I just cannot get comfortable. I've got no depth. Attempting to move deeper with much lighter weight has shifted the strain to my knees, which are hurting now. But a slight shift feels like it moves it right back to my lower back. No where I try to squat feels natural.
I did a few sets of 135 today and could not get to a point that felt good. I just can't do it.
I’ve noticed since I started at this gym in almost two years (minus breaks) I’ve only ever seen one other person doing full range barbell squats. A LOT of people do half squats though.
I guess I’m just wondering if that a choice with fitness considerations, if it’s people not knowing that they should be squatting lower, or doing so for other health reasons? And my big thing is there’s zero reasons to interrupt/bother someone in the gym unless they are harming themselves so I’m just sitting here wondering all the time if there’s something I’m missing.
My understanding was always that for purely fitness/strength concerns, thighs breaking the parallel to the floor plane was just strictly better. And as someone who was never big, I figured if even I knew that then surely in-shape gym people knew that?
For hypertrophy I think you really need to have your hips break at parallel with your knees. Actual competition standard squats your hips have to go below parallel.
Due to my back injury I've been squatting with a (I think) standard 20" box stool that almost but doesn't quite allow me to hit parallel. But even then it's real hit or miss.
I think it may be my hips, so I guess I'm gonna research a lot of hip stretches and then maybe just reset my squat back to absolute 0 and start over to see if I can't get better ROM.
I don't have any research or experience that below parallel squats are better than at parallel, except they feel better for me. I feel like I get a lot more vertical movement and hip drive and the whole motion feels like "seriously lifting weight".
But I also recognize that motion requires legitimate knee flexibility, ankle mobility, correct shoes, etc. It's a big ask to do it all correctly and repeatedly as you increase weight.
So. My overall philosophy is basically "some squat is better than no squat".
My knees are naturally rotated laterally since I was a kid. When I stand comfortably my toes point out at a 45 degree angle from midline. I can get my feet 180 degrees from midline like a ballerina with zero training or stretching. As a result I have no cartilage left in the medial aspect of either knee joint.
So my squats look fucking insane. My feet point out probably close to 60 degrees from midline. But it's the only way I can squat without my knees hitting together and to have the flexibility for the exercise.
Competition squat is actually hip crease below the knees, which is a pretty crucial difference depending on how big your legs are and only drives home how dumb the standard of wearing a black singlet is because it makes your hip crease almost completely impossible to see.
I think most people do half/quarter squats because full squats are fuckin hard and hard work sucks. I've been safety bar squatting only for 6ish months and it's way harder than a traditional barbell squat but my shoulders aren't wrecked all of the time and that's made my bench go up leaps and bounds so I'll take it.
Woooo, SSB PR on a set of ten (rep PRs are not lame, F U) sitting at an all time low body weight. Last time I went for this weight for ten, I missed by one, and I was bulking.
Every time I get mad at ChadBot, it shows me how dumb I am.
There is benefit in training through full range of motion. Most people should be squatting in some capacity whether that is a body weight squat, goblet squat, box squat, or a barbell squat of some type.
People without injury should strive to squat as deep as they can without compromising technique. If you have some type of dysfunction, squat how you can without further aggravating it, and if possible, correct it.
Technically a 1/4 squat or even a 1/2 squat shows greater translation to vertical jump height but that is not what I would prescribe entirely for athletes, but it may be a heavy focus during times of the year where increasing vertical jump is important.
Lunges show greater EMG responses than squats when it comes to the glutes, so that is a great alternative that also greatly stresses the quads instead of relying entirely on squats.
If your sport requires you to squat, such as powerlifting where it’s a competition lift, or weightlifting, where you’ll be catching the clean in a deep front squat, the jerk in a split or deep squat, and the snatch in an overhead squat, you should train to develop the ROM to be successful in your sport.
If you’re wanting strong, sexy and powerful legs, the barbell squat is a great way to achieve it, but there are also countless other exercises to do so.
If you’re wanting to squat so that you can comfortably be independent as you get older, utilizing box squats replicate getting on and off the toilet and out of the recliner. Similarly, if deadlifts don’t agree with you from the floor, using different starting heights or different implements is 100% a-okay unless you plan on competing in something that requires you to Deadlift from the floor with Olympic sized plates.
If I were to receive somebody that could not tolerate parallel depth back squats, I would find out what movement they do tolerate, and train that and variations of it.
It would likely look like KB swings, RDL’s, trap bar deadlifts, farmer carries, lunges, split squats, single leg squats, modified height squats, goblet squats, belt squats, etc.
In conclusion, do what works for you as it aligns with your goals.
diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
Part of the reason why I want to have some form of nice half decent figure backsquat is because these days I purport myself as some sort of relatively strong/athletic person and its a notable weakness of mine, and also because I'm a believer in the big cool technical compound lifts.
So its like, leg rehab, leg prehab, general sense I'm weak in that area... and then in last place because I enjoy them (I don't). I probably will after a bit though.
A trap bar has been on my radar for ages. Might finally get one.
I know nothing's as cheap as it used to be but I grabbed a cheap CAP trap bar off of Amazon and I've been beating on it for fiveish years with 300-400 lbs and it's held up fine. The welds are kind of ugly and the knurling is pretty aggressive but you can't beat the price.
A trap bar has been on my radar for ages. Might finally get one.
I know nothing's as cheap as it used to be but I grabbed a cheap CAP trap bar off of Amazon and I've been beating on it for fiveish years with 300-400 lbs and it's held up fine. The welds are kind of ugly and the knurling is pretty aggressive but you can't beat the price.
Rep Fitness is a few weeks away from releasing theirs. It’s an open bar, with swappable handles and built in jacks. It’s also rackable and can be used for cambered squats and bench pressing.
Looks like it will be $399 with free shipping. I’m planning to snag one.
On my quest to bench 4 plates I utilized the hell out of DB bench on my dynamic effort days for a three week cycle. Like 4x25 volume wise with what was approximately 10% of my max bench per DB. So 35’s-40’s were used exclusively on those days.
@Dead Legend so you just threw in 4 sets of 25 reps of dumbbell benches? I may start doing that to see if it can't get me over my hump.
A trap bar has been on my radar for ages. Might finally get one.
I know nothing's as cheap as it used to be but I grabbed a cheap CAP trap bar off of Amazon and I've been beating on it for fiveish years with 300-400 lbs and it's held up fine. The welds are kind of ugly and the knurling is pretty aggressive but you can't beat the price.
Rep Fitness is a few weeks away from releasing theirs. It’s an open bar, with swappable handles and built in jacks. It’s also rackable and can be used for cambered squats and bench pressing.
Looks like it will be $399 with free shipping. I’m planning to snag one.
I've been stoked about this coming this out. Where did you hear the price? I haven't seen anything recently, but I don't have instagram or read Reddit, just the r/homegym discord.
A trap bar has been on my radar for ages. Might finally get one.
I know nothing's as cheap as it used to be but I grabbed a cheap CAP trap bar off of Amazon and I've been beating on it for fiveish years with 300-400 lbs and it's held up fine. The welds are kind of ugly and the knurling is pretty aggressive but you can't beat the price.
Rep Fitness is a few weeks away from releasing theirs. It’s an open bar, with swappable handles and built in jacks. It’s also rackable and can be used for cambered squats and bench pressing.
Looks like it will be $399 with free shipping. I’m planning to snag one.
I've been stoked about this coming this out. Where did you hear the price? I haven't seen anything recently, but I don't have instagram or read Reddit, just the r/homegym discord.
They ran an Instagram poll about a week ago with three options for pricing on the bar: $599, $499, and $399. $399 got 84% of the vote. They made a follow up story making a joke about the results. I’m just assuming they’re not planning to piss all their followers off by posting that price and not going with it.
A trap bar has been on my radar for ages. Might finally get one.
I know nothing's as cheap as it used to be but I grabbed a cheap CAP trap bar off of Amazon and I've been beating on it for fiveish years with 300-400 lbs and it's held up fine. The welds are kind of ugly and the knurling is pretty aggressive but you can't beat the price.
What's with the pricing variations on all the grip options?
A trap bar has been on my radar for ages. Might finally get one.
I know nothing's as cheap as it used to be but I grabbed a cheap CAP trap bar off of Amazon and I've been beating on it for fiveish years with 300-400 lbs and it's held up fine. The welds are kind of ugly and the knurling is pretty aggressive but you can't beat the price.
What's with the pricing variations on all the grip options?
Hell if I know but the combo grip's the standard so it's what I got. Now do I usually use the raised grip because I'm a creaky old man? Yes, yes I do, but it's nice to know that I could be pulling it from the floor if I wanted to.
On my quest to bench 4 plates I utilized the hell out of DB bench on my dynamic effort days for a three week cycle. Like 4x25 volume wise with what was approximately 10% of my max bench per DB. So 35’s-40’s were used exclusively on those days.
Dead Legend so you just threw in 4 sets of 25 reps of dumbbell benches? I may start doing that to see if it can't get me over my hump.
Yes, but it was for like a three week wave where on my max effort day I’d work up to a heavy single - triple (like, 90-95%) and then on my dynamic day I would hit that DB bench progression along with stuff like JM presses, heavy rows and pull-ups.
I also did a shit ton of direct arm work. And waves of fat bar bench and Swiss bar.
diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
I've completely reset my squat down to 135lbs to work on form and depth. It sucks and I hate it bit I feel like my ROM is garbage and I need to fix it. So here is a trash phone video of me squatting.
I feel like my bar path is about 85% straight up and down and I'm not noticing any butt wink per se. But otherwise I dunno. I'm breaking right at parallel it looks like and that is as far as I can go and feel like I'm maintaining some control over my spine.
Edit: oh I uploaded it as a short apparently so it's not gonna embed.
I've completely reset my squat down to 135lbs to work on form and depth. It sucks and I hate it bit I feel like my ROM is garbage and I need to fix it. So here is a trash phone video of me squatting.
I feel like my bar path is about 85% straight up and down and I'm not noticing any butt wink per se. But otherwise I dunno. I'm breaking right at parallel it looks like and that is as far as I can go and feel like I'm maintaining some control over my spine.
Edit: oh I uploaded it as a short apparently so it's not gonna embed.
If you take the "short" out of the URL it will still embed. You look fine, it also looks like the weight is light enough not to challenge you at all so your form doesn't have a chance to get wonky in a way it might with something heavier.
edit: ok your video won't, but I've done that before, so I dunno what the problem is.
Yeah 135 is usually my starting warmup weight but I want to make sure I've got my shit on lock.
Working off the box helped for a while but I've definitely hit a plateau there and sometimes I feel like it throws me off. So I'm starting light and will increase as I go. I just can't afford another blowout so I'm being hells of cautious, especially working on my depth. I think that was what caused my last injury. I went too deep with too much weight and twanged a nerve or something.
I'm just kind of stuck at around 225lbs and I feel like I get a more natural stance when I can do the unrack and take the standard big step - half step - little step away from the hooks to get into position. Getting the right placement of the box is finicky and while I've been using it enough that I've about got it down where I can naturally step back to it and be in position I just feel kinda confined?
I only really used the box as a safety measure after the injury to get me back on my feet so I'd like to get back to being able to squat without it IF I can. Plus, I'd like to work on my depth some and the next size down on the box is like, slightly above my ankles and I think that's too deep.
Also, should I invest in some knee sleeves? What exactly do those do?
They keep your knees compressed and warm and comfy cozy so that they don't hurt, unless you're a powerlifter/maniac and then they're two sizes too small and offer you some support/rebound out of the hole. I've found them to be a godsend for keeping my knees feeling good but I'm a firm believer in all of the more passive support gear, if my joints don't have to hurt after I lift then I don't want them to.
They come in two varieties, neoprene and woven elastic, and I've only ever had a good time with the neoprene ones. The woven elastic ones can give you more support/bounce but I've never found that they help with the warmth/compression that keeps me feeling good so I've never used them regularly. I swear by the old school TK sleeves, they're thick and make your knees sweaty but they absolutely do the job.
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webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
They keep your knees compressed and warm and comfy cozy so that they don't hurt, unless you're a powerlifter/maniac and then they're two sizes too small and offer you some support/rebound out of the hole. I've found them to be a godsend for keeping my knees feeling good but I'm a firm believer in all of the more passive support gear, if my joints don't have to hurt after I lift then I don't want them to.
They come in two varieties, neoprene and woven elastic, and I've only ever had a good time with the neoprene ones. The woven elastic ones can give you more support/bounce but I've never found that they help with the warmth/compression that keeps me feeling good so I've never used them regularly. I swear by the old school TK sleeves, they're thick and make your knees sweaty but they absolutely do the job.
After I sprained my MCL ten years ago, in a non-squatting incident, I don’t squat without sleeves. I’ve used SBDs for years but recently switched to Inzer Ergo Pros. I recommend either.
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AJRSome guy who wrestlesNorwichRegistered Userregular
I used wrist straps for the first time ever today. Was kind of shocked when I managed to pull 185kg sumo quite easily. I'm gonna aim for a 200kg sumo deadlift this year.
High bar squat, 60, 70, 70, 80, 80, all for 5 today
Starting to feel less inherently horrific. I like graduating the weight like that more than say 5 x 5 at 70 it's less oppressive and I've more psyche for each set
i took the week off for mental tiredness and i skipped yesterday so uh, we gotta actually get back into it today. being a 9-5 worker again has been the biggest obstacle to me keeping up with fitness.
Edit: I sure did make this claim and then walk through 100 degree weather to get to the gym
Deads moving like shit today. My brief foray into the 300's has dipped back down. Hit a few goosey pulls at 275 and the bar was absolutely shredding my palms. Felt like I was tugging on a cheese grater for some reason.
Edit: got mad and dropped to 135 and just did deadlifts to burnout, focusing on form and breathing and repped about 23 or 24. Hit squats next and kinda did the same thing but only sets of 8. The first set my knees were killing me, but set two I made a conscious effort to try and angle my knees more outward in line with the angle of my feet and then hit that hip stretch a little deeper and it felt like it shifted the strain. Tried to keep my back neutral. Doing all this at 135 is surprisingly difficult and a little discouraging, not gonna lie.
Double edit: haven't done barbell hipthrusts since the last time I tweaked something a month or two ago. I loaded up too much weight and tried to rep 225 for 4 sets of 12 and something just didn't quite make it. So I'm starting at 135 on these again, too. It kinda feels like I've hit a complete reset on just about everything somehow.
The rubber floor weights were sticking together yesterday from I assume humidity. Even with ac in there, it was a bit rough.
I also accidentally skipped a warmup stage on deadlift yesterday because I’m bad at plate math, but on the other hand, I then crushed the working set maybe because of that little bit of extra unspent energy?
Guy next to me was casually squatting 3 plates. I wonder how long it takes to get to that?
I keep plateauing not much further than 1, but now my form feels much better so I just gotta get through the mental block of “I keep plateauing at 1”
The rubber floor weights were sticking together yesterday from I assume humidity. Even with ac in there, it was a bit rough.
I also accidentally skipped a warmup stage on deadlift yesterday because I’m bad at plate math, but on the other hand, I then crushed the working set maybe because of that little bit of extra unspent energy?
Guy next to me was casually squatting 3 plates. I wonder how long it takes to get to that?
I keep plateauing not much further than 1, but now my form feels much better so I just gotta get through the mental block of “I keep plateauing at 1”
I had the same problem. For some reason when I got to bigger weights and additional weight I had this mental block that I couldn't do it. Also if anything feels at all like not perfect form I would decrease weight and start again.
After a few months of this - good diet, sleep, no alcohol, I was getting frustrated because even though I was looking better I wasn't visually getting stronger and that just pissed me off.
So finally I decided, fuck it, get the weight past my mental block, just one rep I don't give a shit, but I had to break through.
And it worked. I just spent a week on my lifts getting the number to 5 lbs greater than my working set (2 x 2.5 plates) numbers and sets be dammed! I think I just had to show myself it was possible.
Then I went back to my working sets of 5 x 8 and was able to get back on track of increasing my weight.
A Kabuki coaching video about proper foot rooting through toe pressure popped up in my Instagram feed while I was procrastinating at work today. It’s a cue I’ve always tried to work on, but for some reason it’s really clicking today. Feels like I’m a monkey trying to hold onto a banana under my toes and it’s making a huge difference. Hopefully making this post means it won’t end up one of those things I forget in a week.
Side note, Brandon Morgan from Kabuki is putting out a ton of information that I’m finding very helpful. I definitely recommend following him if you have any interest in refining your powerlifting.
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Oh well session done, next time
I just cannot get comfortable. I've got no depth. Attempting to move deeper with much lighter weight has shifted the strain to my knees, which are hurting now. But a slight shift feels like it moves it right back to my lower back. No where I try to squat feels natural.
I did a few sets of 135 today and could not get to a point that felt good. I just can't do it.
I guess I’m just wondering if that a choice with fitness considerations, if it’s people not knowing that they should be squatting lower, or doing so for other health reasons? And my big thing is there’s zero reasons to interrupt/bother someone in the gym unless they are harming themselves so I’m just sitting here wondering all the time if there’s something I’m missing.
My understanding was always that for purely fitness/strength concerns, thighs breaking the parallel to the floor plane was just strictly better. And as someone who was never big, I figured if even I knew that then surely in-shape gym people knew that?
Due to my back injury I've been squatting with a (I think) standard 20" box stool that almost but doesn't quite allow me to hit parallel. But even then it's real hit or miss.
I think it may be my hips, so I guess I'm gonna research a lot of hip stretches and then maybe just reset my squat back to absolute 0 and start over to see if I can't get better ROM.
I'll keep up with it though. I hate doing them but they are good for me. Just need to make into a weekly routine.
But I also recognize that motion requires legitimate knee flexibility, ankle mobility, correct shoes, etc. It's a big ask to do it all correctly and repeatedly as you increase weight.
So. My overall philosophy is basically "some squat is better than no squat".
My knees are naturally rotated laterally since I was a kid. When I stand comfortably my toes point out at a 45 degree angle from midline. I can get my feet 180 degrees from midline like a ballerina with zero training or stretching. As a result I have no cartilage left in the medial aspect of either knee joint.
So my squats look fucking insane. My feet point out probably close to 60 degrees from midline. But it's the only way I can squat without my knees hitting together and to have the flexibility for the exercise.
Squats are weird.
I think most people do half/quarter squats because full squats are fuckin hard and hard work sucks. I've been safety bar squatting only for 6ish months and it's way harder than a traditional barbell squat but my shoulders aren't wrecked all of the time and that's made my bench go up leaps and bounds so I'll take it.
Not that I pause bench mind you. I guess it feels like for sports conditioning full ROM is better?
Every time I get mad at ChadBot, it shows me how dumb I am.
People without injury should strive to squat as deep as they can without compromising technique. If you have some type of dysfunction, squat how you can without further aggravating it, and if possible, correct it.
Technically a 1/4 squat or even a 1/2 squat shows greater translation to vertical jump height but that is not what I would prescribe entirely for athletes, but it may be a heavy focus during times of the year where increasing vertical jump is important.
Lunges show greater EMG responses than squats when it comes to the glutes, so that is a great alternative that also greatly stresses the quads instead of relying entirely on squats.
If your sport requires you to squat, such as powerlifting where it’s a competition lift, or weightlifting, where you’ll be catching the clean in a deep front squat, the jerk in a split or deep squat, and the snatch in an overhead squat, you should train to develop the ROM to be successful in your sport.
If you’re wanting strong, sexy and powerful legs, the barbell squat is a great way to achieve it, but there are also countless other exercises to do so.
If you’re wanting to squat so that you can comfortably be independent as you get older, utilizing box squats replicate getting on and off the toilet and out of the recliner. Similarly, if deadlifts don’t agree with you from the floor, using different starting heights or different implements is 100% a-okay unless you plan on competing in something that requires you to Deadlift from the floor with Olympic sized plates.
If I were to receive somebody that could not tolerate parallel depth back squats, I would find out what movement they do tolerate, and train that and variations of it.
It would likely look like KB swings, RDL’s, trap bar deadlifts, farmer carries, lunges, split squats, single leg squats, modified height squats, goblet squats, belt squats, etc.
In conclusion, do what works for you as it aligns with your goals.
So, ditto.
PSN: Robo_Wizard1
So its like, leg rehab, leg prehab, general sense I'm weak in that area... and then in last place because I enjoy them (I don't). I probably will after a bit though.
I know nothing's as cheap as it used to be but I grabbed a cheap CAP trap bar off of Amazon and I've been beating on it for fiveish years with 300-400 lbs and it's held up fine. The welds are kind of ugly and the knurling is pretty aggressive but you can't beat the price.
Rep Fitness is a few weeks away from releasing theirs. It’s an open bar, with swappable handles and built in jacks. It’s also rackable and can be used for cambered squats and bench pressing.
Looks like it will be $399 with free shipping. I’m planning to snag one.
@Dead Legend so you just threw in 4 sets of 25 reps of dumbbell benches? I may start doing that to see if it can't get me over my hump.
I've been stoked about this coming this out. Where did you hear the price? I haven't seen anything recently, but I don't have instagram or read Reddit, just the r/homegym discord.
They ran an Instagram poll about a week ago with three options for pricing on the bar: $599, $499, and $399. $399 got 84% of the vote. They made a follow up story making a joke about the results. I’m just assuming they’re not planning to piss all their followers off by posting that price and not going with it.
What's with the pricing variations on all the grip options?
Hell if I know but the combo grip's the standard so it's what I got. Now do I usually use the raised grip because I'm a creaky old man? Yes, yes I do, but it's nice to know that I could be pulling it from the floor if I wanted to.
Yes, but it was for like a three week wave where on my max effort day I’d work up to a heavy single - triple (like, 90-95%) and then on my dynamic day I would hit that DB bench progression along with stuff like JM presses, heavy rows and pull-ups.
I also did a shit ton of direct arm work. And waves of fat bar bench and Swiss bar.
I've completely reset my squat down to 135lbs to work on form and depth. It sucks and I hate it bit I feel like my ROM is garbage and I need to fix it. So here is a trash phone video of me squatting.
https://youtube.com/shorts/DPMnhkNHT7Q?feature=share
I feel like my bar path is about 85% straight up and down and I'm not noticing any butt wink per se. But otherwise I dunno. I'm breaking right at parallel it looks like and that is as far as I can go and feel like I'm maintaining some control over my spine.
Edit: oh I uploaded it as a short apparently so it's not gonna embed.
If you take the "short" out of the URL it will still embed. You look fine, it also looks like the weight is light enough not to challenge you at all so your form doesn't have a chance to get wonky in a way it might with something heavier.
edit: ok your video won't, but I've done that before, so I dunno what the problem is.
Working off the box helped for a while but I've definitely hit a plateau there and sometimes I feel like it throws me off. So I'm starting light and will increase as I go. I just can't afford another blowout so I'm being hells of cautious, especially working on my depth. I think that was what caused my last injury. I went too deep with too much weight and twanged a nerve or something.
How do you mean you’ve plateaued off the box?
I only really used the box as a safety measure after the injury to get me back on my feet so I'd like to get back to being able to squat without it IF I can. Plus, I'd like to work on my depth some and the next size down on the box is like, slightly above my ankles and I think that's too deep.
Also, should I invest in some knee sleeves? What exactly do those do?
They come in two varieties, neoprene and woven elastic, and I've only ever had a good time with the neoprene ones. The woven elastic ones can give you more support/bounce but I've never found that they help with the warmth/compression that keeps me feeling good so I've never used them regularly. I swear by the old school TK sleeves, they're thick and make your knees sweaty but they absolutely do the job.
Knee sleeves are great. I'm a Rehband fan myself.
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Starting to feel less inherently horrific. I like graduating the weight like that more than say 5 x 5 at 70 it's less oppressive and I've more psyche for each set
Edit: I sure did make this claim and then walk through 100 degree weather to get to the gym
Edit: got mad and dropped to 135 and just did deadlifts to burnout, focusing on form and breathing and repped about 23 or 24. Hit squats next and kinda did the same thing but only sets of 8. The first set my knees were killing me, but set two I made a conscious effort to try and angle my knees more outward in line with the angle of my feet and then hit that hip stretch a little deeper and it felt like it shifted the strain. Tried to keep my back neutral. Doing all this at 135 is surprisingly difficult and a little discouraging, not gonna lie.
Double edit: haven't done barbell hipthrusts since the last time I tweaked something a month or two ago. I loaded up too much weight and tried to rep 225 for 4 sets of 12 and something just didn't quite make it. So I'm starting at 135 on these again, too. It kinda feels like I've hit a complete reset on just about everything somehow.
I also accidentally skipped a warmup stage on deadlift yesterday because I’m bad at plate math, but on the other hand, I then crushed the working set maybe because of that little bit of extra unspent energy?
Guy next to me was casually squatting 3 plates. I wonder how long it takes to get to that?
I keep plateauing not much further than 1, but now my form feels much better so I just gotta get through the mental block of “I keep plateauing at 1”
I had the same problem. For some reason when I got to bigger weights and additional weight I had this mental block that I couldn't do it. Also if anything feels at all like not perfect form I would decrease weight and start again.
After a few months of this - good diet, sleep, no alcohol, I was getting frustrated because even though I was looking better I wasn't visually getting stronger and that just pissed me off.
So finally I decided, fuck it, get the weight past my mental block, just one rep I don't give a shit, but I had to break through.
And it worked. I just spent a week on my lifts getting the number to 5 lbs greater than my working set (2 x 2.5 plates) numbers and sets be dammed! I think I just had to show myself it was possible.
Then I went back to my working sets of 5 x 8 and was able to get back on track of increasing my weight.
Side note, Brandon Morgan from Kabuki is putting out a ton of information that I’m finding very helpful. I definitely recommend following him if you have any interest in refining your powerlifting.