Form critique thread, post your videos here.
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OK, my first post into this thread - a bit nervous for some reason. Maybe its the fact that I look weak and scrawny :laugh: .
I should note that this was my last set of squats (of 7 sets). I wanted to do it at the end as I thought my form was pretty solid but could feel it start to break down as I fatigued and wanted to capture that.
I think the depth is ok, but that I was pushing the weight a little too far forward and having to muscle it up with my quads a little more than I should be.
Any observations are appreciated. Thanks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71b0x91mhZY
Looks pretty good to me other than the issue you stated. Definitely bouncing forward a little at the bottom, causing a bit of a good morning action as you try to straight back up out of the hole. Definitely want to work on that now or heavier weights are just going to make it more pronounced in the future.0 -
I would really appreciate a form check on my squat. I just moved to 105 lbs this last session. The thing I feel like I'm struggling most with at this point in terms of form is my grip. I'm doing low bar, and I'm attempting the grip that Rippetoe teaches (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2tyOLvArw0). I feel like I start pretty well, with the weight on my back, not on my hands/wrists, but as the set progresses, I start taking it more on my hands & wrists. When I feel this happening, I try to re-tighten my shoulders and adjust to take the weight back off, but I'm not sure why I'm losing the tightness in the first place. Are there any tips/tricks I can use to try to keep the proper positioning and weight where it needs to be? Any other form comments are welcome too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wEUTJR23u0
Pardon all the twitchiness; I'm always a bit nervous when I bump up to a new weight.0 -
I would really appreciate a form check on my squat. I just moved to 105 lbs this last session. The thing I feel like I'm struggling most with at this point in terms of form is my grip. I'm doing low bar, and I'm attempting the grip that Rippetoe teaches (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2tyOLvArw0). I feel like I start pretty well, with the weight on my back, not on my hands/wrists, but as the set progresses, I start taking it more on my hands & wrists. When I feel this happening, I try to re-tighten my shoulders and adjust to take the weight back off, but I'm not sure why I'm losing the tightness in the first place. Are there any tips/tricks I can use to try to keep the proper positioning and weight where it needs to be? Any other form comments are welcome too.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wEUTJR23u0
Pardon all the twitchiness; I'm always a bit nervous when I bump up to a new weight.
My first tip is for unracking the weight. You're doing kinda a back extension to unrack the bar. This works now but it won't work when the weight gets heavy. Squat the bar off of the hooks. Get your hips and feet under it, squat down slightly and stand up with the bar. It will be very important as you progress.
Your bar position and stability looks fine to me, I didn't notice it moving around. Maybe try bringing your hands in a little closer to make a better "shelf" for the bar to sit in? If the palms-over grip doesn't work for you then try something else. There's no rule on how you position your hands, different things will work for different people. I did at least a year of the palms-over technique and I really have a hard time with it, makes me feel unstable and the bar feels unsecured (even though it has never budged). I've been experimenting a little, I feel like when I can grip the bar hard that I can push more weight. The only real danger is putting too much weight on your wrists, and your wrists bending back and eventually causing an injury. It doesn't matter much at your current weight but once you stack 200lbs+ on that bar you're not gonna be able to do much with your hands to support it. That's basically what the palms-over technique teaches, to carry all the weight on your shoulders. Your hands at that point are basically pushing the bar into your shoulders to keep the bar in place - which is good!
Other than that, it's decent but your hips are coming up faster than the rest of your body often. Again, seems common with women (strongs hips/legs but the back can't keep up and you end up sorta leaning over). It's not a huge problem yet but as the weight gets heavier you're gonna start collapsing forward and failing the lift because you're going to be off-balance (weight on toes) and it will throw off everything. Really work on keeping that torso tight so you can maintain form. Valsalva maneuver, etc.
Keep up the good work!0 -
OK, my first post into this thread - a bit nervous for some reason. Maybe its the fact that I look weak and scrawny :laugh: .
I should note that this was my last set of squats (of 7 sets). I wanted to do it at the end as I thought my form was pretty solid but could feel it start to break down as I fatigued and wanted to capture that.
I think the depth is ok, but that I was pushing the weight a little too far forward and having to muscle it up with my quads a little more than I should be.
Any observations are appreciated. Thanks.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71b0x91mhZY
Fix your gym's music.
There are little things, but basically just keep an eye on it as you get heavier and you'll be fine. Trying to correct too much and get too perfect can be as much of a problem as letting too much slide.0 -
I would really appreciate a form check on my squat. I just moved to 105 lbs this last session. The thing I feel like I'm struggling most with at this point in terms of form is my grip. I'm doing low bar, and I'm attempting the grip that Rippetoe teaches (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2tyOLvArw0). I feel like I start pretty well, with the weight on my back, not on my hands/wrists, but as the set progresses, I start taking it more on my hands & wrists. When I feel this happening, I try to re-tighten my shoulders and adjust to take the weight back off, but I'm not sure why I'm losing the tightness in the first place. Are there any tips/tricks I can use to try to keep the proper positioning and weight where it needs to be? Any other form comments are welcome too.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wEUTJR23u0
Pardon all the twitchiness; I'm always a bit nervous when I bump up to a new weight.
Being nervous is ok, the twitches between reps is dangerous though as you're shifting the entire load from one side to the other.
As dope said, get all the way under the bar when you unrack.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUTcYA9daoE is a good reference since you say you feel like you're taking too much on your biceps and wrist. You have a wider grip, which is ok, but your elbows are flared all the way back behind you which I suspect is what's causing the soreness. Bringing your hands in (and your elbows down) is one solution, but ideally what you should try to do is like in the video get your back tight without your arms in crazy positions.
You need to push your hips forward when you squat, it'll help with the ascent. Deadlifts/SLDLs/Romanians and Hip Thrusts/Glute Bridges should help you a lot. You could also do some Kettlebell Swings, Donkey Kicks, or Pullthroughs if you have the gear for it.
Your right side looks to be stronger than your left. This isn't uncommon but is something you should try to rectify if you can. Single limb work like Bulgarians, Single Leg Leg Press, Reverse Lunges, Lunges, and Step Ups should help in that regard.0 -
Thank you, DopeItUp and ArroganceInSt for the feedback.
DP, good point about unracking - something I hadn't even thought about, but after doing a little research on it, definitely seems important! Yes, I have had the hips before chest problem for a while now (believe it or not, it's actually improved some from what it was), and I continue to work on it. I do use the Valsalva and try to queue myself to bring the chest up. I also do a lot of planking to keep strengthening the core. Any other ideas there?
Arrogance, I hadn't even thought about how I might be shifting the weight around when I do that - will really make an effort to keep more calm & still going forward. Very interesting video. In Rippetoe's video on grip, he shows the arms in closer as increasing the tightness in the back and thus the stability of the shelf, so that's how I always figured it needed to be. He emphasizes elbows up, so I'm constantly keeping them up, I guess maybe too far up. I'm not clear on what you mean by pushing the hips forward when squatting - I've always focused on bringing the butt up. Are there any video examples of someone doing this that you could point me to?
Thanks again to both of you for your help!0 -
Thank you, DopeItUp and ArroganceInSt for the feedback.
DP, good point about unracking - something I hadn't even thought about, but after doing a little research on it, definitely seems important! Yes, I have had the hips before chest problem for a while now (believe it or not, it's actually improved some from what it was), and I continue to work on it. I do use the Valsalva and try to queue myself to bring the chest up. I also do a lot of planking to keep strengthening the core. Any other ideas there?
Arrogance, I hadn't even thought about how I might be shifting the weight around when I do that - will really make an effort to keep more calm & still going forward. Very interesting video. In Rippetoe's video on grip, he shows the arms in closer as increasing the tightness in the back and thus the stability of the shelf, so that's how I always figured it needed to be. He emphasizes elbows up, so I'm constantly keeping them up, I guess maybe too far up. I'm not clear on what you mean by pushing the hips forward when squatting - I've always focused on bringing the butt up. Are there any video examples of someone doing this that you could point me to?
Thanks again to both of you for your help!
Rip's explanation is generally geared towards beginners. They're squatting less weight and as such aren't going to experience some of the symptoms PC was talking about. What you're doing is, as far as I can tell, an exaggeration of that. I put up his explanation with the hope that you'd take a bit from both. Namely getting tight in your back, but trying to rest the weight on your back as much as possible rather than your arms.
Pushing with the hips forward is something you do 1/2 to 3/4 of the way up. Driving your hips forwards activates your glutes and hamstrings (think trying to hump air) and helps you lock out fully. It's similar to what you do on deadlift.0 -
OK, my first post into this thread - a bit nervous for some reason. Maybe its the fact that I look weak and scrawny :laugh: .
I should note that this was my last set of squats (of 7 sets). I wanted to do it at the end as I thought my form was pretty solid but could feel it start to break down as I fatigued and wanted to capture that.
I think the depth is ok, but that I was pushing the weight a little too far forward and having to muscle it up with my quads a little more than I should be.
Any observations are appreciated. Thanks.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71b0x91mhZY
Fix your gym's music.
There are little things, but basically just keep an eye on it as you get heavier and you'll be fine. Trying to correct too much and get too perfect can be as much of a problem as letting too much slide.
Thanks AIS. You'll notice that's why I have my headphones in! Good to know there's nothing too wrong. I'll keep an eye on my form as the weight increases to make sure the bar doesn't start to lean forward any further.0 -
Updated squat video after deloading a bit and working up to a new higher weight. I've been working on being sure to "spreading the floor" based on the comments from my previous form check.
I still have a tendency for my hips to come up first, especially on my later sets, as as I've been pushing more weight (deloaded twice in the past to work on this) I'm doing better, but I can still see it a bit in the video. If I feel myself doing it, I slow down and make sure to push my hips forward, keep my back up, and make sure my legs and back are both coming up (exactly what happened in my last rep in the side view).
http://youtu.be/XbR7WDavvfg
http://youtu.be/90Rl-tCC-Q4 0 -
Updated squat video after deloading a bit and working up to a new higher weight. I've been working on being sure to "spreading the floor" based on the comments from my previous form check.
I still have a tendency for my hips to come up first, especially on my later sets, as as I've been pushing more weight (deloaded twice in the past to work on this) I'm doing better, but I can still see it a bit in the video. If I feel myself doing it, I slow down and make sure to push my hips forward, keep my back up, and make sure my legs and back are both coming up (exactly what happened in my last rep in the side view).http://youtu.be/XbR7WDavvfghttp://youtu.be/90Rl-tCC-Q4
I think the problem is that you're squatting high bar but you're leaning over like you're doing low bar. Thus the bar is too far forward, causing you to be off-balance and you clearly have to struggle to straighten back up on the way up out of the hole.
Maybe try keeping your torso a little more upright like the middle picture? The camera angle wasn't straight-on from the side so I couldn't see where the bar was compared to your feet, but you may want to get that video angle in the future so you can see if the bar is moving and causing you to be off balance.0 -
Thanks Dope, I'll try to get a better side view on my next squat session. The weight does feel centered over my feet, towards the heel, in those lifts.
In my session this weekend, I tried to keep my back more upright, but in order to keep the weight over my feet and stay balanced and not feel like I am going to fall back, I had to let my knees go farther forward. I always hear to not let your knees go past your toes, so in order to keep my knees back, my butt ends up pretty far back and I have to lean over farther to keep balanced. Would I be okay to let my knees go a couple inches farther forward?0 -
Thanks Dope, I'll try to get a better side view on my next squat session. The weight does feel centered over my feet, towards the heel, in those lifts.
In my session this weekend, I tried to keep my back more upright, but in order to keep the weight over my feet and stay balanced and not feel like I am going to fall back, I had to let my knees go farther forward. I always hear to not let your knees go past your toes, so in order to keep my knees back, my butt ends up pretty far back and I have to lean over farther to keep balanced. Would I be okay to let my knees go a couple inches farther forward?
My knees go past my toes. I don't think it's that big a deal.0 -
Thanks Dope, I'll try to get a better side view on my next squat session. The weight does feel centered over my feet, towards the heel, in those lifts.
In my session this weekend, I tried to keep my back more upright, but in order to keep the weight over my feet and stay balanced and not feel like I am going to fall back, I had to let my knees go farther forward. I always hear to not let your knees go past your toes, so in order to keep my knees back, my butt ends up pretty far back and I have to lean over farther to keep balanced. Would I be okay to let my knees go a couple inches farther forward?
Yeah I'm not sure where the whole knees-behind-toes thing came from. Where your knees end up, really depends on bar position and your bodily proportions. Stance width too. Wider stance will usually result in knees traveling less. So really, I wouldn't sweat it. Try getting a vid directly from the side and make sure the bar is directly over the middle of your foot, I think that might help. You might just have a weak core/back that is causing you to fall/lean forward, which will just take time to strengthen.0 -
I'll have to read your replies later this evening. I just want to know how to do a squat with no barbell--just me, myself, and I.
And also, since I have some knee issues, can I only go part way down and still get some benefits?
What areas will squats strengthen? I kind of figure glutes and quads.
Do squats help strengthen your hip joints?
Thanks for your help.0 -
Bump. (Especially for the replies to bellesouth18's query).0
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I'll have to read your replies later this evening. I just want to know how to do a squat with no barbell--just me, myself, and I.
And also, since I have some knee issues, can I only go part way down and still get some benefits?
What areas will squats strengthen? I kind of figure glutes and quads.
Do squats help strengthen your hip joints?
Thanks for your help.
You may want to start your own new thread with your questions.0 -
Looking for some squat form critique. The first vid is from about 2 months ago and cycle1 week 1 of Wendler. The second video isjust over a week old and from cycle 4 week 1 of Wendler. Both vids are from a working set of the day at 5 reps.
I feel like I've made some improvements but am also now lifting with proper shoes and a belt, so that may have a bit to do with it. I've always felt my squat form is horrid so any and all critiques are welcome.
C1W1 - 180x5 (knees pretty far forward and out in this one? Just noticed it after comparing the two myself...)
http://youtu.be/-YElwUNcxvQ
C4W1 - 190x5 (butt-wink perhaps?)
http://youtu.be/yjobYK3GYT8
ETA: The camera in the second vid wasn't quite level. Just FYI ha0 -
I'll have to read your replies later this evening. I just want to know how to do a squat with no barbell--just me, myself, and I.
And also, since I have some knee issues, can I only go part way down and still get some benefits?
What areas will squats strengthen? I kind of figure glutes and quads.
Do squats help strengthen your hip joints?
Thanks for your help.
You may want to start your own new thread with your questions.
Thanks, I will.0 -
HI,
I am in my fourth week of Stronglifts.
This is the first time doing compound lifts. This is me squatting my third working set.
I have read Starting Strength and have watched videos.
Question= Am I doing it right?
http://youtu.be/5b2zzQHFg7M
Thank you for your time:flowerforyou:0 -
HI,
I am in my fourth week of Stronglifts.
This is the first time doing compound lifts. This is me squatting my third working set.
I have read Starting Strength and have watched videos.
Question= Am I doing it right?http://youtu.be/5b2zzQHFg7M
Thank you for your time:flowerforyou:
+10 squat points for Freebird.
Your squats look good to me, keep up the good work. Just watch your unrack technique. You want to get under the bar and squat it off the hooks. You've got one foot forward and one foot back and you're doing a calf raise to get the bar out. Just squat it for a 1/4 rep to get it out. Doesn't matter now but it will be important later when it's heavy as hell.0
