Go get it man. Just keep working on it and don’t be afraid to add weight to the bar a little at a time. As long as you keep it up the progress adds up fast
I was in your situation only a year or so ago, I remember repping 60 kg. About a year of solid training later and my max squat is 120kg, trust me you can do great things if you’re patient
Andy, you're not weak man, you're just starting out. Train consistently over time and you'll be moving heavy weight soon. For squat, brace better. Also you can let your hips travel back a bit during the squat. Looks like you're trying to stay very upright with high bar.
The part about not referring to lifts as weak really resonated with me. I often joke about my poverty bench. I have a meet in September so I'm going to take the advice and be more positive. Right now I just expect to do bad. No good.
Bryce, your positive and uplifting approach to weightlifting is so refreshing. Thanks for putting your voice out there, and of course for the advice itself.
Anyone else rush to the comment section too? Anyways, Andy you’re not weak, you’re just getting started and that’s fine and there are just SO MANY ways to prove to yourself that you’re stronger than you think even if it’s in tiny increments. For example, if you’re squatting 135 and you add five pounds to the bar dude you’re 5 pounds stronger than before and that may not seem like much, but trust me 2.5 pounds will mean something if it’s a jump. Just change the perspective on your lifting journey, Bro. You’re squat form is solid as hell too, the bar speed is fucking A1, and you have so much potential to be so much greater than who YOU are now. And probably if it’s too much stay away from looking at other people lift if it’s discouraging you instead of motivating you. That’s perfectly fine. You’re doing great man and please keep up the good work.
Thank you Bryce! (Chelsea here). I appreciate your help and will work on getting my hips lower. I thought my shin angle wasn't vertical enough so I started setting up with my hips higher in recent months but everything you said makes perfect sense and I look forward to making the improvements in my next training session. Thanks for the words of encouragement too.
Thank you for sending in your lift! It’s very similar to how I deadlift so the cues were really helpful to me too! I can’t wait for you to crush 2x BW! I’m almost there myself and it’s an exciting goal to look forward to🙌🏻😄
@@eulie303 that's great it helped you too! I was so surprised my video got selected. I've got so much to work on lol but will just keep practicing. I'm sure you'll hit that 2xbw very soon!
Isabel is strong 💪🏻. Obviously i don't know her squat and bench numbers but i don't see that many females rep 125 kg where i'm from. And conventional 😍
Andy, we all come from the same starting point - let me quote my fav anime - Being weak is nothing to be ashamed of. Staying weak is! - You will get there and the people here give profound advice on technique, keep on going though this starting phase and you'll see results quickly! Make sure to watch your diet, I underate a lot early on and saw little progress untill I fixed that. Then results were measurable from week to week. Keep going strong brother!
Andy: everybody started from low weight, don’t worry too much. And yr speed is super fast, meaning u can handle much more weight. 3things can be improved: Set up with less steps, u look very rush to unrack and tune a bit too much. Grip width can be narrower. Being less upright in the finishing. (by pushing hip backwards)
love the positive energy you give-in these videos.im nearly 60-but didn't get seriously into powerlifting until i started watching ppl like Omar,Candito,you and Silent Mike.Makes such a diffference to my training-been going to the gym for years though
Andy you are doing fine. Just keep at it. I find having a buddy at the gym helps me push past the fear of trying something a little heavy. A good spotter is not going to let you fail but will help you push your limits.
Love your commentary, Bryce. Always so positive and supportive! Learning a lot from these videos, which I didn't expect first getting into this series given the "X reacts to" title.
Hey Andy! I had those feelings every time I compared myself to what I see on Instagram before! Totally normal! But later on I shifted my mindset to compare current me to the old me, and use Instagram as motivation tool to hype myself to train and the movement library for my own improvements, especially when I noticed my techniques are incorrect, I will go to Instagram to check how others perform the same movement and learn from them…
For Andy! I had the worst squat and tweaked myself with no weight at all before I slowed down my lifts. I really do a minimum second way down on squats and it’s counterintuitive in my head but my squat is now comfy and progresses with my program
Looking forward to this "self talk" Everyone starts somewhere, no one walks out and looks like the Rock or Thor. Andy: Only thing I'd work on right now is slowing the reps down and fight the gravity, maybe a 1 sec pause at the bottom. Learn to control the weight and hold tension throughout the movement. It doesn't have to be a long drawn out rep, just enough so gravity isn't slamming your body down. It can be a quick descent, but controlled. As for feeling weak, everyone needs to begin somewhere and as long as you focus on yourself, where you were and where you're going, you'll be OK. No more social media, and don't worry about people at the gym. When I was your age I always though about everyone around me, now being older I could care less about others around me.
My deadlift looks a bit like Chelsea's at the moment - my back seems to round slightly no matter what I do on heavier deadlifts, and info online seems to say that my spine will combust if it rounds AT ALL, even if I'm not experiencing any pain. This made me feel a lot better. Thank you!
Andy, it's totally normal, bro. But two things: 1) You're probably thinking other people are judging you for being weak, but they're not. Even the strongest people in the gym were in your shoes at one point. They know what's up. 2) It doesn't last long. If you follow a solid program and eat enough, you'll gain strength rapidly and forget about your worries before you know it.
Andy have you tried a more low bar position! You seem to be gifted in the leg length department and low bar really helped me to push weight without feeling like I have to stay super upright!
i have deadlifted conventionel for 7 months now and im on the smaller size 5,9 65kg bw i get some lower back pain even tho my form is fine my max is 140kg 315lbs but i cant do nearly that weight sumo but i really want to know if i should just do sumo cause i have no idea??
Howdy, here is a link to an article on managing pain in training/exercise by Dr. Austin Baraki. Hope you find this useful. www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/pain-in-training-what-do/
Chelsea's deadlift form almost mirrors my own, but unlike her, I am plagued by back pain. So glad to see to this. Great tips! By far my favorite channel.
I think theres a few easy fixes Andy can implement. First off we can start the descent a little slower to add a bit more control. I think thatll help with the feeling of getting pushed forward at the bottom. The second thing we can do to build on that is to make we sure apply even foot pressure throughout the lift. One thing to help with that could be trying heeled lifting shoes because it looks like sometimes you are getting put on the toes. One final thing I would add for now would be trying some pause squats. It looks like when you come out of the bottom you have great hip drive but you errectors cant keep up.
Can you do rack pulls or trap bar deads? I’m just curious because I’ve never met someone like you. Also is it to do with bone structure, or something else?
Hi. Andy, IMO first off, always have a positive outlook on lifting weights, the mindset is the most important thing, think this is my weight, i will lift this, helps me hugely, your lift looks strong from the angle that i can see, advise would be to take your time with the lift, when you lift the weight off the rack, brace your core, one step back, check your feet, when you feel comfortable, control the weight down and up, the power is there, depth is also good, i would also bring those hands in significantly, as much as you can. They seem to be very wide, which for squatting is not great. Keep going lifting weights takes time, good from trumps everything. Good luck and keep pressing. Lee
Andy, Definitely slow down. Make sure you take the time to brace at the top. I would try pause squats to help your bottom position and to help eliminate coming forward out of the bottom. I would also kill for that ankle mobility, that will only help you going forward as you get stronger. As for the felling of being weak, Bryce is right, we all need to avoid self talk like that. I've been guilty of it especially when I was younger just starting out. It led me down the wrong path and I was completely aimless for much of my 20's in regards to lifting. I was left with feeling depressed anytime I thought about lifting. Always had huge goals and would immediately be defeated anytime I didn't increase my lifts. Once I started setting realistic goals, putting my ego at the door, I was better mentally and it made lifting enjoyable. Now I'm 35 and I haven't looked back. Stronger than ever. Be patient and the strength will come. Also, you have a very similar build to me when I was younger, don't forget to eat! You'd be surprised how much you need.
If u allow bar setting on your palm it will increase tension on your forearm and can provide you to tennis elbow injury (that was in my case), but if your forearms and wrist are strong enough and can do that without pain i think is a good advice because its a little easier to push that bar with palm. Unfortunately i can't do that :(
@Andy, use the frequent que of bracing down with your ribs. You're slightly overextended when you start your descent and when you drop below parallel you get that slight butt wink. You also seem to be way too loose. If you tighten your back and maybe get your hands a bit closer in you'll have an easier time keeping your back flat at the bottom. Lastly, I would try using elevated heels, be it weightlifting shoes or just putting a small plate under your heel. It will help with the lack of mobility.
Andy your squat form in itself is really good! I know you mentioned you struggle w flexibility but you have a really good highball olympic style squat form, and the flat shoes might be doing you a disservice here- maybe look into a heeled shoe or putting 5 lb plates under your heels? but your form is really good man. you can gain confidence in the squat by doing more controlled variations- so say u keep weight the same, but do a 3 s controlled descent, or paused in the bottom, or paused halfway on the way up, squat onto pins and back etc; then slowly add weight. this will give u confidence on different segments of the lift dude and allow you to feel like u can add weight. not only does everyone start light, but when people get injuries they sometimes coming back to just the bar. I personally have avoided getting hurt by always playing it safe and going lighter than what some might. so again dude you aren't weak, just work on your un rack and setting feet and body up tightly, work on different segments of the lift, and you'll be adding weight in no time! and trust me, its not a bad quality to wanna err on the side of caution and go lighter than u want! good luck!
Aye Bryce would you please tell me if I should be able to move my thoracic spine when I am properly braced or should that be impossible like lower back rounding? Help much 'preciated
Andy, you're just starting out but the squats look really good, definitely not weak0. Setup was a little rushed imo but depth was on point. Not really seeing notable knee cave and the weight looked like it moved well. keep doing what youre doing and keep your form in check as you add weight.
Andy looks like he hits decent depth for someone new and someone who says he's struggled with flexibility or mobility. I'd say for someone new, a pretty decent squat!
also, if you can afford, get a good coach who can custom program for ya or find a decent program to start with rather than just lifting and doing whatever at the gym. A program will help more and you'll never have to think about what you're going to be doing once at the gym. Proper programming >> saves time and money imo. Good luck!
Andy, It’s a marathon it’s not a sprint. You should look at the progress on your lifts from where you started to where you are now. All the top people started just like everyone at low weight.
Andy I wouldn't worry about comparing yourself to other lifters too much. Go compete, get the experience, hit YOUR numbers. Don't worry what other guys are lifting. At the end of the day it's you vs. you anyway. ol gym bro don't care what you are lifting.
I'm in the same boat. I've only used wraps a few times and didn't notice much, but I've read a few articles saying that using them helps protect your elbows and shoulders by keeping all of the joints in position. I've had issues with my shoulder so I'm going to try using them more often.
On heavier sets it’s definitely a good idea. If you’re wrapping properly you’ll lock your wrist into position and should feel stronger as well...also you’ll know if you’re wrapping properly cause you probably won’t be able to tolerate having the wraps on for more than a set mabi 2 tops before it’s too painful
Andy looks like squatting down too fast (i used to do same in the beginning). My suggestion would be concentrate a bit more on bracing and squat down slowly. Standing up I think you can do as fast as you can. Sitting down slowly I believe will give you more confidence with weight and awareness about your body movement.
Andy: start squat movement by moving hips back first, not with the knees. Slow the decent more, don't divebomb the weights, you'll lose tightness. Be more patient in the reps
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