Squatting help revisited w. video

shorty35565

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/906590-squatting-help <continued from here. I didn't know if I was supposed to post a new topic or not.
I just read the other responses & I wish I had before I did my squats today. I tried low bar in the vid & I felt like my wrists were going to snap & it did make it hard to go as low. I like high bar MUCH better. But hopefully this will help someone assess me still. If not, Fri I will show with high bar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtKvzXKOrTU&amp;feature=youtu.be <video
Yeah, my bar has a hand towel taped to it for padding because I'm so boney back there. LOL we're resourceful haha

Sarauk2sf

That looks a bit high for a low bar.

So, a couple of points (apart from the bar placement looking odd). I am not good at critiquing low bar as I do not do it, but here is what I see (as I think it is really high bar that you are doing).

- you are not going low enough
- it doesn't look like you are really engaging your core/lats but its a bit hard to tell. You need to take a breath, stabilize yourself, tighten everything and then squat.
- your grip is too wide


- you get your chest up well though

I hope your husband usually spots you as you are not doing it in a squat rack.

shorty35565

That looks a bit high for a low bar.

So, a couple of points (apart from the bar placement looking odd). I am not good at critiquing low bar as I do not do it, but here is what I see (as I think it is really high bar that you are doing).

- you are not going low enough
- it doesn't look like you are really engaging your core/lats but its a bit hard to tell. You need to take a breath, stabilize yourself, tighten everything and then squat.
- your grip is too wide


- you get your chest up well though

I hope your husband usually spots you as you are not doing it in a squat rack.

Whatever bar position I was trying to do, it hurt my wrists. Really painful actually. I have been having it more on my shoulders.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPI9LuEsOSc < this is more that how I've been doing it. This video is old, back in December. But that's a better example of how I've been holding the bar. Mayb my form is batter there? or still pretty bad? (the beginning, the phone is set down & it's black, it will b picked up tho)
How wide should my grip be?
Yes he does. He put the bar on my back & takes it off.

taso42

also, ditch the pad on the bar

Sarauk2sf

That looks a bit high for a low bar.

So, a couple of points (apart from the bar placement looking odd). I am not good at critiquing low bar as I do not do it, but here is what I see (as I think it is really high bar that you are doing).

- you are not going low enough
- it doesn't look like you are really engaging your core/lats but its a bit hard to tell. You need to take a breath, stabilize yourself, tighten everything and then squat.
- your grip is too wide


- you get your chest up well though

I hope your husband usually spots you as you are not doing it in a squat rack.

Whatever bar position I was trying to do, it hurt my wrists. Really painful actually. I have been having it more on my shoulders.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPI9LuEsOSc < this is more that how I've been doing it. This video is old, back in December. But that's a better example of how I've been holding the bar. Mayb my form is batter there? or still pretty bad? (the beginning, the phone is set down & it's black, it will b picked up tho)
How wide should my grip be?
Yes he does. He put the bar on my back & takes it off.

Looking at the second one (first 2 reps only), it looks a bit better in that you are going lower, but you look like you are still not engaging your lats/core and are rounding your butt under - you should keep an arched back. Your toes look at quite an angle as well.

I cannot see how close your grip is, but you should keep it narrow and create a ledge on your traps - and you should ditch the jimmied pad.


Does your husband actually stand behind you to be able to get the bar if you fail - not just put it on and take it off your back?

shorty35565

I will remember to arch my back next time.
I was told by someone to point my toes at an angle because it opens up your hips and allows you go lower. Is the angle too much? It gets confusing when people tell you different things. Now I feel like I've been wasting all this time not doing things properly.
Ok, I will take it off.
He normally stays behind me the whole time, but he was operating the camera in these instances.

Sarauk2sf

I will remember to arch my back next time.
I was told by someone to point my toes at an angle because it opens up your hips and allows you go lower. Is the angle too much? It gets confusing when people tell you different things. Now I feel like I've been wasting all this time not doing things properly.
Ok, I will take it off.
He normally stays behind me the whole time, but he was operating the camera in these instances.

I think it may be a little too extreme of an angle. An angle is good though.

This may help re form in general:

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Squat_Videos

As well as this re toes:

Extract from Starting Strength -

One occasionally sees powerlifters squatting with their toes pointing almost forward. Some of the really strong ones do this to increase the joint tightness and resultant rebound obtained by placing additional torque on the knee ligaments. This is a practice best left to very experienced powerlifters. For you, it will be very important to have all the bones of the legs and hips in the best position to generate force without being injured. Here is a way to see this relationship: sit in a chair with your knees slightly bent and your feet out in front of you, without pushing hard on the floor. Put your legs together, and note that your toes are pointing straight forward. Spread them out wide and note that your toes are pointing out. In both positions your feet assume a position parallel to your femur, and your knee is in an anatomically neutral position, with no twisting. As your knees point out, your toes point out. The wider the knees, the more the toes point out. As the knees widen, the femur rotates externally, and the tibia must follow it to keep the knee ligaments in normal anatomical position, and the toe points out more because it is attached to the end of the tibia. This anatomical relationship must be understood and respected, so that unnecessary knee injuries don't happen."

You have not been wasting time at all...you just need to tweak your form. Heck, I am still tweaking my form..and my deadlift form needs a load of work. It does not mean to say that I have been wasting my time - I just need to improve things to get my lifts up.

shorty35565

I will remember to arch my back next time.
I was told by someone to point my toes at an angle because it opens up your hips and allows you go lower. Is the angle too much? It gets confusing when people tell you different things. Now I feel like I've been wasting all this time not doing things properly.
Ok, I will take it off.
He normally stays behind me the whole time, but he was operating the camera in these instances.

I think it may be a little too extreme of an angle. An angle is good though.

This may help re form in general:

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Squat_Videos

As well as this re toes:

Extract from Starting Strength -

One occasionally sees powerlifters squatting with their toes pointing almost forward. Some of the really strong ones do this to increase the joint tightness and resultant rebound obtained by placing additional torque on the knee ligaments. This is a practice best left to very experienced powerlifters. For you, it will be very important to have all the bones of the legs and hips in the best position to generate force without being injured. Here is a way to see this relationship: sit in a chair with your knees slightly bent and your feet out in front of you, without pushing hard on the floor. Put your legs together, and note that your toes are pointing straight forward. Spread them out wide and note that your toes are pointing out. In both positions your feet assume a position parallel to your femur, and your knee is in an anatomically neutral position, with no twisting. As your knees point out, your toes point out. The wider the knees, the more the toes point out. As the knees widen, the femur rotates externally, and the tibia must follow it to keep the knee ligaments in normal anatomical position, and the toe points out more because it is attached to the end of the tibia. This anatomical relationship must be understood and respected, so that unnecessary knee injuries don't happen."

You have not been wasting time at all...you just need to tweak your form. Heck, I am still tweaking my form..and my deadlift form needs a load of work. It does not mean to say that I have been wasting my time - I just need to improve things to get my lifts up.

Thank u so much for helping me.
Do u think a PT session or 2 would do me some good? Like eto have someone personally help me with form?

SideSteel

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/906590-squatting-help <continued from here. I didn't know if I was supposed to post a new topic or not.
I just read the other responses & I wish I had before I did my squats today. I tried low bar in the vid & I felt like my wrists were going to snap & it did make it hard to go as low. I like high bar MUCH better. But hopefully this will help someone assess me still. If not, Fri I will show with high bar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtKvzXKOrTU&amp;feature=youtu.be <video
Yeah, my bar has a hand towel taped to it for padding because I'm so boney back there. LOL we're resourceful haha

The load should not be pressing on your wrists. It may help to raise your elbows a bit further behind you to create more tightness in the upper back which should create a bit more of a shelf for the barbell and possibly remove stress from the wrists.

See at around the 8:45 mark in this vid please:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2tyOLvArw0

May want to also check grip width just in case. Narrower will tighten your upper back. See around 10:30 in the vid.

Sarauk2sf

I will remember to arch my back next time.
I was told by someone to point my toes at an angle because it opens up your hips and allows you go lower. Is the angle too much? It gets confusing when people tell you different things. Now I feel like I've been wasting all this time not doing things properly.
Ok, I will take it off.
He normally stays behind me the whole time, but he was operating the camera in these instances.

I think it may be a little too extreme of an angle. An angle is good though.

This may help re form in general:

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Squat_Videos

As well as this re toes:

Extract from Starting Strength -

One occasionally sees powerlifters squatting with their toes pointing almost forward. Some of the really strong ones do this to increase the joint tightness and resultant rebound obtained by placing additional torque on the knee ligaments. This is a practice best left to very experienced powerlifters. For you, it will be very important to have all the bones of the legs and hips in the best position to generate force without being injured. Here is a way to see this relationship: sit in a chair with your knees slightly bent and your feet out in front of you, without pushing hard on the floor. Put your legs together, and note that your toes are pointing straight forward. Spread them out wide and note that your toes are pointing out. In both positions your feet assume a position parallel to your femur, and your knee is in an anatomically neutral position, with no twisting. As your knees point out, your toes point out. The wider the knees, the more the toes point out. As the knees widen, the femur rotates externally, and the tibia must follow it to keep the knee ligaments in normal anatomical position, and the toe points out more because it is attached to the end of the tibia. This anatomical relationship must be understood and respected, so that unnecessary knee injuries don't happen."

You have not been wasting time at all...you just need to tweak your form. Heck, I am still tweaking my form..and my deadlift form needs a load of work. It does not mean to say that I have been wasting my time - I just need to improve things to get my lifts up.

Thank u so much for helping me.
Do u think a PT session or 2 would do me some good? Like eto have someone personally help me with form?

To be honest, most trainers are crap at form for most of the compounds. If you do, get one with powerlifting experience.

Your form really is not that bad...you just need practice and take videos periodically.

SideSteel

You have not been wasting time at all...you just need to tweak your form. Heck, I am still tweaking my form..and my deadlift form needs a load of work. It does not mean to say that I have been wasting my time - I just need to improve things to get my lifts up.

^ This is absolutely true for me as well and I suspect most of us. It's a work in progress that you just need to keep reviewing and refining.

shorty35565

I will remember to arch my back next time.
I was told by someone to point my toes at an angle because it opens up your hips and allows you go lower. Is the angle too much? It gets confusing when people tell you different things. Now I feel like I've been wasting all this time not doing things properly.
Ok, I will take it off.
He normally stays behind me the whole time, but he was operating the camera in these instances.

I think it may be a little too extreme of an angle. An angle is good though.

This may help re form in general:

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Squat_Videos

As well as this re toes:

Extract from Starting Strength -

One occasionally sees powerlifters squatting with their toes pointing almost forward. Some of the really strong ones do this to increase the joint tightness and resultant rebound obtained by placing additional torque on the knee ligaments. This is a practice best left to very experienced powerlifters. For you, it will be very important to have all the bones of the legs and hips in the best position to generate force without being injured. Here is a way to see this relationship: sit in a chair with your knees slightly bent and your feet out in front of you, without pushing hard on the floor. Put your legs together, and note that your toes are pointing straight forward. Spread them out wide and note that your toes are pointing out. In both positions your feet assume a position parallel to your femur, and your knee is in an anatomically neutral position, with no twisting. As your knees point out, your toes point out. The wider the knees, the more the toes point out. As the knees widen, the femur rotates externally, and the tibia must follow it to keep the knee ligaments in normal anatomical position, and the toe points out more because it is attached to the end of the tibia. This anatomical relationship must be understood and respected, so that unnecessary knee injuries don't happen."

You have not been wasting time at all...you just need to tweak your form. Heck, I am still tweaking my form..and my deadlift form needs a load of work. It does not mean to say that I have been wasting my time - I just need to improve things to get my lifts up.

Thank u so much for helping me.
Do u think a PT session or 2 would do me some good? Like eto have someone personally help me with form?

To be honest, most trainers are crap at form for most of the compounds. If you do, get one with powerlifting experience.

Your form really is not that bad...you just need practice and take videos periodically.

My city isn't so big, so idk if I will be able to find one with powerlifting experiences. I'm probably better off saving my money then?
I will keep trying & take videos so others can check.

You have not been wasting time at all...you just need to tweak your form. Heck, I am still tweaking my form..and my deadlift form needs a load of work. It does not mean to say that I have been wasting my time - I just need to improve things to get my lifts up.

^ This is absolutely true for me as well and I suspect most of us. It's a work in progress that you just need to keep reviewing and refining.

It's a bit discouraging when you can't get it right, but it does help to know that everyone has problems with it. I thought you guys would have amazing form & no problems.

Sarauk2sf

It's a bit discouraging when you can't get it right, but it does help to know that everyone has problems with it. I thought you guys would have amazing form & no problems.

Have you seen my latest deadlift video? Snap city! My form is terrible - I did not realize it was so bad until I video'd it. People perfect their form for years.

JeffseekingV

Squat looks fine to me. But you're not going deep enough to engage your glutes and hamstrings effectively. Especially when the weight looks really easy