Form critique thread, post your videos here.

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Replies

  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    Last week I finally got 100kg deadlift (YAY) - just wanted to know what you guys thought of the form on it?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv1p3ikt52I

    That's a very nice milestone.

    You've got some twist going on in your torso causing the bar to move. Given that this was a pretty high intensity lift that's understandable, but ideally you want to keep the bar as straight as possible, it's less taxing on your supporting musculature (and as such less injury prone)
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    Okay, first time posting vids. I'm kind of embarrassed but I need to know if my form is okay before I continue to progress.

    Bench

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSpRo5pThtM

    Squats
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G4sqtIB-vw
    Deadlift
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcgzBjwqxaI

    Crushed my toes for the last vid lol. Putting the weights back my hand slipped. Clumsiness is my superpower.

    Deadlift - you've got a little twist at the top of the lift. Try to limit that.

    Squat - you're pause squatting. It's a good style of lift but limits the amount of weight you can put up.

    Bench - as said before, feet on the ground.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    I've been working hard on getting my chest up and my torso more upright during squats. Looking at the vid, I think my elbows need to come fwd, stop wrapping my thumb, and push my knees farther fwd - these things should make me more upright. I know that my ankle mobility needs to improve and I'm working on that as well.

    Looking fwd to suggestions from more experienced lifters.

    Last warm up set with 185#: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0CEcpv2YTk

    Show working sets, not warmups, it's more telling.

    When you get under the bar for the lift off square up on it, don't lunge the weight.

    Also don't take lots of small steps to walk out and get into position. At MOST you should be taking 4 steps, that's two back and two out. Ideally though you want to do it in 2.
  • _errata_
    _errata_ Posts: 1,653 Member
    Okay, first time posting vids. I'm kind of embarrassed but I need to know if my form is okay before I continue to progress.

    Bench

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSpRo5pThtM

    Squats
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G4sqtIB-vw
    Deadlift
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcgzBjwqxaI

    Crushed my toes for the last vid lol. Putting the weights back my hand slipped. Clumsiness is my superpower.

    Bench- get your feet on the floor! They are the key element in having a strong base to support the weight! You want everything locked in and tight- traps driving into the bench, legs and core tight. Also- touch lower on your chest and tuck your elbows in so they make around a 45 degree angle with your body. Flaring them out like that and touching high on your chest will end up tweaking your shoulders as the weight goes up.

    Squats- don't dip/tuck your butt down at the bottom. That is causing your lower back to round, which is bad. It's hard to see your head position at the bottom but it looks like you are not keeping your head up. Pick out a spot on the wall in front of you that is around eye height and focus on that the entire range of motion, that'll help keep your head up.

    Deadlifts- looks pretty good to me.

    These are all good points. My only concern is that you are unracking the weight for your squat while your sitting down. Is it possible for you to get a power rack? I know it costs money, but it is much, much safer and your back might thank you. Here is an example of one from amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VLRVSC
  • junlex123
    junlex123 Posts: 81 Member
    Hiya, hoping for some feedback on my squat and deadlift form. Just finished my second week of sl5x5 but this is my first workout trying a low bar squat position. The weight's fairly low still but hoping to iron out any basic form issues before they get too ingrained.

    Squat: http://youtu.be/attF4xe2x7o

    Really struggled to find a proper resting place for the bar using low bar position, which in turn I think caused me to lean forward a lot at the top of the movement? Felt if I straightened up more the bar would roll off. Not sure if it's a lack of deltoid development or lack of flexibility or something. That forward lean made unracking a lot more awkward than with a high bar position. Sorry the angle's a bit wonky!

    Deadlift: http://youtu.be/vIekKVfbS74

    After watching first set back I thought maybe I wasn't bringing my hips forward enough when locking out, so I did another set of four. Not sure if hips are in the right position at the start of the motion as well.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Hiya, hoping for some feedback on my squat and deadlift form. Just finished my second week of sl5x5 but this is my first workout trying a low bar squat position. The weight's fairly low still but hoping to iron out any basic form issues before they get too ingrained.

    Squat: http://youtu.be/attF4xe2x7o

    Really struggled to find a proper resting place for the bar using low bar position, which in turn I think caused me to lean forward a lot at the top of the movement? Felt if I straightened up more the bar would roll off. Not sure if it's a lack of deltoid development or lack of flexibility or something. That forward lean made unracking a lot more awkward than with a high bar position. Sorry the angle's a bit wonky!

    Deadlift: http://youtu.be/vIekKVfbS74

    After watching first set back I thought maybe I wasn't bringing my hips forward enough when locking out, so I did another set of four. Not sure if hips are in the right position at the start of the motion as well.

    I'd like to see both of these with heavier weights.

    Relatively speaking they both looked quite good considering this is new for you.

    For squats, your stance looks quite narrow but this isn't necessarily a problem. Just something you may want to experiment with. Bar position looked reasonable at least as much as this video shows.

    For deadlifts, the only minor thing that I see would be your head cocking back excessively. Some people don't take issue with this but you may want to address it. Very very slight rounding of the knees on the descent.

    All in all these are minor things in my opinion.

    I agree re: your hips. The reps later in the vid looked much better.


    Add weight, IMO.
  • junlex123
    junlex123 Posts: 81 Member
    Thanks for the feedback.

    I'll definitely play around with a wider stance for squats and work on keeping a more neutral neck for deads.

    As far as increasing weight, I've been following the stronglifts recommendation of +2.5kg per workout for squats and +5kg per workout for deads, for +7.5kg per week for both, though I skipped a head a little at the start. Do you think I should go ahead and play it a bit less conservative until I'm a bit closer to capping out? Maybe jump 10kg on both next time and see how that feels/looks?
  • FromHereOnOut
    FromHereOnOut Posts: 3,237 Member


    Squat: http://youtu.be/attF4xe2x7o

    Really struggled to find a proper resting place for the bar using low bar position, which in turn I think caused me to lean forward a lot at the top of the movement? Felt if I straightened up more the bar would roll off. Not sure if it's a lack of deltoid development or lack of flexibility or something. That forward lean made unracking a lot more awkward than with a high bar position. Sorry the angle's a bit wonky!

    Your elbows seem to be flaring out more with each set. Try pulling them downward more. The BB shouldn't feel like it's going to roll off. Maybe you are trying to hold the bar up, but you shouldn't be holding it up with your arms, but instead keeping it in place by applying counter pressures. (That's my feeling anyway. Please anyone correct me if I'm wrong.)
  • danimalkeys
    danimalkeys Posts: 982 Member


    Squat: http://youtu.be/attF4xe2x7o

    Really struggled to find a proper resting place for the bar using low bar position, which in turn I think caused me to lean forward a lot at the top of the movement? Felt if I straightened up more the bar would roll off. Not sure if it's a lack of deltoid development or lack of flexibility or something. That forward lean made unracking a lot more awkward than with a high bar position. Sorry the angle's a bit wonky!


    Your elbows seem to be flaring out more with each set. Try pulling them downward more. The BB shouldn't feel like it's going to roll off. Maybe you are trying to hold the bar up, but you shouldn't be holding it up with your arms, but instead keeping it in place by applying counter pressures. (That's my feeling anyway. Please anyone correct me if I'm wrong.)

    Actually, to make that shelf for the bar to sit, you want to push your elbows back. You want them tight into your body, not flared out to the sides so much as the vid shows. Chest out and squeezing your shoulder blades together, elbows in tight helps set this up.

    I don't think you have too much forward lean at all based on the bar position on your back. Forward lean will depend a lot on your own personal leverages as well. As long as your back doesn't round, it's fine. I have a longer torso and have to use a lot of forward lean with a low bar position.

    Try to keep your head up more, as you got tired you started looking down, if you keep your head up it'll help keep your hips down. I like to focus on a spot at eye level on the wall ahead of me, if you look at that the whole time your head can't move down.

    Overall, your form looks pretty good to me. Your setup is good- not a million little baby steps as you walk out, etc.
  • junlex123
    junlex123 Posts: 81 Member
    Thanks guys. I think the elbow/shoulder thing will become easier as I do it more and gain a bit more flexibility. Good to know the lean's not excessive. I'll try to keep my head up more; that damn mirror in front makes keeping focus on a single point quite taxing on top of thinking about the other aspects.
  • junlex123
    junlex123 Posts: 81 Member
    Couple more videos, gym was a bit busier at the time so the phone's quite close as I didn't want to put benches in everyone's way. Hopefully enough is still visible.

    Squats: http://youtu.be/m8T9inJLPjI

    Jumped 10kg to 55kg/121lb, definitely started to feel quite heavy for me at this stage so I don't think I'll add more than 2.5kg per workout going forward. On the first and fourth sets I wrapped my hands around the bar by mistake, usually my thumbs are on top. Beginnings of knee collapse?

    Pendlay rows: http://youtu.be/K1lAWozDSVc

    I thought I was parallel but apparently not. Some obvious assistance from the hip region as well on some reps.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Couple more videos, gym was a bit busier at the time so the phone's quite close as I didn't want to put benches in everyone's way. Hopefully enough is still visible.

    Squats: http://youtu.be/m8T9inJLPjI

    Jumped 10kg to 55kg/121lb, definitely started to feel quite heavy for me at this stage so I don't think I'll add more than 2.5kg per workout going forward. On the first and fourth sets I wrapped my hands around the bar by mistake, usually my thumbs are on top. Beginnings of knee collapse?

    Pendlay rows: http://youtu.be/K1lAWozDSVc

    I thought I was parallel but apparently not. Some obvious assistance from the hip region as well on some reps.

    Squats: did it feel as though you were unbalanced re strength - you looked a little crooked from the back view, but it could have been your pants.

    Pendlays: nothing too glaring - the main points are to keep your torso parallel and make it more explosive (hard to do when you have the weights on plates, so see if you can get bumper plates).
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Couple more videos, gym was a bit busier at the time so the phone's quite close as I didn't want to put benches in everyone's way. Hopefully enough is still visible.

    Squats: http://youtu.be/m8T9inJLPjI

    Jumped 10kg to 55kg/121lb, definitely started to feel quite heavy for me at this stage so I don't think I'll add more than 2.5kg per workout going forward. On the first and fourth sets I wrapped my hands around the bar by mistake, usually my thumbs are on top. Beginnings of knee collapse?

    Pendlay rows: http://youtu.be/K1lAWozDSVc

    I thought I was parallel but apparently not. Some obvious assistance from the hip region as well on some reps.

    Agreed on your Pendlay row assessment. Definitely lifting your torso on some of those reps. Really gotta focus on tightening that core and exploding the weight off the ground using your back (lats, mainly).

    Squats honestly look pretty decent. You definitely looked a bit crooked sometimes, not sure if it's a strength imbalance, old injury or what? Definitely keep an eye on that.

    This one is more of a matter of personal preference but I'd caution you to be careful on "dive bombing" those squats. I've managed to hurt my hip twice (each side once) by doing that. Dropping really fast and then trying to bounce out of the hole is somewhat common but as it gets heavier I feel it really runs the risk of injury. Just something to think about.
  • junlex123
    junlex123 Posts: 81 Member
    Thanks both of you.

    With the squat imbalance I'm not sure if it was just the camera being slightly behind my left side or a genuine imbalance, I think something was probably going wrong. It didn't seem to show up in the last session I recorded though I was really focusing on knees out so maybe that helped.

    I'll try to slow the bottom of the descent down a bit, think I've automatically started doing it a bit as the weight's continued to go up anyway.
  • _benjammin
    _benjammin Posts: 1,224 Member
    After the previous critique of my squats I deloaded down to 95lbs, did box squats, pause squats and videoed every rep.
    I wasn't going low enough and my *kitten* was flying up first out of the hole (here's the previous bad form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-8L8fU0xIY ). I think I got that under control and have been working back up in weight. I'm using a cooler that is 11 inches tall as a cue for getting low enough.
    Please critique, am I going low enough? How's my back and hips? Anything else?
    155 view from behind:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAE9f3q9Fr0

    155 from the side:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yb9cs8DTNI

    Thanks for any advice.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    After the previous critique of my squats I deloaded down to 95lbs, did box squats, pause squats and videoed every rep.
    I wasn't going low enough and my *kitten* was flying up first out of the hole (here's the previous bad form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-8L8fU0xIY ). I think I got that under control and have been working back up in weight. I'm using a cooler that is 11 inches tall as a cue for getting low enough.
    Please critique, am I going low enough? How's my back and hips? Anything else?
    155 view from behind:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAE9f3q9Fr0

    155 from the side:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yb9cs8DTNI

    Thanks for any advice.

    Your right side is stronger than your left. I'd suggest working barbell rear lunges into your routine.

    Also try to psych yourself up before you get under the bar, not after you've walked it out.
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    Bench press form check:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85A3bIQAM1Q

    Overall it looks pretty decent to my eyes, though I could probably stand to hold the weight for a count at the bottom before pressing it.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    Bench press form check:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85A3bIQAM1Q

    Overall it looks pretty decent to my eyes, though I could probably stand to hold the weight for a count at the bottom before pressing it.

    You don't NEED to pause your reps unless you plan on doing a meet.

    It looks like you're trying to do a competition setup. If you are, you need to have your legs WAY farther up so that you can incorporate leg drive. I'd also like to see a heavier set.
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    I'll work on leg position once my ankle is healed. And I'm giving it another few weeks before going heaviee than 225. I tried for 275 that session and couldn't break it, so I'm going to wait til I'm back into it fully.
  • junlex123
    junlex123 Posts: 81 Member
    Hey, more videos when people get time to look:


    Squats 70kg/154lb: http://youtu.be/MDRJ71K9KpU

    Definitely something going wrong on the right hand side sometimes, with the knee going all over the place. I've had problems with my right knee/hip joint from running (or at least running brought them to light), not sure if it's that, or some other sort of imbalance. Trying to cue knees out as much as possible but doesn't always work. Looking at my warmup sets for today the issue didn't really appear, it only becomes really pronounced when I struggled to complete the rep - not sure which is the cause and which is the effect there. I'd really welcome any ideas on how to fix it! Annoying thing is I don't feel much instability in that knee while I'm doing the set. Think I've lost a bit of depth concentrating on this knee thing too.

    The bench the phone was on being slightly angled doesn't help - I know the bar looks like it's not on my back straight a lot of the time but I'm fairly sure that's mostly camera angle. Tried to fix it a bit in the last two sets with a towel so maybe those are clearer.


    Bench 47.5kg/104lb: http://youtu.be/tzXFJRvA24Q

    First time recording bench, was quite shocked at how curved my bar path was, not sure if that's normal or I'm doing something horribly wrong.


    Pendlay rows 47.5kg/104lb: http://youtu.be/0MHwsKJ4_F0

    A little bit better than last time I think, though hips are still helping a bit too much? They're not coming up so much as tilting up to assist but I guess that's still not perfect form. Should I go back down on these until the hips don't help at all?

    Been looking into getting some bumper plates: rolling around all over my plate bases is not helping me get a smooth, explosive set out at all.
  • DYELB
    DYELB Posts: 7,407 Member
    Hey, more videos when people get time to look:


    Squats 70kg/154lb: http://youtu.be/MDRJ71K9KpU

    Definitely something going wrong on the right hand side sometimes, with the knee going all over the place. I've had problems with my right knee/hip joint from running (or at least running brought them to light), not sure if it's that, or some other sort of imbalance. Trying to cue knees out as much as possible but doesn't always work. Looking at my warmup sets for today the issue didn't really appear, it only becomes really pronounced when I struggled to complete the rep - not sure which is the cause and which is the effect there. I'd really welcome any ideas on how to fix it! Annoying thing is I don't feel much instability in that knee while I'm doing the set. Think I've lost a bit of depth concentrating on this knee thing too.

    The bench the phone was on being slightly angled doesn't help - I know the bar looks like it's not on my back straight a lot of the time but I'm fairly sure that's mostly camera angle. Tried to fix it a bit in the last two sets with a towel so maybe those are clearer.


    Bench 47.5kg/104lb: t

    First time recording bench, was quite shocked at how curved my bar path was, not sure if that's normal or I'm doing something horribly wrong.


    Pendlay rows 47.5kg/104lb: http://youtu.be/0MHwsKJ4_F0

    A little bit better than last time I think, though hips are still helping a bit too much? They're not coming up so much as tilting up to assist but I guess that's still not perfect form. Should I go back down on these until the hips don't help at all?

    Been looking into getting some bumper plates: rolling around all over my plate bases is not helping me get a smooth, explosive set out at all.

    Squats: Add good mornings into your routine (using your squat stance). Also your left foot is angled out more than your right. Lots of people hate the exercise but the good girl/bad girl machine can help with the knees out bit. I'd also drop the weight down to 60 kilos and work back up to 70.

    Bench: You're bringing the bar back to eye level, hence the curve. The bar shouldn't be going back that way until you're reracking. Takes time to get used to. Also you have a decent arch but no leg drive, might want to work on that.

    Pendlay row: Try to hold it for a count at the top (you'll need to drop the weight to do so). It makes the movement less jerky.
  • junlex123
    junlex123 Posts: 81 Member
    Thanks for the suggestions!

    I've actually been trying out high bar squats in the last week for a number of reasons, which included a deload, and so far the knee issue hasn't come back, but I'll start incorporating good mornings and the hip abductor machines. For good mornings, as it's a supplementary lift I guess I should be using a weight that allows me to do somewhere around 10-12 reps rather than just 5? And stick it at the end of my sessions?

    For the bench, I definitely see the bar going too far back in the first few sets - was it still too far towards my head in the last set (apart from the last rep where it clearly was)? For leg drive I've been trying and horribly failing to do it like in Jennifer Thompson's video (http://youtu.be/34XRmd3a8_0?t=1m59s) - I guess my lower body's just not tight enough? I've watched Dave Tate's So you think you can bench series as well, with the legs really bent back and feet under the butt, but I guess I've just got some paranoia about heels not being in contact with the ground - just being stupid, right? So many places on the net say feet should be a flat base for the bench, but I guess that applies more to a bodybuilding style of bench rather than a powerlifting style?

    I'll try that on pendlays - my form was pretty horrendous last session when I upped the weight so a deload was in order anyway.
  • _benjammin
    _benjammin Posts: 1,224 Member
    After the previous critique of my squats I deloaded down to 95lbs, did box squats, pause squats and videoed every rep.
    I wasn't going low enough and my *kitten* was flying up first out of the hole (here's the previous bad form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-8L8fU0xIY ). I think I got that under control and have been working back up in weight. I'm using a cooler that is 11 inches tall as a cue for getting low enough.
    Please critique, am I going low enough? How's my back and hips? Anything else?
    155 view from behind:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAE9f3q9Fr0

    155 from the side:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yb9cs8DTNI

    Thanks for any advice.

    Your right side is stronger than your left. I'd suggest working barbell rear lunges into your routine.

    Also try to psych yourself up before you get under the bar, not after you've walked it out.

    Hmmmm, pretty sure my left side is stronger. What makes you think my right side is?
    Why the rear lunge recommendation? You think a long lunge emphasizing Gluteus Maximus or short lunge emphasizing Quadriceps would be more beneficial for low bar squatting?
    And thanks for the psyching up recommendation, never realized what I was doing but your absolutely right.
  • DYELB
    DYELB Posts: 7,407 Member
    After the previous critique of my squats I deloaded down to 95lbs, did box squats, pause squats and videoed every rep.
    I wasn't going low enough and my *kitten* was flying up first out of the hole (here's the previous bad form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-8L8fU0xIY ). I think I got that under control and have been working back up in weight. I'm using a cooler that is 11 inches tall as a cue for getting low enough.
    Please critique, am I going low enough? How's my back and hips? Anything else?
    155 view from behind:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAE9f3q9Fr0

    155 from the side:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yb9cs8DTNI

    Thanks for any advice.

    Your right side is stronger than your left. I'd suggest working barbell rear lunges into your routine.

    Also try to psych yourself up before you get under the bar, not after you've walked it out.

    Hmmmm, pretty sure my left side is stronger. What makes you think my right side is?
    Why the rear lunge recommendation? You think a long lunge emphasizing Gluteus Maximus or short lunge emphasizing Quadriceps would be more beneficial for low bar squatting?
    And thanks for the psyching up recommendation, never realized what I was doing but your absolutely right.

    Side view, reps 1,3, and 5 are most apparent but it looks like your left side is swaying forward while your right stays steady. I could be misreading it but that generally means you're generating more force (or at least more stable force) on the right side. I'm biased but I think rear lunges are the best kind of lunge particularly for carryover to squat. It's less strain on the knees and the step back is more like a squat than coming forward.
  • DYELB
    DYELB Posts: 7,407 Member
    Thanks for the suggestions!

    I've actually been trying out high bar squats in the last week for a number of reasons, which included a deload, and so far the knee issue hasn't come back, but I'll start incorporating good mornings and the hip abductor machines. For good mornings, as it's a supplementary lift I guess I should be using a weight that allows me to do somewhere around 10-12 reps rather than just 5? And stick it at the end of my sessions?

    For the bench, I definitely see the bar going too far back in the first few sets - was it still too far towards my head in the last set (apart from the last rep where it clearly was)? For leg drive I've been trying and horribly failing to do it like in Jennifer Thompson's video (http://youtu.be/34XRmd3a8_0?t=1m59s) - I guess my lower body's just not tight enough? I've watched Dave Tate's So you think you can bench series as well, with the legs really bent back and feet under the butt, but I guess I've just got some paranoia about heels not being in contact with the ground - just being stupid, right? So many places on the net say feet should be a flat base for the bench, but I guess that applies more to a bodybuilding style of bench rather than a powerlifting style?

    I'll try that on pendlays - my form was pretty horrendous last session when I upped the weight so a deload was in order anyway.

    Good Mornings should be light. 10 to 12 (or more) is a good starter. Don't push the weight on these though, you can get benefits with light weight for a long time.

    For bench, think about your feet being held by rubber bands connected to the rack. When you're pressing, try to kick your legs forward. They should be stopped by the ground and the effect should be to push you more forcefully onto the bench. You can only do that with your feet far back. Also driving your feet into the ground will force your heels down too.
  • junlex123
    junlex123 Posts: 81 Member
    90kg dead: http://youtu.be/oIbMpVQGncA

    Can't quite decide if my back's rounding or not. Seems more like top of pelvis than lower back, and the shirt bunching doesn't help either. Realised I wasn't keeping my neck neutral again, need to work on that as I think I do that a lot.

    35kg good mornings: http://youtu.be/94_0cXE1_qs

    Never done these before so not quite sure if I'm doing them right.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    90kg dead: http://youtu.be/oIbMpVQGncA

    Can't quite decide if my back's rounding or not. Seems more like top of pelvis than lower back, and the shirt bunching doesn't help either. Realised I wasn't keeping my neck neutral again, need to work on that as I think I do that a lot.

    35kg good mornings: http://youtu.be/94_0cXE1_qs

    Never done these before so not quite sure if I'm doing them right.

    Your lower back looks fine on your deadlifts. It actually looks to be rounding a little on the way DOWN in fact. On the way down, shoot your hips back to keep your back flat. It will also keep you from hitting your knees so much. I struggle with this a lot, myself.
  • ell_v131
    ell_v131 Posts: 349 Member
    My squat. I am a beginner with previous knee issues, so I want to make sure I have it down.
    I only squat with 4 kilos more than the bar atm so the form is the same

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX7VYw1dZAE&feature=youtu.be

    Also if you pause at 0.04 or 0.07 you will see my right glute (and I suspect ham as well) is larger than the left. Not sure how I got there but any tips on how to remedy that balance will be appreciated.
  • Hendrix7
    Hendrix7 Posts: 1,903 Member
    My squat. I am a beginner with previous knee issues, so I want to make sure I have it down.
    I only squat with 4 kilos more than the bar atm so the form is the same

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX7VYw1dZAE&feature=youtu.be

    Also if you pause at 0.04 or 0.07 you will see my right glute (and I suspect ham as well) is larger than the left. Not sure how I got there but any tips on how to remedy that balance will be appreciated.

    Your feet are extremely flared out, do you have to point them so far our in order to get to depth??

    ....if so you are probably having to compensate for some poor ankle and hip mobility. You will find it harder and harder to stop your knees caving it when the weights get heavier with foot position like that, balance will likely become an issue also.

    You are actually over-arching your low spine at the start of a few of those reps, think about bracing the abs and maitanining a flat lower back instead...see this article, the 2 video examples sum it up quite nicely.
    http://www.t-nation.com/training/lift-big-by-bracing-not-arching

    your back position at the bottom is great, it should be like that during the whole movement.
  • ell_v131
    ell_v131 Posts: 349 Member
    My squat. I am a beginner with previous knee issues, so I want to make sure I have it down.
    I only squat with 4 kilos more than the bar atm so the form is the same

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX7VYw1dZAE&feature=youtu.be

    Also if you pause at 0.04 or 0.07 you will see my right glute (and I suspect ham as well) is larger than the left. Not sure how I got there but any tips on how to remedy that balance will be appreciated.

    Your feet are extremely flared out, do you have to point them so far our in order to get to depth??

    ....if so you are probably having to compensate for some poor ankle and hip mobility. You will find it harder and harder to stop your knees caving it when the weights get heavier with foot position like that, balance will likely become an issue also.

    You are actually over-arching your low spine at the start of a few of those reps, think about bracing the abs and maitanining a flat lower back instead...see this article, the 2 video examples sum it up quite nicely.
    http://www.t-nation.com/training/lift-big-by-bracing-not-arching

    your back position at the bottom is great, it should be like that during the whole movement.

    Thank you! Yeah I have to point my toes to get to that depth. My toes point out quite a bit naturally, I remember getting comments on it as I was growing up. I will see if I can get them any straighter, but when I tried before I felt it in my knees a lot. Any tips?

    I see what you mean about the archy back. I think it's me making sure I don't round my back at any moment, but yeah, it seems a bit too pronounced. Will work on that too.