Squat Form Check

[JJChicken]

Hey super lifters!

I'm getting into Starting Strength for the last 2-3 weeks after losing 10kg of fat and getting into semi-decent shape

I can do deadlifts just fine and bench press too, but the Squat seems to be a difficult to master :'(

I think I am bending my back too much in my squats and not using enough hip drive.

Could you guys check my squat form and give some tips?? I've got two videos, the second has terrible form D:

http://youtu.be/EowONjj2tls

http://youtu.be/AMHdkqvxAbg

On two occasions, I felt some very minor lower back pain on the next day (which is gone now). So I KNOW I'm doing something wrong. Good news is that I've fixed up my knees I think...don't get any knee pain after squats and I play alot of basketball, so my knees ain't perfect.



P.s. I know I'm not reaching proper depth, but I need to build up to that I guess...



Thanks so much in advance

 

[Malfeas]

The bar is to high for a Starting Strength low bar squat. Your stance is to wide. And you are not going low enough. When you get near the bottom you lose tightness in lower back. You need to lower the bar to the proper position (unless you want to high bar squat, but even then the bar is about an inch too high, it is almost resting on your neck), get your knees forward and set (don't be afraid of them coming past your toes), practice keeping you lower back set/locked, and squat all the way down to at least you are parallel. Oh and don't point your elbows so far back, instead think of trying to tighten your upper back while putting your elbows in your pants rear pockets.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Quick summary from the bottom up: too wide of a stance, toes too far turned out, knee may be tracking inward due to excessively wide stance (can't sue due to single angle), knee hyperextension at the top of the squat, excessive hip flexion at the top of your squat (you need to stand up all the way, push your hips through), hand placement is too wide, and bar placement is too high.

Your squat depth is low and I suspect that may be due to inflexibility at the ankles and hips. Up your stretching and check out mobilitywod.com for more squat specific mobility work.

 

[JJChicken]

Thanks guys. One question - do you mean the bar is too high up my back or is the starting placement on the rack too high?

 

[Koing]

Thanks guys. One question - do you mean the bar is too high up my back or is the starting placement on the rack too high?

Both.

Starting Strength advocates a lower bar position for squats.

Koing

 

[JJChicken]

Thanks guys I did some squats today, form a lot better. I'll post a vid once I feel I've fixed up everything you guys said.

 

[TallBill]

Thanks guys I did some squats today, form a lot better. I'll post a vid once I feel I've fixed up everything you guys said.

Word. Not many people are smart enough to fix their form before moving on.

 

[CPA]

Martingale, have you read, thoroughly, Starting Strength 3rd Edition? How many times have you read it? Also, have you posted these vids on Rips Starting Strength website so his guys can evaluate your form?

SociallyChallenged nailed all the points. One thing, I want to mention, though, is your last comment:

P.s. I know I'm not reaching proper depth, but I need to build up to that I guess...

You DON'T build up to good form, you build up to weight. If you can't get the form down, then either 1) your form is a mess (which it is) or 2) too much weight, or 3) both. Use the bar only until you get the form, and depth down right. Even Rip mentions often to use bar only until proper form is established and for the start of all warm-up sets.

 

[JJChicken]

Martingale, have you read, thoroughly, Starting Strength 3rd Edition? How many times have you read it? Also, have you posted these vids on Rips Starting Strength website so his guys can evaluate your form?

SociallyChallenged nailed all the points. One thing, I want to mention, though, is your last comment:



You DON'T build up to good form, you build up to weight. If you can't get the form down, then either 1) your form is a mess (which it is) or 2) too much weight, or 3) both. Use the bar only until you get the form, and depth down right. Even Rip mentions often to use bar only until proper form is established and for the start of all warm-up sets.

Thank you. I agree with what you say. I have read the book but sometimes its hard to put book to practise, so the comments in this thread were very helpful.

I am not lifting particularly heavy weights, but I am experimenting with my form and trying to get a better sense of my body during each lift. And I'm trying to learn from the minor aches I might get the next day. Building that muscle memory!

I am very much an experimenter type of person, I learn from seeing whats wrong and then correcting it, and also from learning the "why" behind something. So when my lower back ached a little bit (very minor, like gone in a day), I tried to figure out what was wrong. Now I know the consequences of accidentally arching the back forward!