Quote:
Originally Posted by Patriam1066
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Grip is fine. I’ve never had neck gains though I’ll admit. I do shrugs but don’t deadlift or squat much. Too afraid at my age
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Its all about proper form. I was pretty apprehensive about it when I started. Start on a smith machine if it helps to allay your fears.
For D/L Setup, you should be able to see the very front loop of your laces peaking out from under the bar, bend over until your fingertips are parallel with the top of your kneecap, then squat directly down from there. Lean back a little and push directly down on the ground keeping your back square (use a back brace to assist you in keeping everything tight and aligned back there.)
Most of the lifting is with your hamstrings with the secondary force primarily being your grip strength. You can start as low at 75, but most say 135 (1 plate and the olympic bar) is entry level for men. You dont really straighten your back up until your 2/3rds of the way up on your hamstring's force alone.
For squats, again you can start with a smith machine, which gives you a bit of an mechanical advantage because on a smith the bar path is slightly angled back, which allows you to position your feet in front of you slightly, and push back against the ramp (so the chances that the weight would bend you forward into a position where you can hurt your back are substantially lower).
Once you can do 200 on each, you can easily drop 20% of the weight and transition to freeweight on an olympic barbell and you'll have developed enough lower back strength to significantly reduce your risks. The key is to add weight gradually to avoid backstrain or developing exertion headaches. You'll also want to be well hydrated before performing compound lifts like these, or, again, your chances of overexertion and developing exertion headache related injuries is increased.