6 Reasons You Aren't Squatting More

[@AlexanderBromley]

Guys, if you haven't, please consider subscribing! I'm making the LONG trek to 100k (feels weird to even say!). I appreciate everyone's support; I'm humbled by the growth this channel has experienced!

[@SizzLorr217]

Very well deserved, all the hard work is paying off! Good luck on the 100K!!!

[@segerkuijntjes5359]

deserved, I think I am speaking for much people that you helped to grow the powerlifting/strongman communitie. your speaking so many great content

[@drinkinouttacups2665]

I'll consider it

[@simplestrengthtraining]

Already done, Im making the long trek 100 hahaha I am 1/10 of the way there.

[@zsahe21]

well deserved

[@drschwandi3687]

"50 kg difference between Squat and deadlift"-crew checking in

[@SLouiss]

Same. Best comp lifts 495 squat, 425 bench, 605 deadlift. I’m always in a different flight with my squat than I am with bench and conventional deadlift.

[@secondthought2]

That's pretty usual, what do I not get?

[@SweKelt]

That's perfectly normal I'd say. Especially if you have a normal muscular build without a big belly

[@lawrence8859]

80kg difference checking in

[@secondthought2]

@@lawrence8859 lemme guess, sumo, real skinny legs? :)

[@CeroAshura]

Bromley is currently the hardest working content creator around strength training. Thanks for everything!

[@scobur7379]

And Candito is currently in last place lol

[@catedoge3206]

@@scobur7379 how the turntables

[@deepg9120]

@@scobur7379 probably burnout. Can't imagine trying to pump out fresh content on lifting for 5+years without being an athleanx repost machine

[@brockburns2575]

Strongly agree

[@zsahe21]

!!!!

[@andrewpetzold1885]

For me its confidence/comfort which could border on fear. It is easy to push a row or even bench and is somewhat easy to tell when you are nearing failure. Having that weight on your back and not knowing if you will get it back up makes it hard to push. Great video!

[@amandaellen444]

Exactly!

[@Ermude10]

An idea, maybe it's worth practicing failure or bailing to get more confident in those situations? I have no idea how one would practice that without disturbing everyone in the gym though...

[@bryanklabik1500]

@ermude you are exactly correct. On my first and second warm up sets I will finish my reps and practice bailing with a light weight just to up my confidence that I can do it safely. However I train with a nice rogue set up in my garage so I’m not bothering anyone like might happen in a commercial gym.

[@-Eternal-Damnation-]

​@@Ermude10 yeah I tried throwing the barbell off in order to practice bailing on a squat. Holy shit it's so loud 😂

[@AverageJoe2308]

At around 3:28, I thought you were going to start spitting Eminem verses...."Palms are sweaty"...I was kind of disappointed that you didnt. 🤣

[@utgardkraft1412]

Me too

[@GalickGon]

Same thoughts

[@raymondsmith2040]

Same 😂

[@j.e.v.5016]

Although my DL has always been much bigger than my Squat (when I started gym, I reached 180 kg DL in couple of months), I have grasped it pretty good. It sucked, but then I started to concentrate to certain things. Get tight, push against the bar. Squeeze the core. When starting rep, take a big breath and squeeze your abs. I used to dip at the bottom, but now only thing I concentrate on there is: squeeze my core. Not push my legs, squeeze my core. My legs will do their job if my core just does its. Usually if I have a bad squat day, it's because I cannot get mind-muscle connection to my core, so I cannot it tight enough.

[@justinthematrix]

Just tried this today and hit a personal best thank you bro

[@mauort6870]

that's pretty much where I'm at.. bracing is the determining Factor.

[@rdk750]

That's crazy, I just realized the same thing a few days ago after having the same issue you did. It turns your torso into a rigid block and makes it easier to push up the bar

[@JustinSmith-hr6qg]

I’m coming to this realization myself. Tight stable core, with a big breath, many things fall into place with a tight core.

[@GavinBrown]

Squat is my favourite lift, always has been. I still get "squat fear" the night before, but I love it. No other lift has this impact or makes me feel this way. Once I'm under the bar and it moves smoothly and quickly, the sense of satisfaction, relief??, and joy is immense.

[@raymondsmith2040]

The squat is definitely the most satisfying lift to get especially when there's that slight doubt in your mind that you cant get it before

[@Lee-ic2yn]

I can't do thek but I bet a heavy snatch is pretty nerve wracking

[@josh39684]

I went to a squat seminar hosted by Andrey Malanichev earlier this year and my squat just sucked. He simplified it for me because I was just overthinking everything and now my squat has never been stronger. You have great content by the way

[@kicknitoldskool]

You deserve well over 100k subs with the advice you give - enough for a person to implement different types of training over years to see what works for them

[@inlimboed91]

Building the base and not liking squatting were definitely my biggest issues. Used to skip leg day a lot when I was just a young naive gym bro, so when I switched to dedicated strength training my squat was pretty pathetic. Started forcing myself to dedicate more time to squatting and one day something clicked and I started enjoying it so it didn't feel like a chore. Still had twig legs, though, so it took me long time to build up the strength to get a respectable squat that was actually bigger than my bench.

[@justincain2702]

It blows my mind that people can grow from 3 sets of 10 after a 10 hr construction job, a ham sandwich, and 4 hours of sleep. I feel like I can do everything perfect, hit all my macros, calorie surplus, 8-10 hours of sleep, good hard training, and maybe add 5 lbs a month.

[@ryanrogers8211]

Keep grinding man. All we can do is get as far as possible. 💪🏼 I agree it’s crazy to see those guys.

[@bsrkoacar8414]

5lbs a month is good. That's 60lb a year. Keep at it bro

[@jodmancousland5087]

Yeah bro trust me. You'll get to the point where if you gain 5lbs after 3 months you'll be effing ecstatic lol.

[@jd9119]

Top level bodybuilders can consider 10-15lbs of lean muscle mass gained in an entire year as a good year.

[@mikeylikesit14]

I went from failing 205×7 to 315×10 in just a few months. Squats are my favorite thing to do.

[@Doxsein]

Holy good for you that’s amazing

[@microsoftsam6071]

What did you change in order to do that?

[@mikeylikesit14]

@@microsoftsam6071 Form, mobility, depth, and progressively overload for a long period of time. 5-10 pound PRs week after week. Always same reps 6-12. Also Adding sets.

[@pavelnikolajev7071]

@@microsoftsam6071 tren

[@BasementBrandon]

Some great advice.

[@Bangarang341]

O hey man

[@BasementBrandon]

@@Bangarang341 👋

[@mastersironmantarmstrong7148]

From 1987-1991 I competed in the American Drug Free Powerlifting Association and did an easy 675 squat with a single ply marathon suit and yellow line knee wraps (lol). Everything was equipped lifting then but the old school single ply stuff. During my powerlifting career I constantly dropped weight classes which made me have to keep adjusting my technique to my new leverages and unfortunately in those days much of powerlifting was permeated with the minimalist mentality which I felt under the influence of. So although I was a decent squatter it was my poorest and most difficult and uncomfortable and unconfident lift. As a 55 year age man who hasn’t competed for years I feel some speciaty bars such as the SSB buffalo bar and spyder bar have really helped me improve my squatting. The buffalo and spyder bar oscillate so much that it forces me to breath and brace and be very deliberate and methodical in my squats. The SSB as well as the others have helped me to remain more upright and not let the hips rise too fast as you will be pulled forward if you do. I was always prone to start leaning forward and good morning the weight up as the weight got heavy and fatigue set it but not any more

[@Ian.lifts.]

Change is the only constant. Same goes with training. You can get a lot of progress doing the same thing but sooner or later you need to give your nervous system something else to adapt to. You’re doing the lifting community good Bromley. Keep it up.

[@tobiash04]

your video quality has really improved a lot! i really like this format maybe turn up your mic a bit, this video is a bit too quiet

[@ryanthordsen858]

I absolutely love squatting I 100% agree about just how good it feels. Like you said with OHP, I’m one of the few in my gym who religiously squats, and I love being known as that guy

[@maxiimus9879]

Such an underrated channel, will explode soon no doubt

[@championchuck777]

Good video. I really think the problem with Squats is that ppl do not choose progressive overload, but rather "aggressive" overload. It's amazing how a 5lbs add on can become night and day. Lifters need to respect the squat more than try to conquer it.

[@anthonyluisi7096]

Absolutely agree 👍🏻

[@AlexanderBromley]

Great point. Its a lift where you always feel like you can force a PR and the urgency to improve often leads people to go scorched earth too often

[@asamioth]

Very true. All of my compounds have started seeing more progress since moving up in smaller increments.

[@simplestrengthtraining]

Every one knows about but keep trying to break the law of diminishing returns, the longer you do it the longer it takes and the less you get in return. Patience is king when lifting heavy.

[@djspell2928]

Alex, audio is really soft in this video or is it just me?

[@gmiadlich9516]

my man you have to up the volume on your videos. Whenever ads come my ears almost fall out cause I have to turn my volume all the way up for this video. Good content tho, thanks!

[@manicmandownup]

After squatting last night I came home and literally typed in, “why do I suck at squats”. For me, I determined that I need more time under the bar and that I have a love/hate for them. Also, I think I fixate on the technical aspect too much. I had a lumbar fusion and my first movement out of the hole is down and forward with my chest. It’s a reflex of trying to protect my lower back. Hopefully, given enough time under the bar, I’ll put it all together. Luckily I have a really good coach and lifting partner. Thanks for the video 👍🏻

[@Donantonio26]

Here's the thing. I love the greater frequency in uploads. But you always make videos the day AFTER I hit the exercise that you talk about. 🤣

[@congoose100]

Yeah I'm in the f 10's camp. Need to do it though

[@coughhy]

The squat has been my nemesis ever since I started lifting. It has led to elbow tendonitis, especially when doing low-bar, and hip issues whenever I try a wider stance. However, my deadlift tends to stall when I don't squat and I feel like I'm making better overall progression when I do squat. Right now I'm squatting high bar with a narrow stance and a wide grip. It has cured my injury issues, but I'm having a hard time finding the right bar path with my long legs and short torso. It just feels awkward and inconsistent. Getting it up to 70% of my deadlift would be a huge win for me.

[@cheeks7050]

How the fuck do you hurt your arm squatting 🤣🤣🤣

[@coughhy]

@@user-he8lq8ny3v Yeah, might be thesame issue I have. I'm glad it worked out for you. High bar, wide grip, thumbs over, with some wrist extension was enough for me to remain injury free so far.

[@robcubed9557]

I used to have this issue too. I found that extreme scapular retraction causes my trapezius to “bunch up” and I can balance the bar on my traps. I’m able to keep my wrists straight and my Thumbs over the bar and my elbows thank my for it.

[@Oi-mj6dv]

Squatting for me it is only possible with a set of leg curls previously and then with lifting shoes AND versalifts. If not, my knee goes REEEEEE

[@drewjdelaney]

Great deep dive into squat stagnation! I appreciate the additional uploads, but don't burn yourself out!

[@dominicbuanderie9681]

I really like your content, you are thoughtfull and articulate.

[@GxGG1]

Skipping leg days as a beginner caused squat to lag behind, which made me embarrassed to squat and the vicious cycle repeats.

[@--Charlie--G]

Videos that preach the compound basics always gets a thumbs up from me 👍 I only lift compound these days . Not bothered about bodybuilding any more .

[@johntrains1317]

Bromley is head and shoulders above most of YT fitness

[@tkjmgnlee607]

excellent content, i was doing low bar squat with a relatively narrow stance and find it hard to execute... but to cue it like a seated leg press relly helps, going to try doing this next session. Note: The volume in this seems to be lower than your other videos, the youtube ad poped in like CRAZY loud

[@jeffboothe2102]

Dude, you need a microphone. I have my volume all the way up, and I can barley hear you. Not so on other channels.

[@jeffboothe2102]

.......and the commercials almost blow my eardrums out.

[@bestwesterner]

Today was squat day. Improvements must be made - thank you for this

[@johnouellet4099]

Great video! The older I get the more challenging it is to get my squat numbers To increase. This is really good advice

[@joelcarper4082]

I went to subscribe but then realized I already did we appreciate your perspective!

[@waiwong7996]

You should do these kinds of videos for other lifts

[@AlexPeka]

Havent watched yet...290kg deadlift - 170kg squat...hoping this helps!

[@Horus-Lupercal]

I misread "Sorry Base" as "Sorry Babe" lol.

[@heraldofthegospel]

Love that you suggest the SS squat to start with, that’s where I started. No shame in that. Love your content

[@arianmoore4474]

Really good explanation on the slit tilt hip load vs upright squat and both being valid. I used to always get criticism from school strength coaches for the way I went wider and squatted with a slight angle forward. I'm 6'3 and they'd tell me to do it like I was sitting down in a chair...but that's how I sit in a chair 😂

[@SavacGaming]

I recently found your videos are they're quite informative, so thank you for that. I'm currently following GZCLP and it's going very well, but this is great information that I can use whenever I get to the intermediate phase and beyond.

[@paulwhite9242]

Sleds helped my squat (which is still bad relative to my OHP) and I can't even tell if it's the leg work, the conditioning, or getting used to the suck

[@murozman]

Your drawings are always awesome man.

[@bmstylee]

All right. This is what I need right now. My squat has dropped more than I would like since dropping weight. It gets hard to get weight back as a masters lifter.

[@mab5710]

Putting a box or sumin under me with a set height, rly changed squatting for me entirely. I went from not being able to even go near parallel to going almost ATG. Every squat is now standardized, I can FEEL it when I'm far down enough and dont have to gauge it or force it. I also use heel bump to aid with ankle mobility and lowered the weight by around 30%.

[@BuJammy]

Same.

[@Zebrahhh]

For me, my squat has significantly improved since I learned to focus on keeping all toes planted but specifically making sure I put pressure through my big toe - this allowed me to open my hips and have great flute activation at the bottom and my weight x reps immediately went up a good bit and felt comfortable, something I hadn’t had before.

[@Finkku94]

Thanks Bromley, this content is triple A rated

[@danielnewnham8561]

Nice been watching for a while, only just subscribed. Good shit

[@johnnykruger5212]

Thanks for continuously putting out great content 👍

[@danielsponseller7508]

I think for me and alot of what I hear from other people is more injury/soreness keeps people from squatting. Nobody wants to not be able to walk the next day or the old "I got bad knees". I was in the bad knee category until recently. The truth is the more you squat, the less sore you get and your knees can actually improve. I'm actually really enjoying squats now and my knees are alot better (from a combination of squatting and losing weight).

[@DamienOzFrank]

Chilling with the weight progression goes a long way of liking squats for me. If you add only one kilo a week for a year you still get 52 kg out of it, of course this is my novice way of thinking about it but still.

[@Diego75571]

That’s wise, don’t downplay yourself

[@grandarchon6969]

I agree with having a diverse background of movements, and it should come from sport/ play when you're younger (IMO). I also think starting strength is a good program for the psychological effects of squatting 5 more pounds every time until you can't, and I think that just has great carry over to any other exercise, sport, and probably life. I'm also not a fan of the cult of starting strength. It's a fine program for learning how to do weight lifting for 3 months or so. Move on after that to whatever you like based on what you enjoy and your fitness goals.

[@mutanthorrorshow]

Good stuff.. One the "base/weak link" note, I'm trying to find a good list of strength exercise radios..

[@BluegillGreg]

Anderson Squats can help develop strength from the hole. What do you think of squatting to just a light touch on the safeties or a box and then pausing just above that? I've done that with 10 - 12 rep sets and the warm ups seemed to help with dialing in good form at the bottom. Don't know if there's a likely pitfall, though. Thanks Brom.

[@farhanhussain_]

Squat give me a real tough time due to my short back and sensitive knees, but I still do them regularly because I understand how important they are for my fitness. However, I do them just once a week. Interestingly, I can barbell row more weight for reps than my squat😁

[@coach9410]

same lol, my squats sucks but i consistently do them

[@samshethar7617]

You are the man bromley!

[@shalami_lifts9176]

thank you for these videos. youll see me competing in the future

[@LeeJCander]

Trying to squat, bench, deadlift & overhead whilst training Muay Thai and BJJ is super hard. I really have to listen to my body and take a day or too off before going for PBs etc.

[@loved80s77]

Your drawings are amazing.

[@MosabY]

16:00 that guy is literally me, I got too comfortable with singles and doubles, they gave me great results so I stuck with them for almost 2 years .. I got to a point of squatting 405 for 3 reps, but can't do 20 body weight squats. I could hit a 300lb bench but can't do 20 pushups

[@tyaker1]

Thanks for the info!

[@BuJammy]

I thought I was subscribed for years, turns out I wasn't. Subbed, as of today.

[@nordan00]

I don’t know. Back in my younger days, I came up with powerlifters. But I was the long legged, 6’2”, 185 lbs guy. Now, I found that the only way I could minimize doing a good morning with my squat was having the bar as low as possible on my back and keeping my head up. To aid myself in keeping my head up, I’d draw or mark the mirror or wall in front of me with an x or a spot to keep my eyes on throughout the entire lift. I eventually got up to getting 405 below parallel for 5-8 without wraps or a belt! And no juice or beans! Yeah, the juiced guys laughed at me 40 years ago, but a good amount of them have died from heart attacks or strokes, while I’m still going strong at the gym at 62 (half as strong, of course, but heart attack and stroke free!).

[@alastor1052]

I think I am in the same boat as you. I can feel the goodmorning engaging as I lower down when I don't look slightly diagonally up. I'll try getting the bar lower on my body to see if it changes anything next time I squat. 185lb and 6'2" as well by the way, only 22 years old.

[@matjusm1]

Excellent video! And lots of great artwork on the wall. One thing I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on is what is your recommended remedy for people who have weak legs relative to a strong back. For example on my latest set of AMRAPS I really struggled with 6x155kg on the back squat, but 8x200kg on the deadlift was running relatively smooth. Best methods/lifts for bringing up lagging legs?

[@bamos8729]

I'm at the moment where I have to back off from the heavy squats. My knees are aching like crazy so I have been going light for the past week or so

[@SLEEPYCAPPYCASH]

My biggest issue is the weight feels really heavy on my back like the bar on my back lol compared to what my legs can really deal WITH. Any tips to make this better??

[@pinolyzerproductionsinc.1062]

Try practicing walking out with the bar loaded heavy, brace your core like you were going to squat but just hold it for 5-10 seconds and your body will adapt to the pressure over time

[@SLEEPYCAPPYCASH]

@@pinolyzerproductionsinc.1062 Will try this thanks a lot.

[@ryanrogers8211]

Hips, low back and knees hurt when I squat heavy or moderate in weight. Gonna try widening my base. Thank you for this great video

[@jd9119]

It gets worse with age. Leg day used to be my favorite day of the week. But now with all the hip socket an lower knee pain, I dread it a lot. Before I go to the gym on leg day, I pop a couple Tylenol and a couple Aleve (both at the same time) and that's been getting me through it. I don't know how old you are, but arthritis is no joke.

[@ryanrogers8211]

@@jd9119 I’m 42 and have found a lot of help from using exercises from kneesovertoesguy and squat university.

[@orarinnbirgisson7457]

Impressive drawing skills!

[@TheeGreasyGamer]

My squat plateaued at 260lbs on starting strength, I took a full month off because I was working out of town and had personal stuff going on. Built my lifts back up and hit a plateau at 260 lbs again. I’m 6’3” 220 lbs fairly high body fat which I carry all in my gut. Bench 215 3x5 and DL 290 3x5. Idk if I need more hypertrophy, need to gain more weight in general or need to get my DL up to improve my squat

[@runeandersen7022]

Awesome vid...as always.

[@leinekenugelvondoofenfocke1002]

Rep consistency is a top priority for me. I know there is going to be some breakdown, but if I get more bad reps than good I am officially training to fuck up. I tolerate a small amount of breakdown on the last few reps, but that's it. One thing that helps with that is I have my mobility, and flexibility squared away before my practice sets. A practice rep with poor mobility is different than a practice rep with good mobility. So it is inconsistent, and of lower quality.

[@jaymobiggety9903]

This is such good content.

[@georgie8132]

I never did squat at all. Just did long distance. I had bad back workout forms so my traps and upper back and rear delts were super big. But my lats didn't come out because I never engaged them. And now I got them popping so deep changing .y form correctly. Same with chest I had big front delts and tris and outer pecs because I never used good form. Now I got a deep lower chest and take my shoulders out of it and use more lats. Now I noticed with the new form, my triceps are being worked more in the middle and outside and I feel them lagged behind.

[@johnharbour4936]

I'm still progressing quite nicely by switching up things with a LP but I a do fall in with one of those guys that isn't a fan of high volume squatting. I like to suck it up for 3-5 reps for a few sets and call it a day. I guess I know when I start to stagnate what direction I need to head.

[@gabornagy9898]

great summary

[@soranhernandez6425]

I squat 425, 405x3, I feel lately I lost all the tension and rebound out of the hole after a short break from the gym. It really feels like I'm just muscling it out of the hole.

[@IronChicken999]

My squat is the same as my bench.. I haven't tried deadlifting yet want to try that, but I don't know when.. on leg day I have rdl's and on back day I have 90° bent over barbell rows. + on my squat my adductors always hurt and keep me from going heavier/doing more reps. Feels like it's ripping..

[@halfunder9712]

Squats are life tbh .

[@TuckerFredrickson]

I'm 55, 5'11" 190. I've never built up a decent squat. Any recommendations on frequency and rep scheme? Low back has always fatigued easily as I know my lack of gluten is a factor. Thx in advance for any recommendations!

[@TuckerFredrickson]

Lack of glutes!! I want to get stronger with hypertrophy secondary for now

[@amandaellen444]

Do you think being anxious and having butterflies etc before squats (or any big lifts) hinders your performance?

[@XtremeConditioningLab]

Great content

[@markusseppala6547]

I'm a cyclist with super long femurs. I always run to the same problem with squats, when I progress the weight eventually the weight shifts to my toes and I loose the tension in my quads that I'm trying to target. And then the I stop progressing. I've gave up on the squat so many times and for now just do unilateral work. Maybe some day I get around it.

[@pinolyzerproductionsinc.1062]

Try using front squats it changes the way you have to balance and hits the quads very well

[@shycreation9418]

If I do any kind of high rep work on deads I get so tight I can barely walk. Is this just because I'm not conditioned to it?

[@Veg-Power]

I have very long legs but still prefer high bar and have no issues with it. I neither fall forward. But I tend to not go to parallel because this super long RoM just feels meh ^^ after 85% of the motion to parallel all the strength completly leeks out. I can perform a 350 kg squat with 85% RoM (and walk out >400 kg no problem) but with 100% RoM it goes down to 270 or 280 kg. So 20-25% are lost. Maybe giving low bar another try.. Or somehow do specialized training to maintain tightness even on longer RoMs.

[@croceaMors1]

Man number 4 hit too close to home😂

[@TheLouisianan]

This info would really go well with Superior Squat

[@AlexanderBromley]

I promise I'll send you the first copy.

[@TheLouisianan]

@@AlexanderBromley It's all just fun man. Appreciate all the dank content and hope you get to 100k soon.

[@flight8594]

Bruhhhhhhh! its only till 360p for me (btw love ur videos) its fine now, i was just too early

[@fieldingjames6808]

Now I wanna squat

[@dadbod488]

I HATE squatting lol but I'm right on the cusp of a 2X bw squat, so I know I gotta stay focused. It just sucks so bad, why must it suck so bad? 😂

[@playfair9920]

I was searching for right squat form for the last 7 years. I stopped training everything else and just focused on getting the right squat form. Nothing feels natural. Tonight was my last try and I failed again. Now at 40 years old I am giving up on squats and I suck on every other lift because I neglected everything. I just can't squat I should give up sooner. I am pissed.

[@ekku1979]

What's the reason why my every lift sucks?

[@Doxsein]

Poor engagement and form. Practice more

[@ekku1979]

@@Doxsein Some people have a hard time with sarcasm

[@904strengthclub]

*staring in conjugate “What’s this shit about not maxing out every week?” Lol Great content!

[@giannis1335]

As guy with long legs and short torso, I have max squated 180kg with a cambered bar with handles and 160 with a barbell, is this normal??

[@satabdeesahoo9076]

you are not raged enough😂

[@jamesscott6661]

Nothing beats that lower body pump from doing a huge squat session!

[@immasurvivor]

Only 1 reason for me, my body just doesnt fucking bend that way with a bar on my back. I have no idea where the obstruction is, i just....doesnt do it.

[@farhanhussain_]

I think these reasons can be generalized for any lift.

[@drinkinouttacups2665]

"Hard squatting is hard"

[@ghostecho3189]

It’s always alarming to hear someone who lifts say they don’t squat bc it’s bad for your knees. And of course, they do leg press and tell you how they max out the machine w plates

[@skude3]

This video is great! 4-6 a week isnt really a good idea, both for burnout and oversaturation..