Pause squats
I've been doing this thing lately where I'll write about a topic that was really interesting to me in the moment, write like 80% of the blogs, but then leave it for a while and not get that last bit done to officially publish it. It could be some sort of burnout, sure, like losing that intensity I was writing with before, and not being sure about how to get back into the same voice when I decided to try and finish the blog. But there are also blogs that are about more sensitive and difficult topics to talk about, and those are hard to publish even after writing them. Even though almost no one reads this blog, it's also kind of scary to put it out to the public.
And the reason why I brought this up is because I've felt lifting stuff is always easy to write and post. Just a quick remark and something that might help another person out who's been stuck with the same issues I've had. So this one's about pause squats.
I do pause squats once a week as part of my squat routine, and I struggled with them before. Well maybe the better way to phrase it would be, I felt like I wasn't doing them properly. Like I felt uncomfortable in the pocket. I'd be pausing but I'd start thinking about a lot of things. Like, how wide should I open my hips at the bottom? How much pressure should I be putting on my quads, and how much on my glutes? How's my foot pressure? Am I bending over too far once I start pushing from the bottom? Lots and lots of questions, and it felt like an awkward exercise for a while.
But what's helped me feel that my pause squats have been working for me a little more effectively, is how I think about the "pause" in the squat. Before I used to think, ok, I'll get to the bottom, and I'll just hold that position. The problem with this idea was that, there were a lot of ways to hold a squat at the bottom. Different muscles to squeeze and relax. But what was the right way?
So what that does is, instead of me thinking of bracing, and holding a position at the bottom, it became more about what the exercise was really meant to be: focusing on foot pressure, keeping the quads tight, and overall just not loosening up. So then when I think, well what should my hips do?, the answer becomes easier; just let them naturally do what feels strongest at the bottom of the squat. Just thinking about what position, what tension I hold in the legs and hips, will allow me to bring this weight back up again in a controlled fashion.
I've been sticking to this neat lil' trick for a few weeks and I can feel my pause squats really coming along. Found myself lifting 5kg more than programmed in my RPE9 sets today, and that still felt relatively light compared to other grueling RPE9 sets I've done. So yeah, if you haven't felt too comfortable doing the pause squats, try this method, and see if it works.
And the reason why I brought this up is because I've felt lifting stuff is always easy to write and post. Just a quick remark and something that might help another person out who's been stuck with the same issues I've had. So this one's about pause squats.
I do pause squats once a week as part of my squat routine, and I struggled with them before. Well maybe the better way to phrase it would be, I felt like I wasn't doing them properly. Like I felt uncomfortable in the pocket. I'd be pausing but I'd start thinking about a lot of things. Like, how wide should I open my hips at the bottom? How much pressure should I be putting on my quads, and how much on my glutes? How's my foot pressure? Am I bending over too far once I start pushing from the bottom? Lots and lots of questions, and it felt like an awkward exercise for a while.
But what's helped me feel that my pause squats have been working for me a little more effectively, is how I think about the "pause" in the squat. Before I used to think, ok, I'll get to the bottom, and I'll just hold that position. The problem with this idea was that, there were a lot of ways to hold a squat at the bottom. Different muscles to squeeze and relax. But what was the right way?
So, what to do?
Things started clicking better for me when I told myself, "okay instead of pausing at the bottom, I'm going to imagine that I'm still pushing against the ground with my feet, but that it'll be enough force to just keep me at the bottom".So what that does is, instead of me thinking of bracing, and holding a position at the bottom, it became more about what the exercise was really meant to be: focusing on foot pressure, keeping the quads tight, and overall just not loosening up. So then when I think, well what should my hips do?, the answer becomes easier; just let them naturally do what feels strongest at the bottom of the squat. Just thinking about what position, what tension I hold in the legs and hips, will allow me to bring this weight back up again in a controlled fashion.
I've been sticking to this neat lil' trick for a few weeks and I can feel my pause squats really coming along. Found myself lifting 5kg more than programmed in my RPE9 sets today, and that still felt relatively light compared to other grueling RPE9 sets I've done. So yeah, if you haven't felt too comfortable doing the pause squats, try this method, and see if it works.
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