how to dump a squat?

[thewickedtruth]

should one take into consideration how to safely get rid of a squat? I bombed what should've been an easy lift last night and almost ripped my arm off trying to get rid of hte bar...

[The Squadfather]

just dump it behind you, don't worry about the floor, rack or bar, if it's a choice between of a torn knee or herniated disc and some damaged equipment i'll take the damaged equipment anyday, the other shit can be paid for.

[Overload]

i was told to always dump the bar behind you unless you are already falling forward.

i squat on an open mat with the hydraulic racks like they do in powerlifting meets so dumping backwards is the only safe way.

I've never dumped a squat so i'm just giving my .02 from what i've seen and learned from watching hundreds of max squat attempts.

[thewickedtruth]

Yeah I didn't know if there was a certain way to do it safely...it's not like i'ts something you want to PRACTICE! HAHA!  There was a dude beside me squatting 275 for some sorta something resembling a squat on the other rack laughing is ass off and asked me if I was embarassed and I said no..shit happens. I got the first rep with it no problem, I just let it slip. I would've been embarassed if I'd have dumped 275 instead of 550....he didn't say anything else. Douchebag.

[Stubborn]

As soon as you feel it start to go just throw your arms down and run forward. As Overload said, "I have never dumped a squat", but this sounds best to me! Are you holding the bar REALLY low on your back or what?

[thewickedtruth]

As soon as you feel it start to go just throw your arms down and run forward. As Overload said, "I have never dumped a squat", but this sounds best to me! Are you holding the bar REALLY low on your back or what?

Yep. I hold it just beneath my traps with my shoulders back. My grip spans the bar to help keep it under control but I can't really HOLD it like that. I chalk up real big but it's like everything else, it's only the second time I've gone over 530 on the squats...just gotta learn to control my shit! I'm hoping to hit 600lbs in the squat raw by the end of this year! I think I can get it too! I'm getting 500 for 10 reps easily now...so anything above that I just do doubles or triples with.

[The Squadfather]

Yep. I hold it just beneath my traps with my shoulders back. My grip spans the bar to help keep it under control but I can't really HOLD it like that. I chalk up real big but it's like everything else, it's only the second time I've gone over 530 on the squats...just gotta learn to control my shit! I'm hoping to hit 600lbs in the squat raw by the end of this year! I think I can get it too! I'm getting 500 for 10 reps easily now...so anything above that I just do doubles or triples with.

that's the problem right there, you're holding the bar way out by the collars, not smart, if you're a normal sized guy meaning 5'9"-6'1" and normal to a little above average width you should be holding the bar way narrower to control it, the only guys who should be holding the bar that wide are the ultra huge wide superheavy's with monstrous shoulder width.

[BFP]

that's the problem right there, you're holding the bar way out by the collars, not smart, if you're a normal sized guy meaning 5'9"-6'1" and normal to a little above average width you should be holding the bar way narrower to control it, the only guys who should be holding the bar that wide are the ultra huge wide superheavy's with monstrous shoulder width.

And big fat 308's like me LOL

Jason

[The Squadfather]

And big fat 308's like me LOL

Jason

yeah well you're a very wide guy too, my point is that the wider the shoulders than the wider the hands need to be but there's no need for a 6 foot 235-240 pound guy like me to be holding the bar out that far, very dangerous.

[BFP]

yeah well you're a very wide guy too, my point is that the wider the shoulders than the wider the hands need to be but there's no need for a 6 foot 235-240 pound guy like me to be holding the bar out that far, very dangerous.

Very true.  weve got a 148 who lifts with us and his hands are about 6 inches outside his shoulders.

Jason

[Overload]

I'm 6' with broad shoulders and i keep my hands just outside the rings when i squat. i've never really had any balance issues.

[Stubborn]

I'm 6' with broad shoulders and i keep my hands just outside the rings when i squat. i've never really had any balance issues.

Same here. Thats why I ask about the bar placement. The lower it is on your back, the wider your grip gets.

[PANDAEMONIUM]

I'm getting 500 for 10 reps easily now

FULL ROM?  And not this Smith machine squatting bullshit, the real thing in a power rack?

[thewickedtruth]

FULL ROM?  And not this Smith machine squatting bullshit, the real thing in a power rack?

yes..or at least that's the rumor. Smith squats suck ass. Doing them wiht your body's natural way of things in the cage following its OWN path is the way to squat. As long as the top of my leg dips below parallel it's a good squat, not the bottm part of my hams but the top of my thigh.  If I don't make the depth I do the rep over again.

[John O]

My grip has my ring fingers on the bar ring.....Umm??? Same grip as in the bench. Never realized that before LOL. Missed my share of attempts but never had to dump it.

5'6" 140

[Vet]

The easiest way to dump it is to go all the way down, or close to down, then throw your head back and drop your shoulders and pull them forward.  The bar will fall down your back and you'll spring forward naturally and get out of the way.  the real key is throwing your head back while pulling your shoulders down/forward.  Get the bar to slide down your back and it'll push you out of the way. 


Also, obviously you can't dump the weight the way I'm talking about if you are falling forward.  I've never dumped a squat like that, so I have no idea what I'd do. 

[Luv2Hurt]

I have dumped a squat both ways once while falling forward and once while I injured my quad and that was to the rear.  The rear dump really no big deal just push away and walk forward, I let i fall on the bars in the rack who gives a damn at that point if you bend a bar of something gets broke as long as its not you.  The dump over your head not pretty and a high risk for injury obviously.  I just pushed it over my head as I leaned/fell forward and pulled my head back as hard and fast as I could.  back of head got a little raw from that.

I did see the craziest shit once though.  This dude was squatting 5 plates outside an open rack.  he got stuck in the bottom and him and his spotter did not know what to do.  Well this dude was ass to the grass at this point and just rode the thing down over backward, he did not let go!!  Man it looked like he could have really got messed up doing that, but remarkably he was OK, just very embarrassed.

[Vet]

I did see the craziest shit once though.  This dude was squatting 5 plates outside an open rack.  he got stuck in the bottom and him and his spotter did not know what to do.  Well this dude was ass to the grass at this point and just rode the thing down over backward, he did not let go!!  Man it looked like he could have really got messed up doing that, but remarkably he was OK, just very embarrassed.

LOL that wasn't in a gym in Manhattan about a year to year and a half ago was it?

[Luv2Hurt]

LOL that wasn't in a gym in Manhattan about a year to year and a half ago was it?

No Chicago area.  You saw someone do that too, LOL?

[Vet]

No Chicago area.  You saw someone do that too, LOL?

No, I DID that.   I was repping out with 495 on the bar as part of a repitition work set at the end of a ME leg workout.  I went down and my left knee popped.  My spotter chickened out on helping me with the weight (should have had a better spotter) and with my knees, I was afraid I'd done something bad.  So I dumped the weight backwards, but in doing so, the bar somehow caught on my wrist wrap and I couldn't let go of it.  I basically flipped over backwards outside of the rack with it on my shoulders.  I'm sure I looked like some kind of a pale beached whale flopping with my 300 fat ass flipping over with that weight.  I wasn't hurt and got up laughing afterwards, but it made one hell of a noise when it bounced out of the rack. 

[Luv2Hurt]

No, I DID that.   I was repping out with 495 on the bar as part of a repitition work set at the end of a ME leg workout.  I went down and my left knee popped.  My spotter chickened out on helping me with the weight (should have had a better spotter) and with my knees, I was afraid I'd done something bad.  So I dumped the weight backwards, but in doing so, the bar somehow caught on my wrist wrap and I couldn't let go of it.  I basically flipped over backwards outside of the rack with it on my shoulders.  I'm sure I looked like some kind of a pale beached whale flopping with my 300 fat ass flipping over with that weight.  I wasn't hurt and got up laughing afterwards, but it made one hell of a noise when it bounced out of the rack. 

LOL cool you did not get hurt.  Well you should be glad to know your not the only guy who's done that 

[trab]

LOL cool you did not get hurt.  Well you should be glad to know your not the only guy who's done that 

Luv, seeing as you hold the record; with a front & a back dump... You know what that means?
You now have to pull off a sideways wreck with a end cap coming unglued. 

Thats kind of a ugly picture to even think about.

[Luv2Hurt]

Luv, seeing as you hold the record; with a front & a back dump... You know what that means?
You now have to pull off a sideways wreck with a end cap coming unglued. 

Thats kind of a ugly picture to even think about.

Yeah you know I always check those things for being screwed down whenever I train.  have seen them at times almost ready to fall off, that would be ugly.  I always train with safety collars on too.  Even if its just 10 lb plates on each end, probally the safety guy in me.

[ARTI]

yes..or at least that's the rumor. Smith squats suck ass. Doing them wiht your body's natural way of things in the cage following its OWN path is the way to squat. As long as the top of my leg dips below parallel it's a good squat, not the bottm part of my hams but the top of my thigh.  If I don't make the depth I do the rep over again.

According to the IPF International Rulebook, Proper squat depth is reached when the lifters top of the leg at the "Hip Joint" drops below the top of the knee. Not the top or highest part of the leg when it's at parallel. When a lifter has extremely large quads you have to follow the crease of hip joint to determine if he is "breaking parallel" or not. The top of the quad could be 2 inches higher than the hip and knee points and still be a good lift.

BTW, 500 X 10 (Deep Squats) is Awesome. What weight class are you? Is this Raw, just belt?
-Art

[thewickedtruth]

According to the IPF International Rulebook, Proper squat depth is reached when the lifters top of the leg at the "Hip Joint" drops below the top of the knee. Not the top or highest part of the leg when it's at parallel. When a lifter has extremely large quads you have to follow the crease of hip joint to determine if he is "breaking parallel" or not. The top of the quad could be 2 inches higher than the hip and knee points and still be a good lift.

BTW, 500 X 10 (Deep Squats) is Awesome. What weight class are you? Is this Raw, just belt?
-Art

belted with knee wraps... and I finally hit my goal of 600. Doing box squats has REALLY helped with me hitting depths because you learn what deep enough feels like.  I just broke the plane of parallel with it though..i didn't touch it to my hams or i'd have been in the shit. I'm going to work wiht it for a good while before progressing past it. This is the first time in my lifting carry that i'm pretty satisfied with where i'm at with an exercise. 600lb squat is a nice squat in my eyes.