Form critique thread, post your videos here.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_nCXGQ19mo&feature=youtu.be
I wanted to post an update here. You folks have been instrumental in my success thus far. It's week 12 for me in SL5x5 and I went ahead with a little 1RM action a week early.
I did hitch in the middle of the rep but tried to remain upright and kept pushing til the finish.
As always, critiques are welcome if not desired. Thanks ya'll.
Can you shorten those saw horses? Banging off them was at least part of the reason for your forward lean. Also contributing to the problem is your elbow position. Whilst having the elbows high helps to create a 'shelf' for the bar, it also lends itself to a collapsed chest position, which brings the weight forward causing forward lean.
Next thing is your head position.
Looking down causes forward lean and a loss of upper back tightness. You want to be looking ahead/ever so slightly down, not down to the degree you are currently.
Lastly, work on improving your setup. Get tight under the bar before unracking, then take only 2-3 steps back before setting yourself.
For me this is unrack > one foot straight back for distance from rack > other foot back to position of squat stance > first foot slightly out to position of squat stance. Then glutes locked, knees locked, big breath in, brace myself and begin to squat.
Watch this video from my last comp to see what I mean about unracking:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsA_kTrfjYY&list=UUhU8Bs23Xuz9nQFbT9Ilwog
(I'm still actively working on the elbow position)
At no point do I look down, because this loosens your upper back. At 225lb you're unlikely to feel a difference but in a few more months when you're pushing 300lb+ it'll make a big difference. Best to iron it out now.
Yes, the saw horses need a little more off the bottoms, I took an inch.5 off the first day I used them but then realized the next session they still need a little more.
Elbow position has been a bad problem area from the first day. In previous weeks while under work weight, I focused on trying to touch my rib cage with my elbows (mental cue) and the forward lean had all but disappeared. I also have a sticker above eye level that I try to focus on throughout the entire motion, however during my 1RM attempt, I was nervous and fidgety which lead to overall sloppiness.
I appreciate your feedback! Today I went back to my work sets (rude awakening).0 -
As mentioned, you need to go lower and it's hard to critique air squats.Hello-
I was directed to this forum by this thread:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1367032-quality-vs-quantity
So here I am posting my squat form videos. I was doing squats this way for forever:
http://s1311.photobucket.com/user/squamation/media/Mobile Uploads/20140725_153814_zps6851d275.mp4.html?filters[user]=135154491&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=1
(My arms are up holding an imaginary bar, when I actually squat I do use weight)
This is what I've been instructed is the correct form:
http://s1311.photobucket.com/user/squamation/media/Mobile Uploads/20140725_153844_zps68ed01ed.mp4.html?filters[user]=135154491&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0
- I don't want an injury so am looking for additional feedback. It feels weird but not bad/harmful.
Any thoughts or advice is appreciated.
Generally, your first video looks like low bar form (bent over at the waist a bit) and the second video looks more like high bar form (more upright torso).
Where do you usually place the bar on your back? Generally, high bar will work the quads more, low bar more hams/glutes, YMMV.0 -
As mentioned, you need to go lower and it's hard to critique air squats.
Generally, your first video looks like low bar form (bent over at the waist a bit) and the second video looks more like high bar form (more upright torso).
Where do you usually place the bar on your back? Generally, high bar will work the quads more, low bar more hams/glutes, YMMV.
Thanks, I'm working on getting videos of it with weights.0 -
Elbow position has been a bad problem area from the first day. In previous weeks while under work weight, I focused on trying to touch my rib cage with my elbows (mental cue) and the forward lean had all but disappeared. I also have a sticker above eye level that I try to focus on throughout the entire motion, however during my 1RM attempt, I was nervous and fidgety which lead to overall sloppiness.
I appreciate your feedback! Today I went back to my work sets (rude awakening).
Practice makes permanent, once you've got a while longer under your belt your practiced technique will hold up better under max weight.0 -
http://youtu.be/buhZBuCnCH4
1rm week is now over. DL attempt 275lbs. I would like to count it but I'm concerned with the lock out. Any advice? Should it count?
Fwiw I felt like I locked out but I don't know if I held it long enough.0 -
That lockout was plenty. All you've got to do is straighten up and stand tall. Any extra beyond that is fluff.0
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I had a reply on YouTube that said I was rounded through the entire rep. I agree to a point however it was a max effort. I asked the commenter to look at a work weight video to see if rounding was still an issue.
What are your thoughts on the form in particular of this 1rm ?0 -
It looks to me that your lower back is flat and your upper back is rounded. Some people prefer to pull this way. You will see it a lot amongst elite powerlifters in fact. Whether it's good or bad is debatable, however it's really the lower back that is fragile and prone to injury. Lower back rounding is generally a big no-no.
FWIW, your form looks like that in basically all your videos. I'm not a professional but your video doesn't concern me.0 -
I was under the impression that rounding is a problem when it is in the lower back. So I didn't have a problem with it either. I have always been a hunch back due to crap posture in general. Thanks again for the feedback!0
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Sure thing. If you're ever bored, next time you deadlift, try to bring your shoulder blades together. I don't mean a shrug, I mean literally try to touch the bottoms of your shoulder blades together. Then pull. You don't have to post the video or anything, but I'm curious how it will look and more importantly - how it will feel. It helps me keep a flatter back overall and keep my chest up, but I have major problems in that area (with squats too) so it's a nice queue for me. Just something to try. Maybe you'll like it. Or maybe you prefer quasimodo-style.0
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Will do!0
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I was under the impression that rounding is a problem when it is in the lower back. So I didn't have a problem with it either. I have always been a hunch back due to crap posture in general. Thanks again for the feedback!
Correct.
What you get is a lot of people who've just read Starting Strength, just started lifting, just seen a few videos about correct form on youtube etc, who are convinced that form falls into very specific black and white areas, and one is correct and the other 'pray to lord Rippetoe that you spine doesn't fire across the room wrong'.
The truth of the matter is that there's a sliding scale that goes from perfect form to snap city, and so long as you don't slip past 'injurious' on the scale, you're generally fine. It's these people that 'deload to work on form' every 3 weeks and never make any progress.
Rounded upper back deadlifts increase speed off the floor and reduce ROM. So long as you maintain a position of global braced stability (i.e you set up in a slightly rounded position and maintain that braced rounded position until completion of the lift) so long as you don't have any massive spastic detours from that position, you're fine. Paused your video at 7 secs, 8 secs, 9 secs and 10 secs. you can plot a line from your upper back where the rounding begins to your lower back, and it stays straight from when you break the bar off the floor to when you lock out.
As your posture improves your deadlift set up probably will too. If you're not foam rolling at the minute I'd suggest it as it can help your thoracic mobility and posture a lot.
As for your lockout, it's absolutely fine. Knees were locked, shoulders were back, hips were through, and you were locked out long enough to get a down command if you were on the platform, so all good. Holding onto the lockout a bit longer can help with grip strength if that's something you'd like to work on, for example on the last rep of each warm up and work set.0 -
That's a cue I use too along with something Sara said along the lines of "protecting your arm pits", squeezing my shoulders down and in.Sure thing. If you're ever bored, next time you deadlift, try to bring your shoulder blades together. I don't mean a shrug, I mean literally try to touch the bottoms of your shoulder blades together. Then pull. You don't have to post the video or anything, but I'm curious how it will look and more importantly - how it will feel. It helps me keep a flatter back overall and keep my chest up, but I have major problems in that area (with squats too) so it's a nice queue for me. Just something to try. Maybe you'll like it. Or maybe you prefer quasimodo-style.0 -
Wow, thanks ya'll. It feels good to know I am doing this correct (subjective I know). I do foam roll but it's very inconsistent, usually only do it when my upper back is super tight and "hitching."0
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470x1. Felt good. See any issues? Spreadsheet says I hit 500 on 1 november.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbpKTEpkZzk 0 -
Looks great. Didn't even look that hard for you. Good luck on 500, that is some serious weight!0
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Hi everyone. I 'm new to weightlifting and I would love some critiques on my squat form. This is only my 2nd week doing stronglifts 5x5 and I just wanna know if my form is right so I can progress properly
I did low bar squats @ 65lb (baby weight :laugh:) and this was my last set. Idek what happened on the last rep, haha! Thanks in advance!
http://youtu.be/-pcNxo2xrAg 0 -
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I could not tell - do you take a big breath and tighten up before your squat? Did you lose air at the bottom - you seemed to do a little double bounce in the hole.0 -
Hi everyone. I 'm new to weightlifting and I would love some critiques on my squat form. This is only my 2nd week doing stronglifts 5x5 and I just wanna know if my form is right so I can progress properly
I did low bar squats @ 65lb (baby weight :laugh:) and this was my last set. Idek what happened on the last rep, haha! Thanks in advance!http://youtu.be/-pcNxo2xrAg
The bar looks a bit low on you - or at least not on the 'shelf' of your traps. You look to be a bit uneven/wobbly and your hips are come up a bit too much compared to your shoulders (most on the 4th rep) - which is not a big deal now but may become one as you get more weight on the bar. There are a few other things, but I would like to see you play with the bar position first as well as to see a video from the back and the front to see if you are uneven (and too see how much your knees are coming in). You can PM me if you are not comfortable posting that.
This is a good video re bar position -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2tyOLvArw0
To be honest, I would keep the weight as is for a session or two.
When you re-rack - do it the same way you unrack - with both feet parallel and not split.0
http://youtu.be/MF9Eg3xs0qA