Question about the squat

[crownshep]

Could any of the powerlifters on here tell me what the benefit is of doing these "spongebob squats".Whats the difference of doing them instead of just squatting down to a bench.?I`ll wait till i get some replies and then i`ll tell you why i`m interested in this.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YhxaE-hiuqM

[Vet]

Could any of the powerlifters on here tell me what the benefit is of doing these "spongebob squats".Whats the difference of doing them instead of just squatting down to a bench.?I`ll wait till i get some replies and then i`ll tell you why i`m interested in this.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YhxaE-hiuqM

I cant see the video at work--its blocked, so I'm just commenting on Spongebob squats.  I'm starting those with my wife this training cycle.  You get a couple of things out of them.  First, the sponge is much softer than the box, so as you sink in, it takes a different effort to come back up out of the squat (building your low end).  My understanding is its much harder off a sponge than off a box, which makes sense.   

Second, like my wife,  some people seem to not get much out of the box squat.  It seems like once they sit down and reach a certian point of stretch with a rapid stretch, the muscles just don't fire.  I personally think its an overactive golgi-tendon reflex, but it makes box squats virtually useless because you sit down and literally can't come off the box.  Foam squats can help overcome this problem. Because you sit down, but keep lowering although much slower on the foam and  you don't activate that stretch reflex,.     

[crownshep]

Thanks for that detailed reply Vet.My reason for asking is that i have my own home gym,i train on a TITAN,and i`ve got quite a few items of equipment that i`ve made myself from different scrap that i`ve found on different job sites i visit.I`ve made myself dumbells from 20lb up to 150lb all from scrap steel i`ve found.Recently on a building site i worked on i found a suspension spring from a car,its about 18 inch long,diameter is about 6 inch,and i`ve been wondering what to "make" out of it.From seeing the spongbob squats i was thinking about welding the spring onto some checker plate i have for the base,and i`ve also got some 2 inch thick rubber,about 6 inch wide,that i could screw onto a piece of checher plate at the top.Then i could use it in the same way as the sponge,just to get a bit of "bounce" in the bottom of the squat.Thats why i was interested in what benefit the powerlifters got from using the sponge.

[Stubborn]

I like your spring idea but I believe it would more closely simulate the spring out of the bottom of a suited squat. No?

[crownshep]

I like your spring idea but I believe it would more closely simulate the spring out of the bottom of a suited squat. No?

I`ve never squatted wearing a squat suit,so i`ve no idea what amount of spring it gives you.All it is,is that anytime i find some scrap steel i usually come up with "something" idea wise to make out of it.And i`m racking my brain what i can use this spring for.

[Stubborn]

Hmmmm....a spring, huh? I do the same thing with Strongman equipment. I just use scrap and make a monstrosity. You could make a lot with 2 springs (platforms, accommodating resistance contraptions, etc...). You COULD attach it vertically to a base, then on top put a saddle for an Oly bar, and use it for accommodating resistance in the DL. Set the bar on it and you should get some good "rebound" off the floor. Put plates under the base to adjust the height if necessary. With two springs this could be done on the bench or squat too (safely that is).

Any chance we can get some pics of the things you've made???

[crownshep]

Any chance we can get some pics of the things you've made???

Sure,heres a couple of circles of steel i found,so i had a steel plate welded across the centre,but i had it off to one side instead of the middle of the thickness.That way i can slide a 15kg plate inside and it takes the total weight up to 50 kg.The circle on its own weighs 35 kg,but is only the same thickness as a normal 20 kg plate.

[crownshep]

I`ve found an old thread on ironage (i`m one of the mods there) thats got a few of the pieces i`ve made.They`re mainly on page 2 and 3.
http://ironage.us/yabbse/index.php/topic,15427.20.html 

[crownshep]

This "thing" here is just something i found stuck in the ground on a site,and since this pic was taken i`ve added a few bits.I`ve welded two of the large bolts you see on the ironage thread at the top curve,and then welded two more bolts on top of them.This is for triceps ext and when i can`t even get quarter reps out i put the weight back in the holder and grab the top bolts which is now a shorter range of motion.It helps me squeeze out a few more reps.I also welded some bolts near the bottom to hold extra weight,and i only slide the weights on the bottom where the chain is if i want to increase in small amounts,like 2lb.Its also ideal for doing preacher curls,seeing as how i train alone and instead of having to worry about getting a barbell up to the top to get it off the bench,i simply lower it till the long bar touches the floor.

[crownshep]

This steel plate weighs 60kg but i only found one,so i could only use it on the t bar row,so recently i decided to cut it into quarters with a grinder,put two quarters  back together and welded a few steel bars inbetween them to hold them together.I`ve turned one 60kg plate into two 40 kg plates,what with the added weight of the steel bars.They look something similar to this now.Click on the pic on the left hand side to enlarge it.
http://shopping.msn.com/specs/fusion-255-pound-olympic-weight-plates-with-colored-handles-plus-42-pound-bar-collars/itemid792793910/?itemtext=itemname:fusion-255-pound-olympic-weight-plates-with-colored-handles-plus-42-pound-bar-collars

[Hedgehog]

The main problem with box squats are the risk of compressing the discs in the spine.

Using some kind of cushion when sitting down is always preferable IMO.


There are some other issues as well, but the injury risk is the biggest IMO.

[QuakerOats]

pretty ingenious setup there man, good stuff.

[crownshep]

I`ve finally made a "spring box squat seat" out of some 2"x4" wood i found,and a couple of logs and some foam padding.The spring measures 13" long with an inside hole diameter of 3",and 4" on the outside,so i found a log and hammered it in the top,and then a piece in the bottom and sawn off the excess.I decided to saw the piece in the top at a slight angle so the seat would tilt slightly forward.

[crownshep]

Then with the 2"x4" wood i made this box and placed the spring inside on top of pieces of wood 2"thick,and i can then adjust the height by adding or taking away pieces of 1" or 2" wood packing.A piece of wood was screwed onto the log in the top of the spring and foam padding off a chair was then glued on top of that.

[crownshep]

I banged a nail into the back of the box and thats where i store the extra wood packing if i need to raise or lower the height of the spring,i just drilled a hole in the wood and hooked them on.I`ll have my first squat workout tommorrow using it,so i don`t know what to expect yet,and at the end of the day,if it feels shit i`ll just throw the wood on the fire.Its not cost me a penny,its all scrap.

[Stubborn]

I love it!

[The Wall]

this dude is clearly and engineer of the highest caliber

whats next archimedes?

[crownshep]

this dude is clearly and engineer of the highest caliber

whats next archimedes?

Hahah,i don`t know about being an engineer,but i do have a wild imagination.My brother in law calls me Steptoe,after a 70s comedy over here in the UK called Steptoe and son,they were rag and bone men who dealt in scrap.No matter what i see,i always think what can i make out of it.
The squat workout was great,it felt safer than normal squatting,i didn`t feel the need for a belt or wraps and i went to 4 plates no problem.It took that weight plus my bodyweight of 200lbs (total 600lbs)to compress the spring about an inch.Later in the day my legs felt like i was walking in mud,they just felt really heavy.

[burn2live]

Ingenious

[tonymctones]

thats awesome shit bro you never know where the next good piece of equipment is going to come from keep it up

[crownshep]

thats awesome shit bro you never know where the next good piece of equipment is going to come from keep it up

Cheers mate,not far from where i live is an old railway embankment and for the last 40 years people have dumped all kinds of things,the other day i found an old fire extinguisher,its perfect for me to make a pair of 60lb dumbells out of it.Its basically a steel cylinder 8" wide,so i`ll cut it with the  grinder into 4 seperate "bells",cut a circular piece of checker plate and weld that onto one end,fill it up with bits of scrap steel,weld another checker plate circle on the other end and weld an handle onto it.Thats how i`ve made all my dumbells from 20lbs to 110lbs.

[crownshep]

This is how the old fire extinguisher will end up looking when i`ve cut it into 4 pieces,filled with steel scrap and welded together.

[Stubborn]

All the more satisfying when you build the equipment yourself, eh shep?

Those DB's are clean! You're getting better at this.

[burn2live]

Keep the pictures coming!

[tonymctones]

This is how the old fire extinguisher will end up looking when i`ve cut it into 4 pieces,filled with steel scrap and welded together.

LOL what??? thats fuking amazing bro, you should try and sell your shit that awesome.