Advice Required: Deck Squats and Stiff Leg Windmill

Hi all

I am looking for some advice. I recently started back again.

1. I am really struggling to complete a deck squat. My bum and my feet can't seem be on the ground at the same time which means I am having to use my hands to push off the ground, give momentum, and stand up.

Any advice. I am guessing something is tight and i need to mobilise somewhere.

2. I have posted before on windmills. I still struggle with these and they make for some serious effort even doing a 5 or reps each side. The new intro video with the girl in it has helped a bit as she angles a foot and leg out in one direction.

I already have should mobility issues, including impingement, tight pecs and lats and as such the vertical line is hard to hold. When the weight goes off vertical (on every rep) it takes some serious stabilisation to keep it moving.

Any advice on this? 

3. Lastly, when I'm stuck at two exercises (above) do you recommend just repeating the week until I master it?

Thanks folks.

John

1. It's physically impossible to do deck squats without a little momentum.  It should be controlled momentum (like the mastery video) though.  You probably have tight ankles and/or hips.  The best approaches to these are any of the following: hold a small (2 kg/5 lb) weight as counterbalance, elevate your bum on a panel mat, or use more momentum.  Gradually reduce the extra help.  Also, PE1>iM is a good ankle stretch, so make sure you feel it opening up your ankles.

2. Only go as deep as you can with perfect form.  The weight shouldn't go off vertical.

3. The approach is different for PE's vs IM's.  

For PE's, use your "cheat" and continue to progress through the template until you can do a rep without help.  Then start over and work back through the template "clean".  (Be careful not to increase ROM and number of reps simultaneously.)

For IM's, progress is made by increasing ROM.  You should always be doing the full number of reps and gradually increasing ROM over the months you're doing this exercise.

Something I have tried that has had progress is starting Windmill on your knees; as I am super tight in the hips and hamstrings (can't touch toes) and this has been working well - started only touching finger tips, now can get my fist to touch (an extra 2-4 inches of progression).

Not exactly sure how well this will transfer to standing, but we will so. hope it helps.

skeeter said:

Something I have tried that has had progress is starting Windmill on your knees; as I am super tight in the hips and hamstrings (can't touch toes) and this has been working well - started only touching finger tips, now can get my fist to touch (an extra 2-4 inches of progression).

 

Not exactly sure how well this will transfer to standing, but we will so. hope it helps.

Windmills are also a challenge for me.  I tweaked something in my hip last week doing them so I am planning on skipping them my hip heals up.  So, I am interested in modification, variations, for WM.  I don't know what you mean by kneeling windmills.  Could you make a video? or link one?  

Anyone else have suggestions on things to work on while laying off the WM?

I am wondering what size dumbbell I should use. I have a 15lb kettlebell, is this too much to start with? I'd like to start the program tomorrow, but I won't if I need a lower weight.

I do deck squats and windmills in my warm ups. The last 4 weeks these have improved so much more in the last 4 weeks since doing the stretch series. I wish I had access to the stretch series when I started as I would have progressed a lot quicker.

How are your bent hollow body rocks? i've experimented some problems with deck squat with people with low ability to maintain tension between upper body and lower body during the transition to bottom part of squat.

Alex...I think you may be on the mark. I just posted elsewhere that as a result of trying a suggestion that Jon Douglas made to try a slow deck squat I was able to stand for the first time with slow momentum. I concentrated on compressing my legs to chest and ankles to butt, slowly fell back while holding that compression then popped up. I could only get a few good reps then it became harder to hold that compression. At that point I could stand but would stumble backwards one or two times. I honestly never thought of incorporating this as part of the movement. If anything I always tried holding my feet in and knees more out but that never helped, obviously, At least in my case while trying to work off the ground. Maybe the idea of compressing knees and feet should be added to the focus points of this movement in the course? "pulling the glutes tight to the feet" as noted I don't think is as helpful, and sounds like what I was doing which didn't seem to get me up.

John...Like Mark said I think with the stretch series its going to make a big difference. I feel some nasty snagged areas when doing the series that I can't help thinking are probably holding me back. If your kinda banged up, like we both seemed to be, the stretch series may be your step ahead of the game I didn't have starting out.

Coaches have told me to use a raised surface or a light weight thats enough to JUST get you up. I started with a raised surface then weight on the ground. Both working through the rep and sets as indicated. That being said I never tried active compression either so perhaps I didn't need to do all that. Lossing weight over time I think has also helped with this movement as well. Regardless, with time it will change just keep hammering away at it. Hope this is helpful...

alex87 said:

How are your bent hollow body rocks? i've experimented some problems with deck squat with people with low ability to maintain tension between upper body and lower body during the transition to bottom part of squat.

There is a direct correlation between Hollow body rocks and deck squats. As I have improved with HBR my deck squats have improved.

Can I see a video of your deck squat from the side and from the front?

Basically there are 2 physical points that could be an obstacle for deck squat:

-too tight adductors

-too tight achilles tendon

well you will be surprised that I have both of them, actually I cannot sit in a full squat. but with a good and smooth roll I can perform the deck squat with knees together. this is a proof that a solid hollow body rock , as mark experimented, is a very good way to improve the probability to perform the deck squat.

I never had a problem with deck squats, so to be clear, I don't personally understand the challenges some of y'all may be facing.

That said, I think one thing that might have helped make it easy, is that for a while now, maybe 1-2 years, every morning and night when I brush my teeth, I sit in a squat. I have one of those electric toothbrushes, it goes on a 2 minute built-in timer. So for 2 minutes every morning and 2 minutes every night, I sit in a low squat in the bathroom, brushing my teeth. I swing a bit side to side, and I rock forward, feeling the stretch in my feet and ankles. My knees are outside of my shoulders, and heels on the ground.

When I started F1 and SLS/PE1, I changed my toothbrush squat routine sometimes to have my knees together. It's harder to balance that way, but a nice little exercise.

I wonder if something like that might help? A little bit, every day, to get the body to stretch into that position?

Ed