glad to find this post just what i was looking for earlier today need to up my lifting and need to work on my butt and thighs.. couldnt find a video for squats and had some questions all of which i think you answered ... thanks

Great Danielle, let us know if there's anything we can do.

one thing any tips for bad knees and squats or lunges they kill me.. was a dancer from age 3 to 19 did a number on my knees also broke one as a kid ... im pretty sure my form is not the problem... i dont know... i just try to only do them 2 times a week

They hurt any time you squat or lunge?

only when i lunge or squat or anything like that even if i take the incline on the treadmill to high it sucks

To be honest, I can't really diagnose something like that over the net. I'd definitely avoid anything that causes pain until you see a qualified professional who can give you some direction as to what is indicated and contraindicated for your individual circumstances.

So I've been gradually working these in to my routine, and things are going really well for the most part. I basically have two different routines (say, workout A is squats and bench press, abs and some isolated arm exercises, workout B is dead lifts and overhead press, and isolated back and chest (rows and flys?) So I would do Mon - A, Tue - B, Wed off Thu - A Fri - B, Sat some cross training or hiking outside, Sun - off. I alternat SS cardio with Interval work on the days as well. I do have a few questions:

Doing stiff leg dead lifts I find make my back a bit sore. Is this normal? I'm keeping a slight arch in my back the whole time, and really trying to focus on squeezing my glutes and hams when rising. I do find my back gets tired when doing back extensions or any other work that isolates the erector spinae muscles. It's not pain, it just that tired feeling you get when you're walking around or standing in one spot for a really long time. Is this an exercise I should avoid? Or should I work on strengthening my back as well? Or is this normal and I should continue along as I have?

I find that when doing a squat that I can't get quite as low as the video demos show (hips below knees) without leaning forward or raising up onto my toes. I make sure to keep my back arched. I know it's a flexibility issue as you describe, so are there any particular stretches which will help with this position? And in the mean time should I continue to squat as I have, as low as I can get before my form starts to fail?

As far as working in cardio, what do you suggest (I'm sorry to repeat this question, I know you've been asked a bunch but I can't seem to find a post where you've talked about it right now!). I do want to do a triathlon (short distance) in the spring so I have to keep working the cardio. I just want to make sure I'm working it in optimally with the resistance training. Anything else you'd change?

Thanks for your help!

instead of overhead pressing being one of the core exercises on your B day, I'd substitute a big rowing movement in for it. if you want to throw some minor should stuff in after.... so be it.

hard to say. my back muscles have gotten sore before from the exercise. Even though it's in there as a leg and glute exercise.... it's really hitting your entire posterior chain which consists of those things and your back.

If it's muscle soreness.... that's fine.... although it shouldn't always be sore.


Sounds right. Would be excellent if you could get a vid of you doing the movement.

Your muscles are going to get tired when you're working them directly. If this 'tiredness' is different than when you work the other muscles, it might be something of concern, but again, it's hard to say.

If it's not causing in pain, I wouldn't worry too much about it personally.


you are strengthening your back if you're doing these exercises.

you are supposed to lean forward in the squat.

this is a no-no.... so avoid this


Squatting in and of itself is great for developing the specific flexibility required for the exercise. That said, you should be using a general flexibility program consistently anyhow. What are you doing now in terms of stretching?

Yes, don't force things.

It depends on what you're looking to get out of your cardio. If you are doing endurance based events, it's best to work in some weekly long distance work. Training specificity always applies.

Here's a decent link to check out:

Welcome to Tri-Newbies Online

Easiest way to describe it without seeing it is try to make the looney toons bulldog pose (Or pretty much any of the toons when they are angry, and push their hat forward). It's a standard athletic stance with your knees slightly bent, your butt out, and making a "big chest". Think of a linebacker stance, but with a little less bend in the knees. If you have a partner that knows what to look for, have him watch you do it (I still do this when possible). It is probably one of the easiest lifts to screw up, but don't give up.

Good advice.

Guys -

I have read through most if not all of the stickies and I can't remember if this was mentioned at any point or not. I am doing squats as a way to involve my entire body in the strength-training process. My question is this -

How often should I be doing these? I have a decent amount of time to lift on Sundays, so I do 2 x 10 of them at the end of my routine (50lbs including the bar to start, I will go up from there). I don't have time during the week to bring these in due to the fact that I work out before work and have some time constraints.

At home, I have another bar which is lighter and smaller and I do 3 x 10 with that bar, which weighs 20lbs (I just weighed it, guess I need to increase that).

Do I need to be doing sets of these every day? Only on my weight lifting days? More weight? More reps?

I just want to keep things moving in the right direction...thanks!

I can't really answer this question without seeing what you're currently doing so I know where they'd fit in. But you definitely would NOT want to be doing them every single day. That sounds sort of like hell to me, lol.

Another thing that stuck out was the fact that you're throwing squats in at the end of a workout. That's no good, IMO. Your workouts should be structured in a way that you move from hardest to easiest exercises. This way, there is no fatigue to get in the way of the exercises that take the most effort and concentration. Squats would be the hardest exercise you're going to do in a given workout more than likely. So they should be first.

Ok - squats first thing - I can handle that - it was merely done that way because that is where I end up at the end of my workout and my partner doesn't do them (knee problems) so I kinda was just throwing them in at the end.

As for the others, I am pretty bad with the names of the exercises I am doing but for the most part it is an upper body workout which is why I was throwing the squats in to get to my lower body as well. If you want the details (as sadly deficient as they are) I can give them but it is a mix of machine work, free weight work and two other exercises that I wouldn't know how to categorize (something that looks like a reverse sit up and leg lifts that you while standing up).

Thanks for the squat advice

Sure, explain what you're doing.... as best you can and I will try and figure it out.

Are you saying you don't really have a 'lower body' weight training day?

I will explain things in an additional post - I see that you are being tortured by having to go to the city all week so I will do that later

I dont' have a lower body workout day per se - that is why I am doing the squats...my lifting partner has bad knees so he doesn't work that part while we are at the gym and given the time constraints I have in the mornings, I am happy to follow his lead since I have seen great gains with what we are doing so far. That being said, I know I could benefit from some lower body stuff which is why I was squatting at home...I am open to doing those exercises but would most likely want them to be things I could do at night so as not to interfere w/my workout in the morning.

It may sound like an idiotic rationalization but it makes sense in my world...anyway, thanks as always - I will post what it is I do in the mornings (which I am sure is all wrong ) the best I can...