Started SL 5x5 1 month ago, please check my form and don't laugh

Kellyymcd

Lol I guess the term "sneakers" was too broad to use. Yes I am from the United States. To me a sneaker is anything that is not a dress shoe, heel, ladies flats, or sandals. I don't know the difference between that and a "tennis shoe"

ar9179

"Sneaker" and "tennis shoe/tennies" are often interchangeable. Athletic shoe can be used to refer to them, as well. Most of those aren't appropriate for lifting. The shoes mentioned above (vans, converse style) or something like Vibram/Skele Toes will work if barefoot isn't an option. I use Skele Toes that I had previous to starting SL.

I was looking at the cushy floor in the video and wondered if that would impact the OP, along with his mobility. Even in yoga, some need to move off of their thin mats for stability during balance poses.

_Bropollo_

You are going real, real fast. Slow it down. There is no way you are inhaling and then "getting tight" before you start the eccentric part of the squat when you are moving that quick. Your core and back should be flexed. Your lats pull the bar down into your shoulder blades.You need to build tension in the glutes, hamstrings, and quads before you even begin to descend. This becomes very apparent the heavier you go. It will work at the lighter weights, but you are going to make your hip flexors very angry when they are forced to absorb all the energy when you hit the bottom because the rest of your muscles were loose. Plus, having tension in these muscles will improve your lifts, as when you add more tension to an already tensed muscle, the ganglion response of the muscle forces it to contract even harder than it normally could to prevent itself from tearing (which adds up to you lifting more weight). This is that springy feeling you get at the bottom of the squat.

Best squat form video I ever watched: https://youtube.com/watch?v=rOJGzAgLWDc

On the deads, you should start with the bar just slightly behind the middle of your foot. You were pretty far forward, which caused some rounding of the back, and make you pick up most of the load with your spinal erectors (which are tiny muscles compared to things like your leg muscles). You want the bar as close to your ankles as you can get it without scraping your shins with the bar on the way up. You are trying to minimize the level arm between your COG and the bar

You also bent down to get to the bar using your back. You want to keep your back very straight and let your legs do the moving. This might be hard to do at first, but as your mobility increases, it will feel more natural. Trying looking at a wall or mirror in front of you. Keeping your head up will force you to keep your body upright, and use your legs to close the distance. It's crucial to do this, because if you use your back to pick up the weight at higher weights, you will seriously hurt your back. It also helps to keep your grip about the same width as your shins; typically the wider your grip, the more it forces you to pick with weight up with your back.

Also, when you bend down to pick the bar up, make sure to already be contracting your hamstrings. Again, get tight; contract your core, tighten the back, inhale, hold, squeeze, then perform the lift.

Packerjohn

ninerbuff wrote: »

So on your squat, your feet rotate in as you push up. That's usually an indication that your knees are moving inward on the ascension. Feet should stay flat on the floor through the entire movement and knees shouldn't come inward.

You're rounding your back on your deadlifts. Pull your shoulders back and push your chest out. That will help flatten out your back.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I would see articles that would say tuck your shoulders in your back pocket to visualize pulling the shoulders back as you mention. Had a bit of a hard time visualizing this. Tony Gentilcore has a coaching cue in this article that I could visualize: "a more simplified and less geeky way of explaining things is to pretend you have an orange in your armpit and that you’re trying to squeeze out some orange juice."

"This cue will ensure all of the above: lats will be engaged, scapulae will posteriorly tilt, and the chest will be up."

Same thing as put the shoulders in the back pocket, but the orange juice thing really clicked with me.

http://tonygentilcore.com/2014/02/two-components-deadlifting-success/