Form check videos
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You aren't quite going deep enough. You want the crease of your hip while squatting to hit parallel or lower than your knee. You aren't going quite that far.0
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(edit: agh, sorry, this was for storm. i'll leave it here in case she's still around)
that's a lot of neck movement, and i think it's making it much harder than it needs to be for you to keep your balance/control your bar path. i have the opposite (terribly hard-to-shake) habit of dropping my head to watch my own feet and knee angle/position, and i know it really spoils what i could do if i weren't doing that. so it's worth correcting early before the habit takes hold. try finding a spot on the floor about 10 feet in front of you and watching that the whole time. you want a neutral spine all the way up into the base of your skull. a little more depth might come easier that way as well.
you start out with nice straight wrists, but see how you're letting your hands curl under the bar during the rep? try to keep that straightness all the way through.
i may be wrong about this (i squat low-bar and can't even seem to achieve the high-bar placement anymore). but i think maybe the bar is a little too high in your case. someone who does do high bar might be able to help more with that.0 -
@Brianna716 . . . same comment about your wrists being under the bar. this is long and it's for low bar (i think that's what you're doing), but it's worth it if you can spare the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2tyOLvArw0. 0 -
Okay, hopefully I can get the videos to work properly.
I had my daughter video me doing a set of each exercise for StrongLifts workout A. Could I please get some feedback on my form?
Squats:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=synEt39Vwpc
Bench Press:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o64l6R5F3qw
Rows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMJKSNomDws 0 -
It would be nice if the stickies had an indicator for new messages next to them when you scroll past them as well so we'd know when people post here! I'm in a hurry now, but I'm posting so someone can badger me about looking at these later on!
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storm15918 wrote: »Hi everyone. I was hoping I could get some advice on my squats. I didn't realize how awful my form was until I watched it today and I don't know how to fix it. I know I need to though or I'm going to get hurt. My chest collapses so far forward and I can't seem to keep it up no matter how hard I try. The video is my last set after a lot of attempts to fix it. I don't think I was engaging my abs enough before, but I'm focusing on it in this video and it doesn't seem to help much. I'm at a loss at this point. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Also sorry for the less than great video. My living room is kind of small for this sort of thing unfortunately.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ5o2r7Wnb4
Okay, the first thing you'll want to do here is NOT look up or straight in front of you. If there's a mirror there or something you're used to look at, turn around. You'll want to pick a spot on the GROUND (or at least knee level), about 10 feet away from you. You want your head/neck in a neutral position at ALL TIMES. (And I just realized canadianlbs had said exactly the same thing. Whoops. That bar placement is fine as long as your traps are engaged)
Tying into this, keep the upper back tightness throughout the entire set. Don't release it at the top and then get back into it. Get tight before you get under the bar (although from what I'm seeing her you don't have a rack so it might be a bit hard), then stay tight the entire time.
Next up is to break at the hips first, rather than the knees. If you have a hard time doing this, practice doing body weigth good mornings with proper form. I was going to link you to KStarr's 14 day overhaul series he launched with his supple leopard 2nd edition book, but it looks like that's been deleted. Shame really, because he addressed the hip hinge really well in the first 2 videos. If you dig through youtube you'll probably find stuff about it relatively easily if it's an issue.
Those 3 things put together should help you find a better groove. Once you've worked on it a bit you can post another video to see if there is anything else that can be tweaked. As with everything, trying to fix everything at once never works out too well, so take it one step at a time 0 -
Brianna716 wrote: »Any advice here? I'm brand new to squatting and would love any feedback!
<embed width="600" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullscreen="true" allowNetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf" flashvars="file=http%3A%2F%2Fvid178.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fw268%2Fbriheartzu%2Fget%2520fit%2F3A97E913-12BA-4058-9693-AA7DE6254ECF_zpstxpikeei.mp4&title=">
So I can't figure out how to post videos from Photobucket... try this http://vid178.photobucket.com/albums/w268/briheartzu/get fit/3A97E913-12BA-4058-9693-AA7DE6254ECF_zpstxpikeei.mp4
Is that a home gym? You might want to try squatting barefoot for a day and see how that goes. Your weight is shifting to the ball of your feet and that's where most of the issues I can see seem to come from. Sit back a bit more, work on keeping the weight on your heels and the depth (which is really not that bad, you might be limited by your shoes here) might come of its own.0 -
bakerkate221 wrote: »Okay, hopefully I can get the videos to work properly.
I had my daughter video me doing a set of each exercise for StrongLifts workout A. Could I please get some feedback on my form?
Squats: Look pretty good, actually! You might want to try to get into the set a bit tighter with that upper back and now youtube has decided I was watching icebergs instead of replaying your video so I can't really say much else since it's not letting me rewatch atm (I'll refresh the page in a moment)
Bench: You seem to be a bit too loose on that bench. Pinch the shoulder blades together throughout. If it's not too hard for you, you might want to use the lower rack for the bar as it will help keep that upper bar tightness, the way it is there you're kind of getting out of position to fetch the bar. That'll bring the bar down a little higher on your chest, but that's okay.
Your wrists seem to be a bit too far on top of the bar. Try resting it in your palm instead, itll give you better leverage further down the line (do keep them neutral when you do this). The bar path will probably seem more natural, too.
Rows: looking good! You have a stable base and your back is straight so that's really good! Always pay attention to keeping the shoulder blades/shoulders packed (bros will say going further down will give you more muscle activation and they're not wrong, but girl with the shoulder injury will tell you don't do it unless you have your shoulder joint super stable and tight. If you get loose and wobbly, it puts unnecessary strain on those poor ligaments and tendons.
One little tip I have for you is to pause the bar for a second at the top. Think of it as trying to pull that bar through your chest. Be warned you might be a little more sore than usual once you try this
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Squats: Look pretty good, actually! You might want to try to get into the set a bit tighter with that upper back and now youtube has decided I was watching icebergs instead of replaying your video so I can't really say much else since it's not letting me rewatch atm (I'll refresh the page in a moment)
Bench: You seem to be a bit too loose on that bench. Pinch the shoulder blades together throughout. If it's not too hard for you, you might want to use the lower rack for the bar as it will help keep that upper bar tightness, the way it is there you're kind of getting out of position to fetch the bar. That'll bring the bar down a little higher on your chest, but that's okay.
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Rows: looking good! You have a stable base and your back is straight so that's really good! Always pay attention to keeping the shoulder blades/shoulders packed (bros will say going further down will give you more muscle activation and they're not wrong, but girl with the shoulder injury will tell you don't do it unless you have your shoulder joint super stable and tight. If you get loose and wobbly, it puts unnecessary strain on those poor ligaments and tendons.
Thank you for taking a look! If you wouldn't mind, could you elaborate a bit on your phrasing:
* Squats - What do you mean by getting a bit tighter with my upper back?
* Bench - "loose on the bench"?
* Rows - "keeping the shoulders packed"?
Sorry! I'm still learning all the terminology and whatnot. I'll focus on the things you pointed out (like my grip for the bench press, etc).
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bakerkate221 wrote: »
Thank you for taking a look! If you wouldn't mind, could you elaborate a bit on your phrasing:
* Squats - What do you mean by getting a bit tighter with my upper back?
* Bench - "loose on the bench"?
* Rows - "keeping the shoulders packed"?
Sorry! I'm still learning all the terminology and whatnot. I'll focus on the things you pointed out (like my grip for the bench press, etc).
They're relatively all the same thing, actually. Basically your upper back doesn't seem as tight as it should be - you're loose and sort of letting the weight hang there. While not a problem at lower weights, it'll be a weak link at higher weights if you don't learn to do it early on.
Best way to achieve that "tightness" you're looking for is to tilt your ribcage back a bit (that's the typical "chest up" cue reimagined. But don't exagerate it!) and pull the shoulder blades down and towards each other. Whenever you are performing a set that uses the arms for anything, you want that posture as stable as possible. One way to think about it, I guess, is to want to form a sturdy shelf for your upper body. If a shelf is not screwed into the wall right, it'll tilt and things will fall off (in other words - not having that position nailed down leads to joints not working the way they should because they have fallen "out of place").
Your shoulders don't look too loose, to be fair. Your posture is good on both the squats and the rows. However, the bar path leads me to believe it could be even better, and you want to have that tightness before the bar is even in place (you're wiggling a lot at the beginning of the squats. You shouldn't really be able to wiggle if your setup is tight)
Does that clear it up a bit?
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bakerkate221 wrote: »Okay, hopefully I can get the videos to work properly.
I had my daughter video me doing a set of each exercise for StrongLifts workout A. Could I please get some feedback on my form?
What helped me a lot on bench is to glue your shoulder blades together - like you are trying to make an butt crack in your back. What helps me get that tension is getting into position - get under the bar, put your feet up at the edge of the bench and do a bridge (lift your butt off the bench) and wiggle up on your shoulders. Put your feet on the ground and you'll have a bit of a back arch, plus you are on the tops of your shoulders instead of flat on your back. This'll give you trex arms (might widen your grip) which will help with less range of motion (thus more weight you can do), more tension and control.
You also want to feel like you are actively trying to rip the bar in half, this might also help you keep your shoulders back. This is similar for rows as you'll want your shoulders back and engaged. Though, I do a different style of rows, pendlay, as I pull from the floor with bumpers plates. I found that more stable and easier to deal with.
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i don't have the best eye for subtleties of form, and you really don't have much that's glaring enough for me to notice. you look way better than i probably would if i filmed myself atm. but my own trainer is really working on me atm to breathe right, so i was noticing that. you got through those reps pretty fast, so i think this might be helpful.
google valsalva manoeuvre for a better explanation of why than i can give you. but in simplest form, try getting into the habit of taking a BIG breath and 'locking' your core around it before you even kick off a new rep. especially for squats as it's such a big part of keeping your spine rigid and safe. you can release the air in a controlled way while you're coming back up, if you need to. but as a general rule, you don't really want to be breathing 'normally' (i.e. just whenever) during a rep. one mental cue that worked for me while starting was to pretend that the squat rack's in a tank full of water right up to your chin. you stand up, take a deeeep breath, do your rep after you've got that air locked in, and breathe out/in again when you get back to the top. it helps more than you might expect and it'll get more critical on the safety angle as you start to challenge yourself. take the time that you need between reps to make s ure you've got enough air to get you all the way through the next one.
this ought to help you with benching as well, as a rigid core helps more than you might think with keeping your entire body from wobbling side to side during the rep. also for bench, a few things stood out:
- not sure you've got your arms locked all the way as you unrack. so just in case you didn't, and sorry if you already know this: always make sure you have your arms fully locked while the bar is still over the pins and before you move it outwards over your face and throat. it's just too scary not to do this, and again: the reasons why will probably become more natural as you start to challenge yourself.
- also safety on bench: if you're benching entirely alone, it's safer not to use the collars. just-in-case you miss a rep or the bar slips or something, this makes it easier to just slide the plates off by tipping the bar and you'll always be able to get out from underneath it.
- stability (and strength) both get better if you make yourself really conscious of your feet against the ground and then brace/tighten your entire body from there upwards before you unrack the bar. you're creating a 'bridge' or a 'chain' of force that happens to touch the bench, sure . . . but it's actually travelling along your entire body and into the ground through your feet. this is a better way to do it than if you're only thinking of the relationship between the bar and your shoulders against the bench.
- with bench, you breathe IN while the bar is locked out overhead, hold on the way down, release with control if you need to on the way back up, and breathe in again at the top, in between reps. and i'm sloppy about this, but weirdly enough, mega-tight glutes seem to improve my own bench.
bench is the one that scares me the most, so sorry if it sounds like i'm yelling at you. could just be projection, y'know? ;-) anyway, hope this helped.
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Oh my goodness, so much helpfulness! Thank you very much! I'm printing these responses out to really study and focus on.
Regarding safety for the bench press: Once the weight starts getting even remotely heavy I'm going to start dragging the bench into the rack and setting the safety pins, especially if I'm by myself. If I don't do that, though, I'll take the advice of not using the collars. Not sure if I'm locking my arms before unracking, but I'll definitely pay attention to that as well.0 -
Okay, here are videos from the other two exercises:
Deadlift:
http://youtu.be/UzVsHBYDvRA
Overhead Press:
http://youtu.be/tnGGQUm4ESk
I feel like my OHP is just a mess. I'm trying to keep my back straight and torso still, but when I watched the video, I couldn't believe how much I was moving. Not sure where to start here.0 -
I miss doing deadlifts
Yours are looking good (and easy!). You keep your back straight throughout and the bar path is right up against your legs, so that's good!
The shoulders back/chest up/sternum tilt I mentioned before applies here too. Looks like you're letting your shoulders roll forward a bit (I'm going to be a form nazi about shoulders for the rest of my life, aren't I?). It's not an issue because you handle that weight like a boss, but further down the line it might lead to upper back rounding, so just make sure you're keeping them in check.
Your starting position is a little *too* upright, with your hips down pretty far, which somewhat turns the first part of the lift into a squat. You could keep your hips upa bit more and let yourself not be straight up, as long as your back is straight. Even just an inch or two higher can dramatically alter your leverage. Might also make it easier not having to re-set every rep?
On to the OHP!
First thing I noticed right up was your legs. They're kinda just hanging out below you. You said yourself you look wobbly. Grip the ground with your toes (in the shoes, obv.) and squeeze your butt when you get into position. Make that rack with your shoulders.
Your bar path is also going up in front around your face, which will also contribute to wobbliness. Try leaning your head back just a bit instead of moving the bar forward. If you have your shoulders tight there really shouldn't be an issue with having room to get the bar there unless you lose focus during your set and forget to move out of the way (pro tip: don't xD You don't want to chip a tooth for this, lol)
Without a front view it's hard to comment on your grip width, or whether or not you "finish" the lift so I'm just going to add this in just in case: don't forget that "shrug" at the end of the rep to involve your traps fully. If you have to, pause at the top for half a second and "squeeze" before you go back down. The set won't take you much longer and it'll pay off in the long run.
Hope that helps!0 -
Thank you krokador! Yes, please continue to be a form nazi about shoulders... I tend to think about my feet, knees, and back, and forget about my shoulders. Regarding OHP, I'm probably not "finishing" the lift by shrugging at the top, so I'll be thinking about that.
I feel like these five exercises (and probably most other lifts) have so much nuance in terms of form... What's proper and what's not; ways to vary the exercise to stress the muscles slightly differently. At first, watching the StrongLifts videos, I could only focus on the broad movements. Now, after doing a few weeks of workouts, I'm starting to pay more attention to the finer details. I'm sure as I gain more experience, I'll continue to dial in my form. I'm so grateful for this group; it's really cool to be able to get this feedback.0 -
for ohp too, your elbows might be a little behind the bar. fwiw my trainer is encouraging me to get mine to what feels to me like 'in front of', but it isn't really, apparently. helps a lot with keeping the first part of the lift close to your nose. and a rigid core makes a big difference too, for wobbles. try to feel like a railway spike being driven into the ground as the bar travels up.
on deadlifts, head more level/try not to look i the mirror ;-) spot on the floor rule works well to give you a nice level spine all the way. also, i think on some of those reps you were forgetting to do the first 'pull' where you take the slack out of the bar to properly engage your lats/spinal erectors? and finally, there's a cue that goes 'show me the words on the front of your shirt' that can help with getting your chest rotated 'upwards' before you take the bar off the floor.
looks pretty nice to me though. very clean and simple form compared with mine which is all over the place.0 -
I've compared the 5x5 squat tips to my squat video. I noticed my heels go up a few times and I am not sure if I was breathing in at the top before squatting down to keep my core tight. Please keep in mind my feet are very small (I wear kid's size shoes 5.5-6) so it looks like I'm going way past my toes with my knees but I'm not on a level playing field so to speak... Lol. I've not had any knee pain so far. Anything else glaringly wrong?
I left off one of the warm up sets but this is 75lbs on the work sets. Sorry for the underwear. Lol!
***I see that the video did not post from my phone. GRRRR... I am only able to post a link.
http://jennilynrrtx.tumblr.com/post/127243498542/squat-form-check-video0 -
couple things stand out to me.
most obviously, i'm pretty sure you're not getting to parallel. when/if you do, you will probably find 75# way harder than it is atm, so unload whatever you need to and try to obsess about depth for a while. it's a subtle kind of feeling when you're doing it differently, and personally i find that too much weight masks the sensory feedback that helps me to be aware of the mechanics i need to stay conscious of while i'm doing a rep.
your first set looked the most natural and the most comfortable to me. see how your femurs are opening up a lot more on that set, and you get deeper AND have a lot less movement/angle shift through your entire spine the whole time? as the sets go on it seems like you're doing more and more of the good morning thing, i.e. leaning forwards at least as much as you're hipping backwards. the big breath and core-brace might help with that, because once you do have your spine braced it's more intuitive for your body that the only thing it can to take you downwards is unlock your hipjoints and let your pelvis go back. that's something else i don't really see - a kind of intentional hips-unlocked moment before you start. it's more like you just kind of start when you feel like it and things just kinda-sorta just happen, you know?
for myself, i'm really strugging to get my groin/hips to 'open' more. i have the same issue right now: i get about to the same point as you (halfway down) and then it's like my hips stick and i start tipping forward instead. when i work out the answer to that i'll be announcing it for sure. right now it feels like my problem is at least partly with my inner quads. and/or very probably tight achilles/calf muscles.
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Thanks so much for the feedback! I definitely think I'm going to just drop back to the bar for a bit and focus on form.0
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Would love feedback on my squats. I think I am bending forward too much????
This is at 95 lbs warm up weight. Sorry about the crappy angle, but I had to prop my phone up on the leg press.
https://youtu.be/v5Gkvldgx60 0 -
@JennWeighZen I'm a little late on this, but my first thought it: do you have any flatter shoes? Running shoes are terrible for squatting. They're squishy and usually curved which is a recipe for instability and heels raising up.
Second thing I would suggest is to work on getting into the bottom squat position without any weight (or a front counter balance) and spending some time there while working on keeping your back as upright as possible. You're more or less "bending" into it instead of "sitting" into the squat, which leads to a bit of an awkward bar path and the weight pulling you forward. You might need to spend some time working on your ankle mobility - if you're anything like me, years of being overweight have probably made the tissues around them super stiff and it makes it hard to keeps your heels down at the bottom of a squat (And I'm a men's size 8.5, so much wider base of support here!)
Last pointer I'd give today is upper back tightness. Ideally, you'd want the bar so stable on those shoulders you're barely holding on to the bar at all. Before you even get under the bar, contract your traps and keep them tight throughout. Makes a ton of difference. And it'll also release your wrists so you can work on keeping them as neutral as possible and prevent potential shoulder or elbow impingement further down the line.
Hope that helps!
@mirrim52 You have a low bar position and your filming angle is a bit behind you, so it'll sure look even worse than it feels in regards to the forward bend. You look like you're handling that weight well - you don't end up moving the weight back up in 2 very distinct movements (hip extension then good morning) like a lot of people will do when they start struggling. So it's not something to worry *too* much about yet.
Can't really see your head so it's hard to comment on your upper body position, but I'd say if you feel like you're bending too far forward anyway, tilting your chest up even just a bit might fix that. And the rest of it might together if you break more at the hips first rather than the knees. Think of it more as sitting back than down.
And now you guys reminded me I wanted to post my own videos fro feedback. I've been so distracted lately *shakes head*0 -
@mirrim52 You have a low bar position and your filming angle is a bit behind you, so it'll sure look even worse than it feels in regards to the forward bend. You look like you're handling that weight well - you don't end up moving the weight back up in 2 very distinct movements (hip extension then good morning) like a lot of people will do when they start struggling. So it's not something to worry *too* much about yet.
Can't really see your head so it's hard to comment on your upper body position, but I'd say if you feel like you're bending too far forward anyway, tilting your chest up even just a bit might fix that. And the rest of it might together if you break more at the hips first rather than the knees. Think of it more as sitting back than down.
And now you guys reminded me I wanted to post my own videos fro feedback. I've been so distracted lately *shakes head*
Yes, the angle makes it hard to tell if the bar path is aligned with the mid-point of the foot, which is the first thing I look at when checking my form. Soooo not an expert, here. I pretty much rely on Starting Strength's guidelines. Being mindful of the bar path, proud chest, gaze front and down, and the shoulder blades are pinched to create the shelf for the bar which helps with pushing the chest forward. The "lean" is pretty forgiving on low bar to accommodate body mechanics. You look good!0 -
@mirrim52, i just had this conversation for most of my training/group session tonight. so i feel wisdom-dispensy. two things might help with your 'lean':
1. eye gaze - fixing your focus on something a long way in front of you. even if there's a wall just a few feet away, try to pretend you're looking at something about an alley's worth of distance away. idk why, but it it keeps my chest naturally 'up' and that makes a silly amount of difference to my balance. so then i don't have to fold as much.
2. along with that, hips more aggressively 'back'. i've been thinking about those collapsible tent poles that you chop sideways with your hand to get them to fold up. or the table legs that are hinged in the same way. that's the effect i try to keep in my mind as i 'break' to start my descent. another image that works for me is hitching an arrow into a bow and drawing it back.
i love your foot placement and how open you're getting your knees though (sounds so wrong, but you know what i mean). and also, congratulations. i think you mentioned some weight loss/something like that recently, and it really looks good on you.0 -
Alright, it's my turn to sit on the chopping block so to speak. I have noted a few things myself on these but don't wanna bias other people's feedback with my own ;P
Squats @ 155
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuK0Gok_kxo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2hhMARBQFE
Bench @85 (keep in mind I haven't benched heavy since even before my shoulder injury, so we're talking 2+ months since the last time I was over 100. Thats makes me sad
)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo3O0pOFWWc
No rows - they hurt. Form check would be pointless atm.0 -
all i can see is it looks kind of like you're left-dominant? there's a bit of a drift to the right on the front-view of your squats. on the side view, the 3rd and 5th reps had the bar doing a bit of a curve out in front on the way up, but i guess you know both of these points already.
i'm the last person who should give anyone tips about bench, i'm afraid.
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just a tip to the next person who posts in this thread: let us know in one of the regular threads, otherwise we might never notice you've posted. don't want anyone getting accidentally ignored and feeling sad.0
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I'm brand spanking new to this - just started with SL last week. This video of squats was from the third time I've ever done them (with a barbell - I've done so many without weight or with small hand weights! Lol!), so I'm sure there's lots to work on! I hope to post some videos of the other exercises as well. Just from reviewing this myself - based on the feedback I've seen provided to others who've posted in this thread - I think I need to work on my wrists and on keeping my neck more neutral at the very least. Thank you in advance for your help - really want to make sure I nail my form before I get to heavy weight!
https://youtu.be/XaF_GQ-yCPM
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The angle isn't very good, but there are two things that stand out to me...
The first couple reps look ok for depth, but you don't seem to quite break parallel starting on rep 3.
You seem to have a high bar position, but are leaning forward like a low bar squat. It is hard to tell from the angle of the camera, but it looks like the weight is centered more over your toes than your mid foot. This will throw you off balance, especially as the weights get higher.
Keeping the camera directly beside you centered around waist height gives the best angle for form checks.
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This discussion has been closed.