not know that the biceps femoris is involved in leg extension. Some great squat athletes have big quads, some don't, but they all have thick hamstrings where they connect to their glutes. How can you estimate your regular squat performance if you only do box squats? Let's say your squat result at the last competition was 270 kg, and you decide to do box squats. Let's say you can make them with 250 kg, so the difference will be 20 kg. If, say, in 4-6 weeks you increased your working weight to 260 kg, then you can expect to reach 280 kg at the next competition. I recommend that you work with a weight of 65-82% of your max in a box squat of a certain height. Change height every 3-4 weeks. Do not calculate the working weight from the record in a regular squat, because... Box squats are much harder to perform. Do 8-12 sets of 2 reps with a 1 minute break between sets. This is a serious load! When you get to 82%, reduce the number of sets to 6. Don't lift more than 82%. Once you get to 82%, you can try to take the maximum. If you are preparing for a competition, lift the weights 2 weeks before the event. The week before the competition, work with a weight of 70%, 6-8 approaches. This type of squat is hard work, but every single repetition doesn't have to be done to the max. Don’t exhaust your psyche by doing approaches. We have found that the optimal number of repetitions is 2, because more repetitions can cause tendon inflammation. Additionally, by doing 12 sets, you will complete 12 “first reps” per workout. After all, the first rep of a hike is the most important. This will greatly improve your competition squat. Our most advanced lifters work hard on the first rep and then tire quickly, but our less experienced lifters perform better on subsequent reps because they use the first rep to allow the body to “remember” the movement. As they gain experience, they get better at the first rep. Box squats are not very common, mainly because no one knows how to do them correctly. After reading this article or watching my video, you will understand their benefits.

Pregnant women should not sew

At the same time, pregnant women can participate in mowing and work on an equal basis with men. But if a woman sews and the thread gets tangled, then the child’s fate will be tangled, and he will be unhappy or sick, or, God forbid, even born dead.

There were so many superstitions and signs around pregnancy and childbirth that it was impossible to count. There was simply no perinatal medicine, and due to any pathologies during childbirth, both mother and baby could die. Pregnancy was a mortal danger for a woman, which is why many superstitions sprang up around her.

There is a small rational grain in the sign. It is really harmful for pregnant women to be without movement for a long time, especially in the later stages, you need to move, walk a lot. Handicraft involves sitting motionless for a long time in one position.

Squats with a barbell on the shoulders for women (video)

By performing squats with a barbell on their shoulders, girls strive to work their gluteal muscles. Therefore, during the exercise they use a wide stance of their legs. The depth of the squat also affects the good development of the buttocks. It is worth noting that due to the genetic characteristics of the hip, not everyone can perform deep squats.

An example of a workout focusing on the gluteal muscles.

It often happens that beginners, when performing exercises, do not follow the technique and damage their hip and knee joints.

To increase the load on the gluteal muscles during squats, it is recommended to perform squats in a Smith machine.

Pros of working in the Smith machine:

You can do the exercise yourself. The bar can be locked at any time.
You can't fall if you make a mistake while squatting. You can lean on the bar and not worry about balance.
The Smith machine is suitable for beginners.

Features of squats for girls in the Smith machine:

The position of your legs determines which muscles you want to work. The best option is to have your feet shoulder-width apart.
The placement of the bar depends on the height of the trainee. It is important to place the barbell not on the vertebrae of the neck, but on the shoulder blades.
You can perform the exercises on either side of the rack. It is important to choose the option that suits you.
It is recommended to place your feet behind the bar line. During squats, the buttocks are worked more effectively.
It is important to move your pelvis back as far as possible while maintaining balance.
At the initial stage, it is better to perform the exercise for twelve repetitions and do three approaches.

Squats with a barbell on the shoulders for girls

Split squats with a barbell on the shoulders for girls - technique

Squats with a barbell on the shoulders for girls - technique

To eat with a knife is to be evil

The meaning of this sign comes down to the fact that a knife is first and foremost a weapon. He took lives from enemies, which means he has colossal energy, and hardly positive. If a person eats from a knife, then this negative energy passes into him, and he becomes evil.

The meaning of this superstition is that eating from a knife is actually dangerous - you can cut yourself. Cuts to the mouth are very unpleasant, so it is unlikely that a person who cuts his lip or tongue will be very happy and kind.

Squats with a barbell on your shoulders

When performing classic squats, the main load is applied to the gluteal muscles and quadriceps. The back and abdominal muscles are also involved in the work. The uniqueness of this exercise is that it is suitable for both men and women.

If you perform the exercise with a wide stance, the main load goes on the vastus thigh muscle, while with a narrow stance, the medial thigh muscle is more involved.

For beginners, it is better not to perform squats with a narrow stance, since the main part of the load falls on the back.

When performing this exercise, the thigh and gluteal muscles are maximally worked out.

Features of squats with a barbell on the shoulders:

The width of the legs determines which part of the thigh will be worked. With a narrow setting, the emphasis is on the front, with a wide setting, on the inside.
It is important not to lift your heels off the floor when performing squats. If you can’t do it correctly, you can place a rolled-up fitness mat or weight plates under your heels.
The development of the gluteal muscles depends on the depth of the squat. The lower you squat, the more they are involved.
It is important that your knees do not go beyond your toes during the exercise.
Make sure your back is straight, without obvious arches.
Your knees should be pointing in the same direction as your toes; there is no need to bring them together.
If you have contraindications due to health conditions, it is recommended to replace squats with other exercises.
Until the age of eighteen, you should not perform various types of squats, the body is still growing, and the load on the back when performing the exercise is large, this can negatively affect your health.
The execution of the exercise depends on the anatomical characteristics of each athlete, this also needs to be taken into account. It is important to concentrate and try to feel the muscles.

Benefits of doing the exercise:

During the exercise, the abdominal muscles are involved - this helps to create a good muscle corset.
Proper execution of the exercise helps strengthen joints.
The cardiovascular system is strengthened
During exercise, a large amount of energy is spent - fats are burned.
Increases endurance and flexibility.

Squat with a barbell on your shoulders

Squatting with a barbell on the shoulders - muscles that are involved in the work

You can't hit eggs on the table

“The table is God’s throne”, “The table is God’s hand”, “Knocking on the table is hitting the dead on the forehead” - probably everyone heard something similar from their grandmothers in childhood. Where did this sign come from? In ancient times, the table, like the threshold, was attributed mystical properties. People ate from the table, which means they received vitality. Of course, you need to treat such a place with respect, you can’t sit on it and you can’t break eggs on it either. Otherwise, the spirits of the table may become angry and take food from people.

Most likely, the real reason for this superstition is that if eggs are constantly knocked on the table, this will lead to damage to its surface.

Broken mirror - unfortunately

The history of this sign is similar to the story of salt. In ancient times, mirrors were rare things, so they tried to handle them with the utmost care. In addition to the usual high cost of this item, there is another reason why people used to be afraid to break mirrors. It happened that mercury was used to make amalgam. As you know, its fumes are poisonous, and a broken mirror could literally harm the health of the owner.

The magical meaning is that the mirror “records” information about what is reflected in it. That is why mirrors are covered when a dead person appears in the house. If you break a mirror, then all the energy contained in it will burst out and can bring grief.

A plan for effectively handling the situation when an athlete is on the bench:

Sitting on the bench and not playing is painful. Give yourself some time to sort through these feelings. Next, ask questions to yourself. We are drawing up a plan to get out of the situation.

What can I learn from the bench?
How can I use this situation to improve my game?
What can I do for the team, even while on the sidelines?
Let's talk to your coach about what you can improve to get back into the lineup.
In accordance with this, we draw up a plan that will help improve the necessary skills.

This material was first published here

Hello! It's great that we are all here today. And on the agenda is a technical note about bench squats. After reading, you will learn everything about the muscle atlas, the advantages and technique of performing the exercise, as well as find out the degree of its effectiveness and analyze some practical points.

Bird droppings - for money

Superstitious people believe that birds are intermediaries between earth and sky. If they send something to a person, then it is a good sign, even if that something is their excrement. People could have made this up simply to relieve their unpleasant feelings from this event. Now your friends will no longer laugh like crazy, they will smile and say that this is for money, maybe they will even envy you. The car will have to be washed again - nothing, it’s money. You will have to wash your hair again - this will generally mean easy money. True, you will have to return home halfway, but if you look in the mirror, the negative effect of this sign will be neutralized.

Signs and superstitions only work for those who believe in them. Don’t believe it, you are lucky to live in an enlightened age, a black cat is just an animal, salt will not bring bad luck, and a pregnant woman can sew and knit as much as she wants if she is regularly seen by a doctor.