Better squat, Rippetoe or Squat Rx?

[Justintegra]

very interested in this thread now as i just started squatting, and feel like i'm extermely quad dominant. Is box squatting generally accepted as the easier way to learn how to use a form that fires your hamstrings more?

 

[selfcritical]

Yeah. It has me surprised, too. I'm wondering, is Starting Strength still seen as the best program for beginners, or has Rip's programming advice gone out of vogue along with his technique advice?

I think the programs just fine, but his form advice is...not smart.

 

[AndrewSky94]

Yes, I can't get past this. I think if you need to cue something, it is hips forward, not hips up. "Hips up" is going to lead so many people to GMing it.

What is GM?

 

[belph]

What is GM?

Good morning.

 

[scoopj]

Good morning.

Right back at ya!

 

[Twisted Elbow**]

Good morning.

Hello, nice to meet you....

 

[Eric Brown]

very interested in this thread now as i just started squatting, and feel like i'm extermely quad dominant. Is box squatting generally accepted as the easier way to learn how to use a form that fires your hamstrings more?

If you want more hamstring work why not just train them directly?

 

[DrBdan]

So should I be trying to thrust my hips forward [like i'm humping] instead? Can someone elaborate on this because I never see squatters doing this.

It's somewhere in the middle. If you concentrate on lifting your hips too much you will GM the squat. If you concentrate on pushing your hips through too much you can lose tightness in your hamstrings and take your PC (posterior chain) out of the lift.

What has worked for me is driving with my hips out of the hole while trying to keep my chest up. If it feels like I'm going to GM the weight I think about pushing my hips through more.

 

[redaxe]

It's somewhere in the middle. If you concentrate on lifting your hips too much you will GM the squat. If you concentrate on pushing your hips through too much you can lose tightness in your hamstrings and take your PC (posterior chain) out of the lift.

What has worked for me is driving with my hips out of the hole while trying to keep my chest up. If it feels like I'm going to GM the weight I think about pushing my hips through more.

On the way up, I don't think about my hips at all, I just think about driving my shoulders back against the bar. That cue seems to work, I used to GM every squat badly (because I was thinking "ass up," and my hips were rising faster than my shoulders), but now my hip extension is much better.