Mehdi natural born squatters

Question about being naturally good at Squats. My comments are below...

### QUESTION ###
"Hi Mehdi, I started your program recently (2weeks in) and watch vids on all the forms for the exercises, but I am having trouble imitating them properly (sometimes I round my back for squats when I drop passed my knees). Did you naturally get the forms right at first, or did it take some time?"

*** MY ANSWER ***
I definitely was NOT a natural at Squats.

I bet I struggled more than you'll ever will.

Because I didn't have anyone to help me.

Remember I started lifting weights in 1999.

It was a very different world back then.

There was no youtube where you could watch videos.

There weren't all these websites and books about lifting either.

And there was definitely no one sending me daily email tips like this.

The few people in my gym who did Squats, they didn't know much better.

So I had to figure A LOT of this out the hard way.

Through trial and error.

Which is a slow and painful process.

For example, my lower back rounded too when I did Squats.

But I didn't know this was bad (even though my lower back hurt).

Worse, they told me "no pain no gain" so I just trained through it.

It took me a loooong time to stop Squatting so narrow and low.

Same with the bar position - I Squatted with a "sissy-pad".

Because the bar was digging into my neck.

My arms even went numb sometimes.

Took years to just hold the bar right.

Took also five years to stop Squatting in running shoes.

So this never came natural to me, I did a lot of stuff wrong.

What kept me on track during all those years was a simple thing.

Determination.

I never wanted to be skinny, weak and out-of shape again in my life.

I had been humiliated by losing armwrestling to all my friends and a girl...

... embarrassed by my man boobs and belly fat when I went shirtless every summer...

There was *no way* I was going back to that.

So I just kept on pushing.

Eventually I got my Squat to 190kg/419lb.

Now people often say I have good form and all that.

What they don't see is that I spent 16 years doing Squats.

I've met a few world record Squatters, it took them years too.

Now I'm not saying it will take you a decade to get results.

It will actually take you far LESS time than me.

Because I already did the trial and error for you.

That's why my little brother Squatted 140kg/300lb in only seven months...

... while it took me four years to do the same.

It's not he had "better genetics" (we're brothers).

It's not that he was more "natural" either (he struggled too)

It's just that I was there telling him exactly what to do and not do.

Stuff like this...

https://stronglifts.com/squat/

Keep it simple.

-Mehdi

P.S. Were you a "natural" at riding a bike? Or driving a car? Or anything else like cooking or learning a language? Because I wasn't. I've always had to work at stuff in order to get better. Nothing has ever came "naturally" to me. This seems to be normal.

https://stronglifts.com/apps/

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