Have you ever been lectured from your form at the gym?
Very weird experience at the gym today.
>End of my session 3*5 low-bar squat session
>50-60 year old very skinny (might be a runner) gym user start talking to me
>I remove my headphones
>He says that I will hurt my back very bad and that I am doing something very dangerous
>Starts to tell me that my knees should be in the same direction as my eyes and my back vertical
>"Yes, you are showing me high-bar, I am doing low-bar squat". At this point I should have gone.
>Get's angry, tell me no and ask for my job.
>Proceeds to tell me that he is working at the university and has a 5 year degree in Physical Training and that I should listen to him.
>>36295946
(cont)
>Talk to me for 5 more minutes and that I should "Go on youtube on type squat"
>Then I should watch videos of doctors not bodybuilders.
>Asked again what I was doing (low-bar) and tell me they do not exist.
I understand that he can know more than me (I am still a novice, my form might not have been perfect- it felt right) and that he was legitimately scared that my spine will break in half but I have a few questions.
1. Do you ever interrupt other guys training or do you let the staff do it?
2. Can someone has a 5 year degree in PT and have never heard of low bar squat?
3. Do you have videos of squatting doctors?
>>36296005
I read and actually bought starting strength and watched Rip videos, how can I be sure that my form is on point?
>>36296005
1. No
2. Yes
3. No
Either way, just because you have a degree doesn't mean you know shit. I have a 5 year degree in psychology.
I just lied about the degree. He probably did too.
Besides, there's no point taking a skinny runners advice on how to lift heavy.
>>36296005
Reee desu
>>36296474
Thanks.
He might lift heavy, I don't know. I have never seen him doing squat only bodyweight pull-ups.
I guess I will ask one of the gym staff to see if my form is correct next time.
And he might have a degree, but maybe it is outdated, I never heard that every movement should be parallel.
>>36296531
Not sure what that means.
>>36295946
You probably squat like jason noblit if you're getting approached about it. Beach chair squats.
>>36296613
I might not have perfect form, what worries me about his critique is that he does not know low-bar and told me it does not exist. So for sure if he thinks I am trying to do a high bar while doing low bar my form would look horrible.
>>36296560
You should film your form and put it online for critique. Sure you'll get troll posts, but the signal should outweigh the noise.
>>36296735
OK thanks. I will try that.
>>36296474
>>36296613
Just remembered one thing, he told me that to have big legs I should do squat jump (bodyweight), and also that all of my movements have to be as fast as possible.
I am now not sure if the guy wasn't fucking with me (he was old and seem angry so I don't think so)
>>36296005
>3. Do you have videos of squatting doctors?
fuck lad that made me laugh so hard
>>36296646
The distinctions & being overly anal on form is legit autism. Just put the bar on your back & squat it. Make sure you don't round your back, and don't ego lift & you'll be fine. Be open minded to people critiquing you, you're probably doing something wrong if this happens, but don't follow advice blindly.
>>36297182
Well the distinciton for me is that it is perfectly ok to have my back not vertical, my feet not pointing in front of me, etc.
I understand that my form might not be perfect but I want the guy who critiques it to know his shit and be invited
>>36297270
Yeah feet should not point forward, they should be angled to where it is most comfortable & "feels right", since everyone is built a bit different.
Disregard unsolicited advice, and seek out advice from people who you aspire to.
>>36297288
Thanks a lot. A pain that I will have to have 10-15 minutes discussion/lecture again next time I see him at the gym (he has a degree and work in the field so he is convinced that he knows and I should do as he says).
>>36297288
So? Tell him to stuff it and leave you alone. You have no obligation to listen to superfluous nonsense from some nosey dipshit.
I mean don't be rude to the dude or anything but don't tolerate his rant out of some imaginary obligation
>>36295946
he was trying to warn you about the lolbar meme and you wouldnt listen.
>>36295946
>Have you ever been lectured from your form at the gym?
No, because my form is impeccable.
Unless you count that one time, when a guy told me I lean forward too much, and I won't be able to squat much more weight If I do that.
While I was on my second warm up set, doing 2pl8s.
He promptly shut up, when I told him to check my form on the next two sets, and simply squatted 3pl8s and 4pl8s in the exact same way.
>Low bar overwarm up
>high bar volume
>use that as warming up for deadlifts.
>>36297388
Yep, I know but hard to tell him to fuck off without being rude when he is 100% convinced he is right (he told me that it is his job), that I am in danger and has problems with boundaries. I don't see an other alternatives to being rude.
>>36297403
I know my form might not be perfect but the problem here is that the guy only thinks high bar exist. "Everything has to be parallel and your back as vertical as possible." and when I talked to low bar he told me "No, that does not exist".
>>36297394
>implying I want a weak upper back and underdeveloped hamstrings
pls go
>>36296005
>3. Do you have videos of squatting doctors?
Yes.
Dr Squat. Frederick C. Hatfield, PhD.
First guy to squat over 1000lbs at sub 220 bodyweight (single-ply and wraps ofcourse, back then there was no raw).
Look him up, he squatted low bar as fuck.
Also did a squat competition with Tom Platz, which he won by squatting 1 plate more than his then PR and crushing the WR, but lost on 5pl8 for reps (because Platz was inhuman and did 23 reps).
>>36297451
>he told me "No, that does not exist".
I already answered >>36297477
here.
Seriously, if a guy gets a pass to go to the russians and does his PhD studies under the same guys Sheiko studied under, then goes back to the US and gets to be a notable opponent of Ed Coan, while setting squat records, you know the guy is legit.
>>36297462
Highbar is actually harder on the upper back than low bar.
The hamstrings don't get hit enough in squats that they get developed from them.
Nuckols did articles on both these statements.
You need to do deadlifts, and preferably SLDLs, to hit the hamstrings well.
There are studies on this.
>>36297477
According to Pendley he was also a huge proponent of HB squat over LB
>{Hatfield] has argued extensively that not only should the HB squat be used EXCLUSIVELY for the training of athletes, but its qualities of carry over are such that even POWERLIFTERS who are actually competing with a low bar, bent over, only to parallel and sometimes wide stance squat, should in fact do HB, Olympic style squats for much of the off season. In a rough quote of his words, HB squats build strength, LB squats demonstrate it.
Doctors are the most full of shit people a lot of the time. They're usually experts in one extremely specific area, but they constantly act as experts on anything involving the human body. Med students are even worse.
>>36297270
>and be invited
so you wouldn't want someone telling you if your form was way off unless you'd asked?
>>36297732
Or he is a gym staff, because sometimes the people telling you you are doing something wrong have no idea what they are talking about.
Have you ever have someone telling you you should eat X and not Y when doing a diet?
>>36297646
Why are you quoting pendley talking abotu hatfield, when Hatfield is alive, does interviews, podcasts and has his own youtube videos on squatting?
Seriously, Hatfield talking with the Iron Radio guys is propably one of the best things I've heard.
#213 if you want to look it up.
>>36295946
>>36296005
>5 year degree
AKA too stupid to graduate on time. I finished in Honours in 4 years and I've published my ugrad thesis. >4 year degree is an embarrassment.
>>36298641
what program?
>>36300252
Mathematical physics
