Rob Sikes

As much as it pains me to say, as lifters we need to stop grinding ourselves into dust trying to fix lifting problems and take a step back - even if it’s at the expense of dropping intensity and “gainz”

I am a MAJOR offender of this. For the longest time, squats have been feeling awful. Whether that be pain in my joints or more recently intense pain in my lower back. When you continue to re-injure weakened parts, the worst thing you can do is continue to do the same things that likely got you there (even if it was a freak accident).

After a great conversation with my coach (@coachariank), we collectively decided to change things up, especially since there’s not a competition in sight. What this meant is basically re-learning a more efficient squat pattern that limits pain as my body heals, even if it humbled me some and remove completion squats entirely.

These tempo squats aren’t perfect by any stretch but they are a reminder no matter how long you’ve trained, you can always learn something new. This time around I’m also learning to put the bar in a more advantageous place on my back instead of formally putting all the pressure in my wrists, which probably helped contribute to some elbow/wrist pain I’ve now developed.

If you’re looking for help with elbow and bar positioning I highly recommend @bryce_cbb and @coachariank who have great videos on both!