Form Check

PitBullMom_Liz

First, I cannot believe I am posting a video on the internet in which I am wearing spandex shorts and a sports bra. I apologize, as it's not pretty. But I wanted to be able to see my form.

This is my 3rd workout total, 2nd workout A.

Also, there is swearing in the video as I wasn't paying attention to what song was playing. Sorry!

Now, squats: They're ugly. I know I'm not going deep enough, and I'm leaning forward too much. On the plus side, I'm doing better at keeping my weight in my heels (hence the stagger in the 2nd set - I overthought it!), and I am doing better at keeping my knees wide and tracking over my feet. Other suggestions?

Bench: The bar was wavering because the weight was heavy for me. I think I'm doing an okay (not great, just okay) job at tracking straight up and down.

Rows: Actually kind of pleased with these. I feel like my back is staying nice and flat, and I'm squeezing my shoulder blades together to bring the bar up as opposed to using solely my arms. Obviously I have trouble hitting my plates stacked on the floor, so the landing can be rough! Are my feet too wide? They're a little more than shoulder-width apart. But I have long legs and short arms and figured that, like with the deadlift, a wider stance would be okay if it kept my back flat. Am I correct in that?

So lots of room for improvement, but I'm pretty proud considering I just started lifting for the first time ever on Monday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mztxU7a5KMk&feature=youtu.be

lwoodroff

congratulations on completing your first week! I'm sure others will have great advice, but my two observations are..

squats - look at the bar path, it should be vertical down then up. it's swooping down as you bend forward at the bottom of your squat. I'm sure you can fix this

bench - I'd drop down and make sure form was good at a weight I could handle before going up.

pendlay rows - I'd stand further back than you are, as you say you have very long legs and being too close to the bar isn't helping you.

Amazing1985RSD

For your squats, ideally you should unrack the bar from a position that's about chest height. I would invest in a squat rack if you can. Until then it may be safer to get the weight from the ground to over head when you do your squats. If you can.

girlie100

Squats are becoming a squat good morning, concentrate on keeping chest up, looking forward and pushing you bum back and down to keep your back more upright this may help you break parallel also play around with your foot stance width to get the depth.

Ideally you should unrack at chest height but providing you unrack with good squat form at these weights its not going to be a problem, just make sure you are all set up correctly before you unrack.

Bench your weaker side is showing, so maybe drop weight. Deep breath in before bringing the bar down to puff your chest up, tense your shoulder blade together on the bench and maybe try pushing your bum a bit more up the bench. The bar should move straight down onto your chest make sure where you lay down and then unrack allows this.

With the rows as Iwoodroff said try playing around with your foot distance to bar and maybe bend your knees a little more holding the tension in your hamstrings so that your hip and shoulder are level

Great session though keep at it :drinker:

bumblebums

Squats: you probably don't need such a wide stance. Stance is very much an individual thing, but I would start with feet shoulder width apart, and toes out (30 degrees is a good starting angle). I just tried an air squat with a wider stance such as yours, and it was harder to attain good depth that way...

Another thing I would recommend is wearing a cotton t-shirt--it will prevent the bar from slipping out of place. Cotton provides enough drag that you can use a better grip, too, with no weight resting on your hands/wrists (the thumb should be on the same side of the bar as the rest of your fingers, and the wrist should be as straight as possible).

And I think you might be one of those rare people who overextends the lower back, rather than rounding it. I think it might be a postural habit? Because you do it when you stand up straight without a bar, too. That spine position will prevent you from stiffening the trunk all over when the weights get heavier.

Bench: it actually looked pretty good to me. Some asymmetry is expected, especially at first. But you were able to complete five reps. I would just not increase the weight further until both left and right hand are steady.

Equipment:

Please take those collars off the bar if you are benching alone! You can do the roll of shame at lighter weights, but people get killed every year from using too heavy a weight that cannot be rolled, especially if you are tired. The thing to do then is drop the plates on the floor, one side at a time.

Also, the rests on the bench uprights are too low for your arm length. When you unrack, your elbows should be straight; you do it by shrugging the shoulders/pecs forward. Right now, they are low enough for your elbows to be bent when you unrack.

PitBullMom_Liz

Thank you all so much for the feedback! It was definitely helpful and gave me a lot to work on.

Bumble - with overextending the lower back, should I try to tuck my pelvis a little? Or will things naturally improve as I gain more strength? And thank you for the tip on equipment. I'll take the collars off, and had no idea the racks for the bench press should be so high. And my last 3 sets of squats my thumb was in the proper position - had a brain fart for the first two sets!

My bench press rack actually goes up to almost bosom height, which is where it's set for squats. I dip under it and then assume squat position to lift the bar out. I figured that was better than trying to yank it off the floor and over my head? I do want to eventually get a squat rack, but it's not in the budget right now.

bumblebums

Re: lower back overextension--try tightening your abs before you descend. It's hard to overextend your back when your stomach is tight. But what is happening to your upper body right now seems to suggest that your abs are not engaged.

Here is the approximate procedure I follow:

1. Set grip width and hand position and get under the bar, with both feet under it at the same time.
2. Take in a breath, hold it.
3. Tighten the abs and sides.
4. Unrack, take one step back, look down at feet to make sure distance and angle are good.
5. Go down into the squat, watching knees out of the corner of my eye so they don't cave in or go forward past my toes.
6. I know I'm at the bottom when I can feel my calves with my hamstrings--but don't linger there. Mentally scream, "KNEES OUT!"
7. Lift butt up, while maintaining core tension/correct back angle. Keep half an eye on knees.
8. At the top, exhale.
9. Repeat from 2, skipping 4.
10. When done with set, rerack by meeting uprights of the squat rack/power cage.


The thing that would worry me about using this equipment for squats isn't the height, although that's important, but the need to go over the uprights before you can rack the bar. Those uprights are meant to be used from the other side, so working around those hooks seems dangerous to me.

PitBullMom_Liz

Thanks for the detailed steps on your squat routine. I'll definitely pay attention to that.

And yeah, it's not ideal by any means. Maybe I'll prop the bar on the bench and pick it up from there. Saving for a squat rack.

PitBullMom_Liz

Deadlift, 75 lbs (woot!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJhPq1L-DiE

Holy cripes I'm waaaay in front of the bar. My foot placement is correct (bar over the mid-foot?) but I need to get my butt further back. My back wasn't as flat as I thought, either. Last time I did deadlifts I did sumo-style with my feet wider, this time I did feet inside my arms. Wondering if I should switch back to sumo or if flexibility/form will improve over time?

I also seem to be bending my knees to soon on the return, so it bounces off my knees. I have a feeling that will get painful very quickly, LOL.

I didn't vid my squats today, but I kept my feet closer and think I did a little better. At one point I was TOO far upright as I nearly fell backwards and had to shuffle my feet to stay upright. Need to find that happy place.

Forgot to video OHP.

lwoodroff

can't see vid at work but I'm so tall when I had bar over mid-foot it wasn't a correct set-up position at all. When I saw a trainer, he had me put toes about 3 inches under the bar (kind of at widest point of foot), which seems to have fixed it.
or kinda, as these are my least confident lift for form. So don't take my word as gospel!

inkysmurf

Pitbullmom - the ladies above have great feed back

With the dead-lift - middle of my foot means I have the bar at my ankle (i'm 5ft 6&1/2) the vids I'd watched had said that people sometimes have in between their ankle and toes - but that's not really the middle of your foot as such - not sure if that helps any?

Also check out some hip hinge stuff - that might help too with your squats & deadlift.

And I sometimes scrap my thighs when pulling the bar up (i work out in literally a pair of knickers and my hubbys teeshirt from the day before - you are rocking your spandex!)

but a HUGE WELL DONE!!!!!!! your on your way. xx

girlie100

push your bum back and down so you are pushing through your heels, you need to have the hamstrings engaged.

:drinker:

girlie100

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGkoZXdVyeY

this guy has a series of vids on the deadlift worth a little watch of each

PitBullMom_Liz

Thanks all!!!