Form critique thread, post your videos here.
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Hey there! Im 2 weeks out from my first meet and looking for constructive feedback...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEH-PECBxR0
This is squat. I will be working on my knee stablility and keeping knees over toes. Also going to try a lower bar positioning.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzGVUYQTmwk
Deadlift
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enJg7jJjrcA
bench press. changed to a wider grip since video.
Thanks for your help in advance!
General comment: your belt looks to be narrower at the front than the back and is sitting too high. Check the rules of the federation you are competing in as they usually need to be the same width around so I am not sure you will be able to wear yours. Also, the front sits too high up and is too narrow. The main purpose of a belt is to have something for your abs to push against.
Squat:
Suggested areas prior to the meet:
- Agree with dope re the split stance unracking
- don't wrap your thumb - use a false grip
- your knees are caving in - keep them pushed out
- the angles were too hard to tell if you hit depth. Some reps did look like they might be a little shy of depth though, but that could have just been the camera angle.
Think about playing around with this prior, but definitely think about it after the meet:
- You mention that you swapped to low bar recently -- but in the video you look to be doing more of a high bar. A low bar should have the bar a bit lower and your elbows back more. This should help the bar path which looks a bit too far forward, especially at the end where you look to be GM'ing it.
- Your butt is coming up a bit early, but this may be helped with playing around with the bar position
Deadlifts:
- the bar is not starting touching your shins. You end up pulling it towards you when you start to lift. Have the bar mid foot, touching your shins and and pull back so it drags up your legs
- tuck your chin
- keep your lats engaged - you were hunching a bit at the end.
- big breath before you start
Bench
Before the meet:
- I would suggest practicing paused bench (2 second pause)
- at the meet - don't shuffle your feet as you will get red lights if you do
After the meet (only suggesting after as the set up takes a while to work out and your bench is strong anyway)
- you look like you are not on your shoulders and not incorporating leg drive. Try to get a better arch.
- widen your grip - your forearms should be straight up and down at the bottom.
- try to keep your elbows tucked more
The above are also important for shoulder safety - but I hesitate to suggest you play around with it prior to the meet. Possibly look at the grip width prior though.0 -
Hey there! Im 2 weeks out from my first meet and looking for constructive feedback...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEH-PECBxR0
This is squat. I will be working on my knee stablility and keeping knees over toes. Also going to try a lower bar positioning.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzGVUYQTmwk
Deadlifthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enJg7jJjrcA
bench press. changed to a wider grip since video.
Thanks for your help in advance!
General comment: your belt looks to be narrower at the front than the back and is sitting too high. Check the rules of the federation you are competing in as they usually need to be the same width around so I am not sure you will be able to wear yours. Also, the front sits too high up and is too narrow. The main purpose of a belt is to have something for your abs to push against.
Squat:
Suggested areas prior to the meet:
- Agree with dope re the split stance unracking
- don't wrap your thumb - use a false grip
- your knees are caving in - keep them pushed out
- the angles were too hard to tell if you hit depth. Some reps did look like they might be a little shy of depth though, but that could have just been the camera angle.
Think about playing around with this prior, but definitely think about it after the meet:
- You mention that you swapped to low bar recently -- but in the video you look to be doing more of a high bar. A low bar should have the bar a bit lower and your elbows back more. This should help the bar path which looks a bit too far forward, especially at the end where you look to be GM'ing it.
- Your butt is coming up a bit early, but this may be helped with playing around with the bar position
Deadlifts:
- the bar is not starting touching your shins. You end up pulling it towards you when you start to lift. Have the bar mid foot, touching your shins and and pull back so it drags up your legs
- tuck your chin
- keep your lats engaged - you were hunching a bit at the end.
- big breath before you start
Bench
Before the meet:
- I would suggest practicing paused bench (2 second pause)
- at the meet - don't shuffle your feet as you will get red lights if you do
After the meet (only suggesting after as the set up takes a while to work out and your bench is strong anyway)
- you look like you are not on your shoulders and not incorporating leg drive. Try to get a better arch.
- widen your grip - your forearms should be straight up and down at the bottom.
- try to keep your elbows tucked more
The above are also important for shoulder safety - but I hesitate to suggest you play around with it prior to the meet. Possibly look at the grip width prior though.
All excellent points.0 -
Hey there! Im 2 weeks out from my first meet and looking for constructive feedback...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEH-PECBxR0
This is squat. I will be working on my knee stablility and keeping knees over toes. Also going to try a lower bar positioning.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzGVUYQTmwk
Deadlifthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enJg7jJjrcA
bench press. changed to a wider grip since video.
Thanks for your help in advance!
Do you have a handler for your meet? If not try to get somebody (ideally who knows lifting). I'm not sure how much you can really expect to fix with 2 weeks lead time, but having somebody there should help with day-of stuff.0 -
So I tweaked my back today in the middle of my deadlifts. I'm not entirely convinced that the problem was caused by the deadlifting (I had a different pain going on yesterday that seemed to be gone today but perhaps just morphed), but that's when I felt the pain. I'd appreciate any comments on my form that might have caused the problem. I was doing 9 singles, so I'll spare you all of it, but here are a couple of links to my 2nd and 4th pull, and then the 7th, where it went wrong - or at least where I felt it go wrong.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTe3SlkPAPQ&feature=youtu.be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVMDgvCKcac&feature=youtu.be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gXpV8H2PJg&feature=youtu.be
The pain was sudden, sharp, and in my right lower back. The back pain I had yesterday was more of a dull, itchy pain on the left side that radiated down into my left leg. It appeared to be gone this morning, which was why I went ahead with my lifts. I also did squats prior to the deadlifts, so I haven't ruled out problems with them leading to the pain.0 -
So I tweaked my back today in the middle of my deadlifts. I'm not entirely convinced that the problem was caused by the deadlifting (I had a different pain going on yesterday that seemed to be gone today but perhaps just morphed), but that's when I felt the pain. I'd appreciate any comments on my form that might have caused the problem. I was doing 9 singles, so I'll spare you all of it, but here are a couple of links to my 2nd and 4th pull, and then the 7th, where it went wrong - or at least where I felt it go wrong.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTe3SlkPAPQ&feature=youtu.behttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVMDgvCKcac&feature=youtu.behttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gXpV8H2PJg&feature=youtu.be
The pain was sudden, sharp, and in my right lower back. The back pain I had yesterday was more of a dull, itchy pain on the left side that radiated down into my left leg. It appeared to be gone this morning, which was why I went ahead with my lifts. I also did squats prior to the deadlifts, so I haven't ruled out problems with them leading to the pain.
It looks like your right side is doing most of the heavy lifting, might be because of the pain from before.
Try doing a body weight single leg dead lift on each side, does one cause noticeably more pain or discomfort than the other? If so, where?0 -
So I tweaked my back today in the middle of my deadlifts. I'm not entirely convinced that the problem was caused by the deadlifting (I had a different pain going on yesterday that seemed to be gone today but perhaps just morphed), but that's when I felt the pain. I'd appreciate any comments on my form that might have caused the problem. I was doing 9 singles, so I'll spare you all of it, but here are a couple of links to my 2nd and 4th pull, and then the 7th, where it went wrong - or at least where I felt it go wrong.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTe3SlkPAPQ&feature=youtu.behttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVMDgvCKcac&feature=youtu.behttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gXpV8H2PJg&feature=youtu.be
The pain was sudden, sharp, and in my right lower back. The back pain I had yesterday was more of a dull, itchy pain on the left side that radiated down into my left leg. It appeared to be gone this morning, which was why I went ahead with my lifts. I also did squats prior to the deadlifts, so I haven't ruled out problems with them leading to the pain.
On your last (7th) rep, you can especially see how your right hip sorta shifts up right at the start of the lift. Either weird form or subconsciously compensating for some previous injury/strain/soreness/whatever.0 -
Thanks, Arrogance and Dope. I thought that motion of my hip looked a little odd; I couldn't figure out what it was or why I was doing it. I've looked back through my videos for a few months., and it looks like I've been doing it for a good while, although not to such a noticeable degree as it was yesterday. I know I've got a strength imbalance in my right vs. left side as I've seen it before & it's been pointed out to me before in the squat. However, I didn't realize it was affecting my deadlift (and appears to be getting worse).
Arrogance, when I tried doing the bodyweight deadlift this morning, I was pain free on both sides. However, later, I apparently aggravated the spot again (seems like just a little bend to the side or to pick something up can make it flare), and now I encounter the pain on either side when trying it. I think it was a bit worse when raising the right leg behind me vs. the left leg. I feel it mostly in my right lower back, just above my butt.
So I guess when I get past this, I should really focus on trying to fix this imbalance? Switch to dumbells and isolation exercises for a while? Should I drop compound lifts altogether until it's evened out or just do them at a lower weight?0 -
Just thought I'd update - had my husband watch today as I loaded the bar for a very light deadlift and did my best not to pop the hip. Despite my not feeling it, he immediately observed that I was lifting from my right side. He worked with me to try to correct it, and by the end said I had (I focused on pushing from my heals and took it very slowly to try to keep it even). Still, it's obvious that it's an ingrained habit at this point, since I can't even tell that I'm doing it. I'm definitely going to step back with a big deload and focus on bringing up my strength on my left side.0
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Just thought I'd update - had my husband watch today as I loaded the bar for a very light deadlift and did my best not to pop the hip. Despite my not feeling it, he immediately observed that I was lifting from my right side. He worked with me to try to correct it, and by the end said I had (I focused on pushing from my heals and took it very slowly to try to keep it even). Still, it's obvious that it's an ingrained habit at this point, since I can't even tell that I'm doing it. I'm definitely going to step back with a big deload and focus on bringing up my strength on my left side.
Odd question, but looking at your profile pic is that how you usually carry (or carried) your kids? Do you often do things more on your right than left?
Fixing the imbalance shouldn't be your primary workout goal, but it's a good second or third place thing.
I'd suggest a three to four week reload for now to let your back heal. Do light work, lots of mobility, and try out single leg stuff to see how it feels.
Rear lunges
Rear foot elevated split squats (Bulgarians)
Step ups
Single leg deadlifts
When I hurt my back, my pt had me doing an exercise that helped me a lot:
Imagine you're reaching straight up to try to get a book on a shelf that's just out of reach. Alternate sides and do 30 reps a day.
Chiropractor also helped me out a lot.
Beyond that ice, anti-inflammatories, rest, and those shock treatment things is what I did (I have a similar imbalance, though not as severe I think).
When your back heals up, ease back into lifting. Try doing Romanian deadlifts in your workout, it's less likely to expose you to the hip pop thing since the movement order is inverted. Keep doing some of the single leg work as well. Always start with your left side and match reps on your right.0 -
Ha - that profile picture kind of tells it all, doesn't it? Yes, indeed, I do naturally tend to carry my children and anything else on the right, which is no doubt a big part of what has caused the imbalance. Going forward I'm going to try to use my left side instead for the practical stuff as well as the formal lifts. Thankfully, the pain I had went away after only a few days. I'm grateful that it was apparently a minor injury, but I'm taking it as a wake-up call, and I tend to want to make fixing the imbalance my top priority actually; I don't think I can progress safely without doing that. Thank you for all the help - will definitely be doing the exercises you have suggested!0
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I had my first PL meet this weekend, and I was very disappointed in my deadlifts. I changed my accessories about 5 weeks before the meet (stopped doing good mornings, and started doing step ups and lunges) which i think could be why I did so badly.
I had a gym PR of 300 end of October. I couldn't Pull 285 at my meet and I felt as if my hamstrings were not engaging.
I am posting 2 videos, one of my first attempt (265) and one of my last, failed attempt (286). Could you guys look at them and advise me on where I went wrong and what I can do from here on out? I plan to restart the GM's for sure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7KnopYbge0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYw_qTMKkWA
thank you!!
P.S. Thanks for the critiques on my other videos. I worked on my squat with your advice and nailed them, did well on bench (failed last attempt becauce I got excited for making the lift and racked before the rack command) :grumble:0 -
I had my first PL meet this weekend, and I was very disappointed in my deadlifts. I changed my accessories about 5 weeks before the meet (stopped doing good mornings, and started doing step ups and lunges) which i think could be why I did so badly.
I had a gym PR of 300 end of October. I couldn't Pull 285 at my meet and I felt as if my hamstrings were not engaging.
I am posting 2 videos, one of my first attempt (265) and one of my last, failed attempt (286). Could you guys look at them and advise me on where I went wrong and what I can do from here on out? I plan to restart the GM's for sure.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7KnopYbge0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYw_qTMKkWA
thank you!!
P.S. Thanks for the critiques on my other videos. I worked on my squat with your advice and nailed them, did well on bench (failed last attempt becauce I got excited for making the lift and racked before the rack command) :grumble:
Hard to tell, but first video looks like your hips shoot up and your back rounds at the start of the lift. Makes finishing the lift very difficult. Second lift is harder to tell, just looked like it was too heavy to me.0 -
The other thing to consider is you were just tired. A pl comp is nothing like testing a single lift in training. Maybe you are good for 300 on deadlift day in the gym, but not as much after squats and bench maxouts in a meet.0
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The other thing to consider is you were just tired. A pl comp is nothing like testing a single lift in training. Maybe you are good for 300 on deadlift day in the gym, but not as much after squats and bench maxouts in a meet.
This.
I doubt very much that it was strictly because you stopped doing gms for a few weeks.
Also was your first attempt hard? Looks like you had to grind a bit: http://www.lift-run-bang.com/2013/12/picking-meet-attempts.html0 -
The other thing to consider is you were just tired. A pl comp is nothing like testing a single lift in training. Maybe you are good for 300 on deadlift day in the gym, but not as much after squats and bench maxouts in a meet.
This.
I doubt very much that it was strictly because you stopped doing gms for a few weeks.
Also was your first attempt hard? Looks like you had to grind a bit: http://www.lift-run-bang.com/2013/12/picking-meet-attempts.html
^^also adding a 'this'. You had equaled your PR (IIRC) for squats and got a really good bench in. Its a long day so you probably just ran out of puff. Deads particularly are really hit and miss I find - they can really be impacted on the day by fatique and other variables.
Specifically re your lifts, on the first one, the main thing I could see (or I think I can see as it's not a great angle) is that you may not have set your lats/core properly.0 -
The other thing to consider is you were just tired. A pl comp is nothing like testing a single lift in training. Maybe you are good for 300 on deadlift day in the gym, but not as much after squats and bench maxouts in a meet.
This.
I doubt very much that it was strictly because you stopped doing gms for a few weeks.
Also was your first attempt hard? Looks like you had to grind a bit: http://www.lift-run-bang.com/2013/12/picking-meet-attempts.html
^^also adding a 'this'. You had equaled your PR (IIRC) for squats and got a really good bench in. Its a long day so you probably just ran out of puff. Deads particularly are really hit and miss I find - they can really be impacted on the day by fatique and other variables.
Specifically re your lifts, on the first one, the main thing I could see (or I think I can see as it's not a great angle) is that you may not have set your lats/core properly.
Thanks to everyone who've responded. My 1st attempt should have been lighter and I thought that it could have been from the fatigue of the day/ out of my usual routine for nutrition as well. Being that it was my first meet, it gave me experience and direction for my training.0 -
That's exactly how you have to take it- as a learning experience. Every mistake I ever made in a meet, I never made again. I just made new ones!Thanks to everyone who've responded. My 1st attempt should have been lighter and I thought that it could have been from the fatigue of the day/ out of my usual routine for nutrition as well. Being that it was my first meet, it gave me experience and direction for my training.
One thing I always did was pick an opener weight that I knew I could nail- something I could get 5 reps of in the gym. Then I'd judge how I felt for my 2nd and 3rd attempts. Only 1 time did I do so well that I actually underestimated myself, it was on bench, and my 2nd attempt flew up, so I jumped 20lbs for my 3rd. It was a weight I had never touched before for a full range lift, but I had used it for partials. It went up so fast, I should have jumped 50lbs. My next workout I put the +50lb weight on the bar and did it, but it was really uncharted territory, so I had no idea I was good for that much.
I had my share of bad meets too, where I would only get my opener and then miss 2x on the same weight after that. I almost always missed my 3rd deadlift, I had this physical (and mental) block with one weight that I could never break thru no matter how hard I trained. Then my son came along and bested me by 30lbs to take away the family bragging rights!0 -
That's exactly how you have to take it- as a learning experience. Every mistake I ever made in a meet, I never made again. I just made new ones!Thanks to everyone who've responded. My 1st attempt should have been lighter and I thought that it could have been from the fatigue of the day/ out of my usual routine for nutrition as well. Being that it was my first meet, it gave me experience and direction for my training.
One thing I always did was pick an opener weight that I knew I could nail- something I could get 5 reps of in the gym. Then I'd judge how I felt for my 2nd and 3rd attempts. Only 1 time did I do so well that I actually underestimated myself, it was on bench, and my 2nd attempt flew up, so I jumped 20lbs for my 3rd. It was a weight I had never touched before for a full range lift, but I had used it for partials. It went up so fast, I should have jumped 50lbs. My next workout I put the +50lb weight on the bar and did it, but it was really uncharted territory, so I had no idea I was good for that much.
I had my share of bad meets too, where I would only get my opener and then miss 2x on the same weight after that. I almost always missed my 3rd deadlift, I had this physical (and mental) block with one weight that I could never break thru no matter how hard I trained. Then my son came along and bested me by 30lbs to take away the family bragging rights!
I felt really fatigued by the final deadlift... I can see why so many would fail it! Thanks for the response I really enjoy reading or hearing other people's meet experiences, as I really try to learn from not just my mistakes, but other people's too. I had been testing my 1RM's so I knew what I could lift, but Im thinking I will back off of them more, and see how my training goes. It would be scary (to me) going into a meet not really knowing what Im capable of, but more rewarding getting a PR in the meet. 0 -
That's exactly how you have to take it- as a learning experience. Every mistake I ever made in a meet, I never made again. I just made new ones!Thanks to everyone who've responded. My 1st attempt should have been lighter and I thought that it could have been from the fatigue of the day/ out of my usual routine for nutrition as well. Being that it was my first meet, it gave me experience and direction for my training.
One thing I always did was pick an opener weight that I knew I could nail- something I could get 5 reps of in the gym. Then I'd judge how I felt for my 2nd and 3rd attempts. Only 1 time did I do so well that I actually underestimated myself, it was on bench, and my 2nd attempt flew up, so I jumped 20lbs for my 3rd. It was a weight I had never touched before for a full range lift, but I had used it for partials. It went up so fast, I should have jumped 50lbs. My next workout I put the +50lb weight on the bar and did it, but it was really uncharted territory, so I had no idea I was good for that much.
I had my share of bad meets too, where I would only get my opener and then miss 2x on the same weight after that. I almost always missed my 3rd deadlift, I had this physical (and mental) block with one weight that I could never break thru no matter how hard I trained. Then my son came along and bested me by 30lbs to take away the family bragging rights!
I felt really fatigued by the final deadlift... I can see why so many would fail it! Thanks for the response I really enjoy reading or hearing other people's meet experiences, as I really try to learn from not just my mistakes, but other people's too. I had been testing my 1RM's so I knew what I could lift, but Im thinking I will back off of them more, and see how my training goes. It would be scary (to me) going into a meet not really knowing what Im capable of, but more rewarding getting a PR in the meet.
I think submaximal efforts are key for peaking. You don't need to lift a specific weight in training to be strong enough to do so. Saving it for the meet is generally a good thing.
I also think people are too aggressive with the numbers they pick for attempts.
Opener is a cake walk. It's your last warmup.
Second attempt is something you're confident in (basically what you're training for)
Third attempt is based off of how your second went and is generally a small pr
You don't need a big pr for a successful day. I think going 9/9 and getting four small pr's is better, it means you trained appropriately.0 -
9/9 also might mean you left something on the platform. I don't think I ever went 9/9, I always missed something, either by trying a weight I'd never touched or something stupid, like taking a step at the top of a squat after nailing a weight I had never done.I think submaximal efforts are key for peaking. You don't need to lift a specific weight in training to be strong enough to do so. Saving it for the meet is generally a good thing.
I also think people are too aggressive with the numbers they pick for attempts.
Opener is a cake walk. It's your last warmup.
Second attempt is something you're confident in (basically what you're training for)
Third attempt is based off of how your second went and is generally a small pr
You don't need a big pr for a successful day. I think going 9/9 and getting four small pr's is better, it means you trained appropriately.
It is a good goal though, and your thoughts about what to do on your attempts is right on the money.0
