misterwaterfall

Dem glutes...

slindell

I think this type of supplement is high on the list of people getting busted for unintended ingredients so be careful when choosing brands if WADA or your health are concerns.

Quinn8it

I would be interested to know what the real likelihood of supplements being Tainted is...

the 2 main instances that come to mind of Masters Track Cyclist getting popped for doping were both from over the counter substances- but both had the illegal ingredient listed on the Package.. the guy who tested positive for whatever was in "Jacked3D" got a reduced sentence because the substance was on the label with an alternative name...

slindell

The FDA has a list of what they know about. Weight loss and "male enhancement" are the most common on the list but the body building stacks show up with steroids. Whether it is enough to detect in a test is another question.
Tainted_Supplements_CDER

misterwaterfall

I've heard some chatter that the original Jacked or whatever had to be toned down a bit, and the new version isn't as good(full of the harsh stuff) as the original formula. Not sure how this timeline coincides with the positive, but I wouldn't be surprised if he tested positive off of the old formula.

Having very little experience with this, I would think that it would be ok for workouts, but for longer events it might not pair so well as if you needed to compete 3 hours after taking it, you might be going downhill and crashing a bit.

queerpunk

Aight weightlifting braniacs,

I did squats again yesterday. I've been doing 'em 2-3x/week since late September, or thereabouts. Weight is quite a bit lower than last year, to re-start myself, and I'm also making sure that I"m going lower. Last year, once the weight got up to around 1.5x bodyweight, I accidentally started glamour squatting - maaaaybe tapping parallel if I was lucky, but probably, mostly not.

This year I"m making sure I go low enough. One of the things I really feel is much more core engagement when I'm in the hole, to start the vertical movement again.

ANYWAY, yesterday, I did it, everything seemed fine, and afterward my core was sore as hell. Still is, today. Especially around the midback-flank area.

So, is this a symptom of something in particular? Why now?

THONKS

Quinn8it

You squatting Low-Bar? Or High Bar?

squats tend to put a lot of stress on the core. So maybe you are just feeling that again? Could be your legs are less de-conditioned than your core? You didn't squat during the race season right?

one thing I see a lot with low-bar squats is the tendency to taco over at the waist. This can be made worse if hip flexibility is bad and a lifter is trying "make depth". They will often squeak out a little more depth on the bar by dropping the head down.. And the hips stay in the same place.. This ends up looking like a sort of Squat/Good Morning hybrid... Very taxing on the low back and core..

queerpunk

Low. and I'm reading up on the differences between the two right now.

I get a little bit of buttwink, but I think that's my body and not my form. Is that what you're describing, or is the tacoing you're talking about taking place a bit higher up?

I think I feel what you're talking about - dropping the head changes the curvature of the spin, and is a much less solid core support of the movement. Maybe that happened and stressed my core muscles?

Quinn8it

Low bar squats have the least vertical torso of the 3 main squat variations (front/high/low)
based on the fact that the bar will stay centered over the foot despite where it is carried.

With the LBBS it's common to bend too much at the hip and bring the torso closer to parallel to the floor, less vertical.. That does not necessarily mean the spine is rounding.
I see people do this who have hips that are too tight to hit depth- as it feels like a lower squat, and technically the bar is lower.
This is usually followed by the hips coming up first- which brings the back even further away from vertical. If you complete the squat there will be a a big core effort to get the bar up..

youll hear people talking about the cue "chest up!" To avoid this..

sgtdirt

working the core during squats is not unusual. just think about all the muscle groups that are in play during the exercise. i have felt the same soreness after leg day too. it went away once the muscles grew. the one thing i keep in mind is, eyes up. i.e. i look towards the ceiling. this helps keep me from bending too much at the waist. also, i pretend like i'm getting ready to sit on the commode (face it, this is usually the time when you feel leg day soreness).

carleton

This is subject to debate.

TrackMonkey7

+1 I recall somewhere Mr. Rippetoe saying something to the effect of, 'As a general rule, you shouldn't move your cervical spine around while carrying a load'. Or the rest of your spine for that matter.

Owen21

I keep my eyes fixed on one point, which makes me look up slightly, but my mate looks at the floor and still squats a **** loads. Each to their own

Baby Puke

The Rippetoe line is to look at the floor about 6-7 feet ahead of you, but definitely not up. I'd like to hear Quinn's thoughts on this.

Quinn8it

Rip recommends looking down to keep the spine in a Neutral Position. I think it's sound advice and how I've always squatted...
Still- you can see tons of people squatting heavy on and off the platform that look up.. So it's probably not mandatory.
Ive heard people say that looking up keeps the chest up- which is a good thing

sgtdirt

i agree.
as i was writing that post, i got to thinkin' of my actual posture. i do look up but i would say my head is neutral (neither up or down). the "eyes up" keeps me focused on my technique.

Owen21

I look where i want to go. i.e up. If i look down it throws me off and ive squatted successfully like this for a good while now, and have been taught to do so. I dont think it matters, being comfy/being able to perform the movement well is probably more important. And yeah it helps keep my chest up

MarkWW

I've been trying to incorporate weights this off season. I've basically been reading through "Starting Strength" on my morning commutes and incorporating what I learn as I go. I finally finished reading about deadlifts and I have a real basic question. How do you start a deadlift. Like putting the weights on the bar? Is it as simple as just putting a bar on the ground and bringing over a 45lb plate and putting it on each side? Do you set up on the squat rack and do some kind of RDL to get the weight to the ground?

carleton

Start with the bar on the ground and lift one end at a time to get the plates on.

Some gyms have a deadlift jack, but that's uncommon.

mcafiero

Interesting interview: Pavel Tsatsouline on the Science of Strength and the Art of Physical Performance | The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss
Just for fun.

MarkWW

Alright, next weight training question. Do you guys typically do low bar or high bar back squats? Rip is very specific about doing low bar, but reading about it more, it sounds like high bar works the quads more, which sounds beneficial for cycling.

Velocirapture

I do high bar squats, because my back-strength is more of a limiting factor than my leg strength, and low bar engages the back far more. I'm certainly no expert though. @Quinn8it (and alot of other folk on the forum) will be able to give much more input

MarkWW

thanks. anybody else have any input?

carleton

There are pros and cons of each. After talking with John Coffee, I like high bar.

VanceMac

The differences are well documented, but I think pretty minimal for our (cyclist) purposes). At least for me... I squat to get stronger overall, period, not trying to adapt it specifically/narrowly to any specific aspect of cycling. I am much more comfortable with low bar, and that's the only reason I stick with it.