I'm still working on a full squat of 205lbs for maximum reps... if I hit 100 reps, I'll add weight. Otherwise, 205 will be it for me. I hit 205x10. It felt great, mostly because these rock bottom squats are done with a substantial pause at the bottom. I actually sit at rock bottom for a moment to make sure the reps count... otherwise, i start squatting like a piston and some reps are not created equal.
The other difference is that I am warming up with back extensions (hyperextensions?). This has really helped. It's a great way to warm up. I've tried to read as much as I can find regarding the lowerback; mostly safety and building strength. What I initially thought was that rounding of the back was to be avoided at all costs during lifting... I am coming to understand this is not a complete statement. To properly hit the lower back with a full range of motion, there must be spinal flexion and extension. Deadlifts and squats build lower back strength, however, due to the lower back being kept locked, you can remain extremely weak in the rest of the ranges of motion. I've read that John Christy trains people on the SLDL and finds it acceptable to venture out of the strict arch or neutral back recommendations... Even more recently, I read this from Bill Starr:
"I've never bought into the notion that doing good mornings with a rounded back is damaging to the disks. The spine is designed to bend forward. It wasn't all that long ago that our ancestors moved around with very rounded backs. If moving heavy weights with a rounded back injured the spine, then every powerlifter and other strength athlete who does deadlifts would be in traction, because every single one of them rounds their backs on max attempts. Some every do rounded back deads as part of their training to prepare them for heavy lifts. In addition, every person who has a job or hobby where he leans over and lifts heavy objects all day would have abuse risks as well.
Remember, an athlete starts out with light weight in the good morning and proceeds slowly, allowing time for the lumbars to get strong enough to handle the stress. The only risk in doing rounded back g/ms is trying to do too much too soon. But this is true for flat back g/ms also.
Another important factor in this regard is technique. When either style of g/ms is done with sloppy form, the risk factor soars. When done perfectly, the risk is negligible.
At the universities where I strength coach, I started over a thousand athletes, male and female, on good mornings. I always have them try the rounded back version first. If there is no problem, I have them stay with it. Should they experience undue discomfort, I switch them to flat backs or seated. I've had some cases where the flat back g/ms hurt them while the rounded style didn't. In the fifteen years, I only had one athlete hurt himself while doing g/ms: a football player who tried to used the same amount of weight on his first day back that he had previously used at the end of the off-season program eight months before. For the record, he did them with a flat back.
I reiterate that using correct form is the most critical factor in regards to safety. If any version is done in a jerky motion, there is a risk to the lower back. And while it's true that the lumbars do relax at the bottom of the movements, it's not a total relaxation, but rather only a partial one. If the lumbars completely relaxed, the bar would crash to the floor. The stretch reflex prevents the muscles from fully relaxing when being stretched and keeps the disks from being harmed when heavy weights are moved with a rounded back."
Furthermore, true lower back machines restrain the hips. As far as I know, most machines that are labeled lower back machine are misleading, because the hips end up getting most of the work. Thus, back extensions for me... also if you've ever read John McCallum or Dr. Ken Leistner's recommendations on performing SLDL's off a block, you'll notice there is no mention of keeping a neutral back or an arched back... same goes for Arthur Jones. My current thinking is that SLDL's, performed off a block so that the bar can hit your shoelaces should actually be done with spinal flexion and extension. Obviously, you need to start with a light weight to ensure the strength is there before trying heavier loads.
