Quote: (05-15-2012 11:35 AM)ElJefe Wrote:
I've come to the conclusion Mark Rippetoe is a long-winded fatass whose main redeeming quality is his long-windedness in a world where few provide adequate and/or scientific detail.
Learning how to squat is fucking easy, and he'll confuse as soon as help you. Same goes for deadlift. absolutely worthless advice. Go to your gym, see who squats/deadlifts a shitload, and ask each one how. The past few months I've learnt it's better and more prudent to discount advice from anyone who isn't already where you want to be.
My breakthrough came when I figured out I better ditch the shoes, and squat in my socks (or feet). I almost automatically began pushing harder through my heels and boy did I feel that shit.
Besides the obvious with breathing in, going down, breathing out while going up.
Learning how to squat and deadlift properly is a challenge at any gym since most people do not do those lifts, as they are difficult. Most people don't even go below or near parallel on the squat and they round their backs deadlifting. The bench press is pretty popular though, and somewhat idiot proof.
Velkrum's link posted is pretty solid since powerlifting gyms are very legit. There's no powerlifting community where I'm from (though there is some strongman culture), as most people either have a home gym or go to Snap Fitness.
And I'm not saying that Rippetoe is the one and only source of all compound lifting wisdom, but he's made a career out of coaching and powerlifting himself, so I wouldn't be quick to call his works bullshit because a few big dudes have a different way of doing things. Being big is not a substitute for knowing anything. You can say that the mechanics of deadlifting and squatting are easy but he's seen more mistakes than anybody, and his book covers most of the basics.
I'm not a natural at weightlifting (unlike my buddy, who can squat and deadlift perfectly no problem) so I benefited a lot from his book. My spotter and I would read a chapter, go to the gym, and film our lifts until we did everything with no form errors.