when I see people unbalanced while squatting, it tends to be because they are putting their weight too far forward onto the balls of their feet.

So, a few things to try - 1 is just widen your stance a little. or a lot. That can help. The second is to get a lowish chair, bench or box and put it a little ways behind you (not SUPER low or anything) and then squat down so your butt settles down against the edge of the chair. Its called a box squat, you can look it up -it teaches you to sit BACK into your squat (it overexagerrates it a little bit but I've heard its a good way to learn).

Try the stance first though - but otherwise, yeah, being unbalanced isn't normal, but its not because you aren't 'ready' or 'strong enough' - it just means you need to figure out how to distribute your weight.

What kind of shoes are you wearing? Shoes with softer soles, or like running shoes that have a lot of cushion in the heel, make it nearly impossible to feel steady enough. try a hard soled shoe, or at least go barefoot and see how that feels.

that happens to me sometimes, and 2-3x i would double check my weights and everything was fine. so i think i'm just crazy.

it only happens with the first rep, after that everything feels normal.

though these comments about footwear have me wondering. maybe i should try doing squats barefoot.

i love doing my warm ups with just the bar, it gets me into the proper form without too much weight.

You'd be surprised. I did it barefoot a few times before getting my Converse and no one even blinked.

Really good advice from Tameko!

I have major trouble with my balance, even before I started lifting weights—I always have been wobbly no matter what I'm doing. So I felt really unbalanced when I started squatting too. It gets better if you keep practicing, and take some of the suggestions here!

Also what helps me is to just rock a little back and forth on my ball and heel when I unrack the bar and step back. Just to feel where I'm at and get my feet planted well before I start going down. I also always do one warm-up set if I can.... when I was just doing the bar, I would do a set or two with no weight. Now that I have some weight on the bar, I do a warm-up set with just the bar.

Have you tried squatting without any weight with a box or something behind you? I did that a bunch with the edge of my bathtub at home when I first started.

Keep trying! You'll get better!!

Not to hijack the thread, but it is somewhat related to balance. Last night I did the OHP with 35 lb bar (that looks like dumbells on a long rod) and I kept leaning back slightly to avoid hitting my face with the bar. Am I doing this correctly?

it shouldn't be your whole body leaning, it should be just moving your head out of the way. I find I do best if I arch my back and hold a lot of air in my chest - that more or less moves my head mostly out of the way and all you have to do is move your head a tiny bit. Watch some people OTHER than the rippetoe people do these. I found it more beneficial to see people wearing tight clothes do it, as well as larger/stockier people, Also I like watching Medhi lift.