Please check my squat form

Tigermad

Hello

I have been doing the starting strength programme for 2 weeks now. Could someone check my form on the squat. I got up to 40 kegs on my last session but delayed to 30kgs on the session today to work on my form. I don't feel I am getting low enough. I can't get any lower without the bar or body weight squats. Have I got tight hip flexors?

Any advice is welcome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehrP4IfiW6A&sns=em

baptiste565

ur depth is fine. everyone has different degree of flexibility. u can work on ur flexibility if u want to in order to go lower. do u feel any extra stress on ur lower back due to ur bending at waist? i see u have more of a mid bar placement on ur back. mid bar is great. i am only comfortable with high bar.

Tigermad

ur depth is fine. everyone has different degree of flexibility. u can work on ur flexibility if u want to in order to go lower. do u feel any extra stress on ur lower back due to ur bending at waist? i see u have more of a mid bar placement on ur back. mid bar is great. i am only comfortable with high bar.

Thanks for the reply. My back feels fine. On my other thread folks have said I am leaning too far forward but I find it hard to keep upright and go lower. I do keep my chest up so it's not really a good morning I hope.
I think maybe I need to go an inch or so lower. Maybe I will get there with a bit more practice.

baptiste565

everyones bio-mechanics is different. especially on the squat.

Sublog

I think you're bending over a bit too much. Squat and foot placement is fine. You need to push up from your butt more.

Overall, not too bad. Just keep working. You form will improve as you gain strength.

Tigermad

I think you're bending over a bit too much. Squat and foot placement is fine. You need to push up from your butt more.

Overall, not too bad. Just keep working. You form will improve as you gain strength.

Thanks sublog. Amazing transformation by the way!

Shfiftyfive

Just a request. Next time, ask the person recording to stand still. Hard to see the problems with constant movement.

You seemed a little wobbly at the start of the set, but I think that's normal for most people just beginning SS. Depth will improve over time, but so you can tell yourself in a video, a squat is considered parallel when the crease of your hip is below the top of the kneecap. It's hard to tell what your foot placement is like. Try not to put the heel of your foot too much wider than shoulder width. Also, your wrists seem to start flexing in the later reps. Not sure how to correct that since I do it myself sometimes, but do what you can to fix it over time.

Also, since you're doing a low-bar squat, so you have to lean a bit forward. I can't tell if you're leaning too far forward, but the frame of reference is that the barbell needs to be over the midfoot. Trying to be too upright while doing a low-bar squat is a mistake everyone makes because they're thinking of an Olympic Squat.

And finally, remember what Rip says about head and neck placement in the Squat? Look slightly down not straight forward.

chrisdavey

Just a request. Next time, ask the person recording to stand still. Hard to see the problems with constant movement.

You seemed a little wobbly at the start of the set, but I think that's normal for most people just beginning SS. Depth will improve over time, but so you can tell yourself in a video, a squat is considered parallel when the crease of your hip is below the top of the kneecap. It's hard to tell what your foot placement is like. Try not to put the heel of your foot too much wider than shoulder width. Also, your wrists seem to start flexing in the later reps. Not sure how to correct that since I do it myself sometimes, but do what you can to fix it over time.

Also, since you're doing a low-bar squat, so you have to lean a bit forward. I can't tell if you're leaning too far forward, but the frame of reference is that the barbell needs to be over the midfoot. Trying to be too upright while doing a low-bar squat is a mistake everyone makes because they're thinking of an Olympic Squat.

And finally, remember what Rip says about head and neck placement in the Squat? Look slightly down not straight forward.

agree with all of that except the looking down bit. That's something that I think people should experiment with. I know I get more drive if I look up to where I want to go and it helps keep my chest up. (also low bar squatter)

tross0924

Ideally the bar should go straight up and down. It should start over mid foot, and at the bottom be over mid foot. You start with it over your instep but then as you go down you drift forward so that it's almost past your toes. You need to move your knees forward more while you go down too. Most of your movement is moving your hips backwards, which is good, but you need to balance that by letting your knees move forward.



That's a high bar picture, but really the only difference is how far forward you bend your torso.



The legs pretty much do the same thing.

ilovedeadlifts

1. Hold onto the bar. You're wobbly at the top. So unless it's killing your shoulders, you need to have a good grip on the bar, with thumbs around. (from what it looked like in the video, it seemed like you're using a false grip)

2. On the 2nd rep it looked like you intiated the squat by bending over a bit first, instead of starting with the hips coming back.

3. Try to keep your chest up. You'd bend over a bit, and then once you got standing back up, the bar would move some. Once you get a lot of weight going, that can really cause some problems w/ your shoulders and elbows.


Just work on your mobility. I'd reccommend mobilitywod.com. They've got some great stuff for working on tight hips. Really helped me quite a bit.

ilovedeadlifts

agree with all of that except the looking down bit. That's something that I think people should experiment with. I know I get more drive if I look up to where I want to go and it helps keep my chest up. (also low bar squatter)

Agreeing here.
Some people are able to look down, or keep a more netural head position. But a lot of peoples chests drop and they fall forward if they aren't keeping their head up.

Tigermad

1. Hold onto the bar. You're wobbly at the top. So unless it's killing your shoulders, you need to have a good grip on the bar, with thumbs around. (from what it looked like in the video, it seemed like you're using a false grip)

2. On the 2nd rep it looked like you intiated the squat by bending over a bit first, instead of starting with the hips coming back.

3. Try to keep your chest up. You'd bend over a bit, and then once you got standing back up, the bar would move some. Once you get a lot of weight going, that can really cause some problems w/ your shoulders and elbows.


Just work on your mobility. I'd reccommend mobilitywod.com. They've got some great stuff for working on tight hips. Really helped me quite a bit.

Hello. With starting strength you lay your thumb over the bar and not under

chrisdavey

still have to grip it. Rip may say to do that but if you are unstable at starting position then it's only going to make it harder.

I personally always take a death grip on the bar. I know it's not required but it certainly keeps it stable and also helps me get ready mentally I feel.

Shfiftyfive

still have to grip it. Rip may say to do that but if you are unstable at starting position then it's only going to make it harder.

I personally always take a death grip on the bar. I know it's not required but it certainly keeps it stable and also helps me get ready mentally I feel.

How do you do that without it leading to a lot of flexing in the wrist?

chrisdavey

still have to grip it. Rip may say to do that but if you are unstable at starting position then it's only going to make it harder.

I personally always take a death grip on the bar. I know it's not required but it certainly keeps it stable and also helps me get ready mentally I feel.

How do you do that without it leading to a lot of flexing in the wrist?

I do have a lot of wrist flexion which is required for a low bar squat. I use wrist wraps for my low bar squats which helps a lot.

Shfiftyfive

still have to grip it. Rip may say to do that but if you are unstable at starting position then it's only going to make it harder.

I personally always take a death grip on the bar. I know it's not required but it certainly keeps it stable and also helps me get ready mentally I feel.

How do you do that without it leading to a lot of flexing in the wrist?

I do have a lot of wrist flexion which is required for a low bar squat. I use wrist wraps for my low bar squats which helps a lot.

I'll just agree to disagree I guess. I don't have the greatest experience with the squat, but I think flexing your wrists too much under a loaded bar could lead to some issues down the line if not paying careful attention to it.

ilovedeadlifts

Hello. With starting strength you lay your thumb over the bar and not under

All that is comes down to the fact that Rip doesn't have the mobility to take a full grip on the bar. So he reccommends others don't do it either.

Just because you're running a persons program doesn't mean you have to grip the bar the same as him.

But thanks for asking for help, ignoring all the other advice, and picking out a small issue over grip. If stability is your problem, it's worth a shot to change it. If I was having an issue with hitting depth and someone reccommended trying to different stance I wouldn't respond with "Hello, I'm doing 5/3/1 I have to squat this way". I'd try it, see if it worked for me, and adjust from there.

Tigermad

Hello. With starting strength you lay your thumb over the bar and not under

All that is comes down to the fact that Rip doesn't have the mobility to take a full grip on the bar. So he reccommends others don't do it either.

Just because you're running a persons program doesn't mean you have to grip the bar the same as him.

But thanks for asking for help, ignoring all the other advice, and picking out a small issue over grip. If stability is your problem, it's worth a shot to change it. If I was having an issue with hitting depth and someone reccommended trying to different stance I wouldn't respond with "Hello, I'm doing 5/3/1 I have to squat this way". I'd try it, see if it worked for me, and adjust from there.

Sorry I didn't mean to come across like that and apologise if I was. I am going to take on board what everyone has said tomorrow, including the grip and see what I feel comfortable doing and what helps with stability.

I appreciate everyone's advice on this thread.

Is that why Rip suggests the over the bar thumb grip? I actually find it harder to postion my hands this way so maybe it will help if I try the normal grip.

ilovedeadlifts

No worries.

That would be my guess. I know a lot of guys who have shoulder issues have trouble taking a full grip so they don't wrap their thumbs around that bar.

Everyone is going to squat a bit differently. Rip also reccommends that people look down I believe, and I've never had much success w/ that strategy. You have to find what is comfortable and stable for you, and stick with that.