you can always check out Built's log, page 1 too see her transformation...or strip naked and run down the street....one of those should motivate you.

And today, I squatted.

The plates under my heels really helped. I only squatted the bar and that was enough. I had problems keeping my form and balance correct when I got to the ends of my sets. I'm pretty sure after I squat a few times with the bar and get my form/balance down pat, I'll be able to add weights to the bar.

Thanks for your help.

I'm jealous -- the bar weighs 45 pounds doesn't it? That's great! I'm still squatting with naught but a broom handle on my shoulders to get my form right. But I weight more than you, so this fat I've got counts for SOMETHING, right?

Like you, I'm still working on keeping good squat form, I have terrible balance issues, but I'm working on it.

I think the bar is only 35 lbs. (the one I used anyway) but I'm not really sure about that. I ought to ask someone at the gym. hmm....

Hey, dont worry about squatting with a broom handle. I'm sure that once you are comfortable doing that you'll be able to try using a bar. The bar is actually easier than I thought. The weight is distributed more than with, say, a dumbbell, so it doesnt seem that heavy. I may have a bruise on my back from it, but....

great to hear it worked zippity...and cheesy...we all start somewhere keep up the good work ladies

Yes, your extra weight counts as WEIGHT. You are currently doing weighted squats. Even with a broom handle.

I think it took me about 3 months to be able to squat the bar (standard barbell weighs 45 pounds), and a year to be able to squat my weight. I don't actually squat as much now, because I go ATF now - the most I can manage and keep good form with is 35 a side. And that's after 3 years of lifting.

I start EVERYBODY with a broom handle.

I have been doing leg workouts at home, where I have no bar, only dumbbells. I can squat comfortably & with good form, with a broom handle over my shoulders, or with a 15 lb dumbbell in each hand (except that I keep hitting my knees with the stupid dumbbells). Going to the gym now, should I work my way up to the bar, say holding a 35 lb plate against my chest, or just go for the bar?

I think you could probably just go for the bar. The weight's more distributed, so it doesn't feel as heavy. If you're uncomfortable at first, you could have someone spot you just in case.

You should be able to squat the bar fairly soon. In the meantime, hold the dumbbells at your shoulders, AS IF they're a bar. Keeps them out of the way of your knees and hips.

SarahO: I wouldn't hold anything against my chest while squatting--35 lbs is quite a bit of weight to add in front and it increases the tendency to bend too far forward, which overstresses the lower back. (Don't piss off your lower back while squatting--it doesn't appreciate the insult and can get back at you with several days of revenge. )

A lot of gyms have a short Olympic bar, which weighs ~32 lbs. That's a good one for beginning squats.

Emily

I agree with Emily - holding the 35 against your chest would be awkward, and you should endevour to always be good friends with your spine.

Just to go back to something mentioned earlier; I would seriously advise not to raise the ankle. It's one of those things that stress the knee over time much more than if the foot is flat on the floor. You can work on flexibility slowly to get lower and lower, and if it still doesn't work, you have the option to not go to parallel or to try alternative exercises; it's just not worth it to mess up the knees.

Gez, do you mean raising the heel with plates under them?

I think this is very individual. I ALWAYS do my squats this way - it helps me hit my quads. I've heard opinions all over the map on heel elevation, and I really think this is one of those YMMV kind of things. For me, it's not flexibility, it's just personal geometry.

I do think the knee thing is worth keeping in mind, though, and your advise to watch it is prudent - don't do anything that doesn't feel right.

Yes, I meant raising the heel with plates. Like every "rule" there are exceptions; my best guess is, let's say, that more people do it than should, but that some can do it fine!

If you're not sure about it, don't.

I would advise a beginner to keep squatting without, not necessarily going as low as they would like, until they are very comfortable with reasonable weights (above 30 kilos or so). By then they might have increased their flexibility enough to go lower, especially if they have concentrated on this as a goal, but if they haven't, they could try the ankle plates using a somewhat lower weight for a few careful reps, paying extremely close attention to the knees.

The problem with this kind of knee stress is that it's one of those slow-to-show problems, as far as I understand it.

this elevating the heel thing is something that I've thought about for a long time... I do squats both ways and always wonder about it. WITH the elevation, I find it easy to keep my knees from going past my feet, without - my stance has to widen considerably, and my knees 1) go further than I think they perhaps should and 2) they're a lot further in than my feet are because of the wide stance. I don't think this is correctable (by much) because of my body structure.

Generally I just do them both, and when something starts hurting I stop and switch up with lunges and stiff leg DL's etc. I find Lunges do more for my lower body *shape* anyway. (personal image point of view here only) But like the feeling of fitness that squats give.