Source
r/Fitness•
Guize

Dramatic failure on squat today, tips on what I could have done wrong?

Hello everyone!

I'm pretty new to lifting, I started towards the beginning of January, so I'm still learning and trying to figure out everything.

Currently I'm 5' 6.75" weighing in at ~150lbs. I'm following the The Average F'n Program and have been making progress.

Bench is at 130lbs Row is at 130lbs Press is at 110lbs Deadlift and Squat are both at 155lbs

Anyway, I was trying to get to 160lbs today on squats, and I failed pretty dramatically. I noticed during my warmups at 115lbs that my hips were hurting a bit when I got to the bottom of the squat, but didn't think much of it since it's day 3 of the week and I'm still sore from day 2 (is that normal?). I loaded up the 160lbs and did the first squat okay though it was a bit tough, but on the second squat I just couldn't lift it, my hips just kind of gave out, and I fell backwards. The bar hit the rack and slid to the ground and I had to squirm a bit to get it off my shoulders. I wasn't injured, however the experience was pretty jarring. I shook myself out and stretched my hips a bit cause they were protesting a lot, and stopped squatting.

My question is, how bad was this? The people around me didn't seem too concerned after they saw that I was alright. Should I reduce weight or chalk it up to being an off day? (I didn't get as much sleep last night as I usually do). I have a friend who is much more experienced at lifting coming with me next Monday to help me out, but I would love to get your opinions on this. Thanks!

Posted Feb 13, 2015, 6:47 PM UTC

1623
kobenator•

the most worrisome part of this story is it sounds like you dont know how to properly fail a squat. if that was 300 lbs on your back it sounds like you could have been hurt.

the failure itself could just be a bad day. im not sure how your program progresses and deloads, but follow that for repeating this weight or deloading.

particularly at this stage, a lot of progress is mental. you probably had it in your head from that warmup set. you may need to change your warm ups. im at 270 now and i warm up 10 reps with just the bar, making sure to pause at least a full second at the bottom. this set is more like a stretch to loosen up and enhance mobility. then 5 reps @ 135, 3 reps @185, 1@ 225, and 1 @ 255. this works for me. for some this is too much. for others its too little. i like to have at least one rep real close to my working weight so that working weight doesnt feel really heavy. but again, whatever works for you.

15
doublefudgebrownies•

How do you properly fail a squat?

2
Brightlinger•

You just dump the bar onto the safeties and stand back up; that's what they're for. If the safety bars are at an appropriate height and you know how, this should not involve falling or collapsing.

It might be helpful to practice doing this on purpose with a lighter weight; you don't want to have to figure it out during a failed rep.

If you squat outside of a power rack, you can instead drop the bar off your back and step forward. I have never needed to do this, so I couldn't give you any tips on it, but obviously you should make sure the space behind you is clear before you start squatting, so that the loaded bar doesn't kill anybody.

12
cyrusm•

How to fail a squat good video on the topic.

8
kobenator•

depends what kind of squat you are doing and wher eyou are in the squat. but you want to be able to ditch the bar without being crushed under neath it. that was the impression i got from OP.

2
JSHumidRowing•

Should be something you practice/ know how to do before loading the bar up. u/brightlinger gave enough info about it. I'd recommend practicing it with empty bar. If anyone gives you shit at the gym, tell them that what the safety bars are designed for.

2
jimtheclowned•

I always include this by "failing" on my last warm up set to make sure its all at the right height etc. And with the empty bar its super easy for me to just pick it up and set it right.

And for those really asshole ish people who might laugh, when I suddenly jump to 135, then 225 it shuts them up :D

2
GuizeOP•

Thanks everyone for the advice, I'm going to reduce weight and concentrate on my form, perhaps more reps at the lower weight to really hone in on working up my base strength and form.

2
ebrau36•

GL, have fun and be safe!

2
phuk-it•

I reccomend 100% of the time to beginners, box squats. I had my son train on box squats and a girl friend of mine for a solid month or 2. They are a beginners best friend.

1
ebrau36•

Agree to disagree--I think it's better to start at a low enough weight (even unloaded) where the trainee can actually descend to proper depth and trust their ability to ascend out of this position. If they cannot, the weight is too heavy and/or their form is off. If it is a mobility then this needs to be fixed first.

3
phuk-it•

Oh, I completely agree with everything you said. I think OP needs to fix a lot of his mechanics before she/he proceed on. Mobility, flexibility, core strength, variety of leg lifts, etc, all come to mind w/o it being to lengthy. I think I'm just old school in training: my lifting/football coach had us train and I mean train on box squats religiously before we ever jumped on to squats.

2
needlzorPowerlifting•

I think it's better to start at a low enough weight (even unloaded) where the trainee can actually descend to proper depth and trust their ability to ascend out of this position.

You and u/phuk-it are not disagreeing. Box squats teach you how to descend to proper depth (parallel) while keeping the weight on the heels (since you want to sit back as much as possible) and how to ascend from it by removing the stretch reflex (the reason why you sit on a box) and forcing you to consciously use your posterior chain.

It's quite common to teach the squat with a high box (over parallel) and lowering the box at every session as the trainee gets more flexible.

2
gideonngPowerlifting•

There's no safety bar?

2
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
tyd12345Kinesiology•

As others have said you should work on form and think about de-loading. I would suggest that you practice failing as well. Don't load hundreds of pounds on the bar obviously. But put a decent amount of weight on the bar and do a "failed" rep. Just go into the hole and rest the bar on the rails of the squat rack. Don't load up 315, do it with something like 135 since you would be comfortable lifting that. Getting used to the motion of setting the bar onto the rails will make it less of a big deal when you have to do it during an actual set. It can also help you psychologically so you won't have a fear of failing. You will be used to the movement since you've done it before. The same thing can be done on bench by trying out the "roll of shame". Benching becomes a lot less intimidating when you realize you can easily get the weight off of you.

1
plsstopstalkingme•

Squat in a power rack and set the safety bars to an appropriate height. This means that on a good squat the safety bars should not interfere with your squat at all. If however you are about to fail, all you need to do is sit down a tiny bit lower at the bottom of the squat and the safety bars will hold the bar.

I would recommend finding the appropriate height to set your safety bars on your power rack by using an empty bar. Most people I see have them set one notch too low.

1
135graintotheface•

Lifting is a constant battle with yourself to overcome failure. Keep your head up and keep working. Focusing more on perfect form early on will help you in the long run. As for the bar being on top of you when you fell, make sure you either have a spotter or a safety bar in place so you don't get hurt.

0
ebrau36•

No offense but this is terrible advice. Smart, periodized training is definitely not a constant battle to "overcome failure".

OP should:

  • Watch a shit ton of good squatting videos (or just one good squatting video a shit ton of times) and isolate where his form was off. He should film himself if possible.

  • Reduce the weight by at least 20% and work back up

  • Learn to read his body and know how to back off before failure.

In answer to the question from OP:

My question is, how bad was this? The people around me didn't seem too concerned after they saw that I was alright. Should I reduce weight or chalk it up to being an off day?

If you are un-injured and otherwise fine, I would say not that bad. If you feel off or it happens again, just be safe and go see your Dr.

Go back with your buddy, reduce the weight (again by say 20%) and have him film you via smart phone and review your form.

EDIT: tha grammmerz

5
aniepras•

This is good advice. If you are serious about Lifting it is not just going to the gym and moving weights around. You need to do your homework. Determine your goals, find a workout program that fits your goals, understand the lifts, and research proper form. I recommend a book called starting strength it isn't perfect for everyone but covers almost everything. Watch tons of videos then start slow. I wouldn't worry about the gym incident as far as what people think. I see stupid shit all the time.

2
ebrau36•

Yep, starting strength is awesome. I literally can't think of a better resource for someone just beginning barbell training.

1