Squats, 5/3/1, general questions.

[ZisDeadBaby]

Hey guys,

Sorry if these questions seem pretty simple I would just like some feedback. I have been doing 5/3/1 for a few months doing it 100% as prescribed (I keep a log here). I have had increases in every lift except my squat. My squat has been stalled for so god damned long it's very frustrating.

Right now I am doing 4x weekly 5/3/1. I am considering switching to 5/3/1 3x weekly with one day dedicated to a light/dynamic squat day in hopes to get it up. Either that or add a few sets of squats at the end of my deadlift day.

My question is; does this seem like a decent idea? Should I maybe try front squats instead? What would you consider optimal, adding to the DL day or putting aside a whole day for my legs.

[ZisDeadBaby]

Sorry I thought I would add I am also considering trying out Boring but big in addition to the 5/3/1 template as assistance which would make my squat day look like:

Squat 5/3/1
Squat 5x10@50%
Lower assistance 5x10-20@50-65%

Another possibility?

[Rutten Jump]

nevermind..

[big_john127]

If your squat is stalled I imagine it's a form issue. Post some videos.

[ZisDeadBaby]

Originally Posted by big_john127

If your squat is stalled I imagine it's a form issue. Post some videos.

I am one of those prehistoric bastards without a cell phone and camera. Anything that you could tip me on without seeing form? I go very deep with a stance that is around shoulder width, pretty high bar stance in general.

I am consistently battling with how far apart my legs should be because I am a very long limbed 6'2 and feel like I should be widening, but the second I do my crotch kind of tells me "do you REALLY want me to pull?". Ive also read that you should lean forward slightly if you have a wide stance and that the bar should be lowbarred. Any truth?

[Fozzy]

deload it and switch to 3 day split.

~Foz

[ZisDeadBaby]

Originally Posted by Fozzy

deload it and switch to 3 day split.

~Foz

I deload every month.

[big_john127]

Originally Posted by ZisDeadBaby

I am one of those prehistoric bastards without a cell phone and camera. Anything that you could tip me on without seeing form? I go very deep with a stance that is around shoulder width, pretty high bar stance in general.

I am consistently battling with how far apart my legs should be because I am a very long limbed 6'2 and feel like I should be widening, but the second I do my crotch kind of tells me "do you REALLY want me to pull?". Ive also read that you should lean forward slightly if you have a wide stance and that the bar should be lowbarred. Any truth?

I'm 6'3 so I imagine our squats will most likely be similar.

honestly, I'm not clear on the difference between high and low bar squats myself. Having said that, I bet you really need to focus on sitting back into the squat and really thrusting your hips forward when you come up. be sure to keep the elbows down, the upper back tight, gaze ahead and slightly down, belly inflated and pushed out... I can keep going with basic advice, but without the form video I can't do a whole lot more.

[Team Dragonfire]

sounds like a flexiblity and/or mobility issue to me.

[pierrespies]

When my internet gets uncapped in a few hours I will write a short SHERDOG S&P EXCLUSIVE article on low-bar vs high-bar squatting with some very informative diagrams etc. I'll also talk about heeled shoes and a few other things like that. I'm no biomechanics PhD but I guess this is the first time I will be able to actually contribute something useful to S&P. Ha.