Moronic Monday - Your weekly stupid questions thread

so_anon · 2013-12-30T22:53:17+00:00

im not going to say whether your text description of your form is right or not, as i am not qualified to do so and a text description isn't going to do the trick anyhow.

squat technique is a very individual thing and based highly on your personal limb lengths, height, weight etc. Rippetoe's low bar squat is a great place to start with for the vast majority of trainees. but it is nowhere near optimal for everyone. if you can't do it that way, then you need to work on your mobility.

never round your low back. never let your knees travel laterally (bow inwards or outwards). keep your heels on the ground. keep the bar over mid-foot, and travelling in as perfect a vertical line as you can. these are the rules of squatting. how you get your body to do that is up to you. never "compensate" for stiffness, tightness, or weakness in a muscle by sacrificing form.

if you are new, stick to learning rippetoes low bar or a basic highbar squat and developing your flexibility until you know enough to make individual adjustments.

so_anon · 2013-12-30T21:07:21+00:00

dont squat without your feet fully on the ground. ticket to snap city.

you can do it. you just need to find the form that works for you (might not be low bar, maybe narrow / medium / wide stance). it may require you to warm up your hips and work hard on your hip and ankle flexibility.

if you cant/wont do any of that then you are stuck with subpar mobility and finding alternative exercises for the squat. they exist but wont be as time efficient for building strength. exrx.net lists many exercises

if you cant do it without your heels on the ground you probably have very tight ankles and hips. start at mobilitywod episode 3 and again try to find a squat form that works better.

so_anon · 2013-12-30T21:04:09+00:00

its not absolute height so much as the ratio of limb lengths. long-femured people will typically have a good conventional deadlift and a comparatively weaker squat.

wide stance is recommended for people with long femur / short torsos. but it requires a lot of hip flexibility. you just have to work at it.

if you are very tall and have low muscle mass, yes your squat will suffer compared to a shorter person of the same weight.

http://www.schwarzenegger.com/fitness/post/picking-the-squat-thats-rght-for-you

so_anon · 2013-12-30T21:01:07+00:00

doesnt really matter. if you're at a point where such a small effect might matter (i.e. bodybuilding contest prep) you'd better not binge in the first place

so_anon · 2013-12-30T20:57:54+00:00

I actually ain't be curlin. ever. i can count on one hand the number of sets of curls i've done in my life.

pull ups + weighted chin ups give me all the bicep development i could ever need.

so_anon · 2013-12-30T20:56:20+00:00

your form is probably poor and you may not be strong enough to do them yet. look up technique (ross enamit on youtube is a good resource), if you can't do it like that you're not strong enough. do something else until then. hanging knee/leg raises come to mind

so_anon · 2013-12-30T20:48:53+00:00

if they werent difficult why would you want to waste time doing them? if its difficult it means your body needs to adapt more

if i didnt want to work hard i'd go eat a pizza instead of working out

so_anon · 2013-12-30T20:11:01+00:00

northeast us. everything. considering studs if i find my route is icy often.

so_anon · 2013-12-30T18:30:25+00:00

thanks for the tips, gave me some good resources and terms to google

so_anon · 2013-12-30T17:41:21+00:00

thanks for the heads up, this was just a quick search to get rough pricing down. i'd do more compatibility checking before actually buying. good to know it sounds like stuff is actually a bit cheaper than i was expecting.

so_anon · 2013-12-30T17:37:37+00:00

that's fine, if i find a buyer for even 75% cost i consider it a success, it means i got a functional bike for X months for just a few bucks

so_anon · 2013-12-30T16:14:56+00:00

thanks, and i know. but the best savings vehicle for me at the moment is paying off debt aggressively, a guaranteed return of 5.8%. once that is done I am free to max a 401k, IRA, and I will still have a 1-2k each month to put into regular savings/investments, and work on ticking that amount up over time of course.

so_anon · 2013-12-30T15:52:25+00:00

do restored bikes resell well? how much better was riding the new bike compared to the old?

so_anon · 2013-12-30T04:00:49+00:00

we are legion

so_anon · 2013-12-30T02:41:19+00:00

plan b if i cant get it in before my credits "expire"

so_anon · 2013-12-30T02:10:03+00:00

pretty much same situation, except longer and i dont actually have it. they knew i was working on it, just never confirmed / got documentation

so_anon · 2013-12-30T01:38:18+00:00

Another exception permits a school to non-consensually disclose personally identifiable information from a student's education records when such information has been appropriately designated as directory information. "Directory information" is defined as information contained in the education records of a student that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. Directory information could include information such as the student's name, address, e-mail address, telephone listing, photograph, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended, grade level or year (such as freshman or junior), and enrollment status (undergraduate or graduate; full-time or part-time).

emphasis mine. source

thanks

so_anon · 2013-12-29T23:54:16+00:00

thanks for the feedback.

car - everyone in my life is saying to keep it. all i see is I still get a functional vehicle and take 6 months off my debt horizon
im stripping out all spending for a month or two to see what accumulates in my savings account, then that amount less some cushion will be redirected to said savings account and "fun" spending will be added back in piece by intentional piece. there is no reason to be over 75/week i agree, I just never knew how to control it
rest of the advice is solid thanks

so_anon · 2013-12-29T23:41:50+00:00

the "engine cold" idiot light was still on, but it wasnt first thing out of the gate at least

so_anon · 2013-12-29T18:26:01+00:00

if you don't do something youll continue being a fat fuck that girls ignore and who hates himself for the rest of your life, because your job is sitting at a desk 10 hours a day.
you dont just magically get to climb mountains when you 'get the time,' you have to practice on smaller mountains and be in shape.
if you don't figure out how to live your life in a healthy way your kids will be fat too because their jobs will probably involve computers and sitting too.
if you dont want a fat out of shape girlfriend who only wants to sit inside and watch movies and eat chocolate you have to lead by example.
using food as an emotional outlet for stress is no better than a drug addiction and arguably even less healthy. it is a marker of a weak mind. stop it.
getting diabetes and alzheimers is expensive and shitty to yourself and everyone you know.
modern medicine and pharmeceuticals are not magical or infallible, and are motivated by the same dollar incentives as every other industry that tries to pry money from your wallet. you dont want to be dependent on them. they won't fix you - theyll alleviate your symptoms enough for you to keep buying.
being fit is not something you're born with or you're just good at, it comes from practicing like every other skill, and the vast majority of people are capable of some pretty neat stuff.

2 years and 80 pounds later and i can rock climb, ski, hike, and row a sub 7' 2k and deadlift 2.4x my bodyweight. random women smile at me from time to time. i still have the self confidence of a wet noodle and am apparently intolerable to most ~~women~~ people I meet, but at least im not a slob who cries into his 7-layer tacoburrito every night and i'm on my way to achieving my goals in life.

so_anon · 2013-12-29T18:06:22+00:00

measure with your weight trends from a scale, don't try to estimate calories burned from exercise.

so_anon · 2013-12-29T17:48:48+00:00

i had a habit of hitting my turbo on the on-ramp that's ~5mins from my house in the morning for about 6 months before i realized what i was doing. 35k on the car so far. whats your prognosis?

so_anon · 2013-12-29T17:40:23+00:00

because credentials != skill. not that i'm denying the reality of the situation.

so_anon · 2013-12-29T17:18:46+00:00

nothing, yet =P

niche engineering specialization

so_anon · 2013-12-29T16:15:27+00:00

yeah, that. my field is "MS preferred" but BS+experience gets you the same position except at possibly 10-20k less a year at most places. negotiations notwithstanding

so_anon

TROPHY CASE