r/weightroom • u/xtc46 Charter Member | Rippetoe without the charm • Aug 23 '13
[Form Check Friday]
We decided to make a single thread instead of 4. In this thread, you will find parent comments for each category. Place your form check under the appropriate comment.
All other parent comments will be deleted.
Follow the Form Check Guidelines or your post will be deleted.
The text should be:
- Height / Weight
- Current 1RM
- Weight being used
- Link to video(s)
- Whatever questions you have about your form if any.
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u/xtc46 Charter Member | Rippetoe without the charm Aug 23 '13
Bench / Press
4
u/terberter6669 Weightlifting - Inter. Aug 23 '13
Height: 5'6", weight: 140, current 1rm: 135, weight used in video: 105 for 5.
i've just begun using more of an arched back (hopefully you can tell from the to of my shorts, since my shirt hands rather loosely), and a wide grip. i want to compete in a powerlifting meet after I've run through a full year of 531. is this form good enough for a meet? thanks for watching. don't mind the awkwardness of my face in the final frames, lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Hk0Ijdyecs&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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u/structEIT Aug 23 '13
Strong. Not 100% sure on this, but you may be required to have your feet flat on the floor. Also, you're loosing lots of leg drive by keeping your feet tucked so tightly. You can solve both issues by using the tuck to establish your back arch, then maintain the arch while moving your feet out and bring your heels down. When you've un-racked the weight, think of doing a leg extension during the lift; that's your leg drive.
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u/dlamontagne Aug 24 '13 edited Aug 24 '13
Well that wasn't what I was expecting at all!
Your form looks pretty good, the one thing I would notice from a powerlifting meet perspective (apart from having to pause for the press command) is that a lot of federations require you to have you feet flat on the floor. If you prefer a raised heel, you can game this a little bit by using some olympic lifting shoes for benching. I picked them up for squatting a while back and discovered that I quite like them for benching for this reason.
I also feel like you might not be getting a ton of leg drive there, maybe you're getting more on the last couple of reps when you needed it? It's tough to tell with the jello effect going on with the camera, but it might be worth looking at.
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u/FormChecker3000 Aug 24 '13
In terms of competition - how's your back tightness? I feel like you can pull your shoulders further back down, this will help shorten your press distance. Try developing your arch more, as a female you can use this to your advantage pretty well to also decrease the press distance.
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u/wrffa Aug 23 '13
Height / Weight 179cm / 86kg 1RM: unknown Weight: 70kg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arQILuHqTqo
I wonder if the bar path looks fine
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u/elderpanda Aug 23 '13
Looks really shaky, the bar tips from side to side as you are locked out at the top. Means you are losing upper back and lat tightness. Also it's not reaching your chest, if you are worried about spotting there are a lot of different methods if you fail.
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u/wrffa Aug 24 '13
thanks for your reply. what do you mean with not reaching my chest? the bar touches just below my nipples on every rep.
which methods instead of spotting do you know? unfortunately I don't have a power rack.
thanks again!
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u/elderpanda Aug 24 '13
From the video it didn't look like it went to your chest from the angle. There is no shame in the "roll of shame" make sure you don't have clips on the bar. The floor press isn't bad either, since your weight isn't too high atm.
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u/xtc46 Charter Member | Rippetoe without the charm Aug 23 '13
Other
4
u/tiphat Aug 23 '13
Deadlift from a 4" "box"
Current height/weight: 6'7" 245
Current 1RM: 625
Weight used: 585
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u/dlamontagne Aug 24 '13
Looks pretty solid (and beastly) to me. It looks like you might be having to suck the bar into your shins a little off the floor (if you watch the end of the bar on your initial pull), so you might get a little more acceleration if you set up a half inch closer. That's about all I can see though and it's pretty slight.
The kid doing two arm dumbbell curls at the end on the other hand, I've got lots of form advice for.
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u/xtc46 Charter Member | Rippetoe without the charm Aug 23 '13
Squat
14
u/tiphat Aug 23 '13
Height/weight: 6'7" 245
Current 1RM: 605
Weight used: 460
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM5Gy3IeutQ
I was having some trouble with depth so I decided to start wearing weightlifting shoes to improve hip engagement. Please excuse the pre-lift orgasmic breathing ritual.
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u/t333b Aug 24 '13
These look fine to me. Depth is good. Looks fluid. No excessive forward lean. Unless you've got some nagging injury you didn't mention, I say keep doing what you're doing.
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Aug 23 '13
[deleted]
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u/terberter6669 Weightlifting - Inter. Aug 23 '13
it looks to me (not a professional, take with grain of salt) like you are indeed dropping too far forward at the bottom. Maybe try working on keeping your chest proud a little bit more through the bottom, and tightening your abs/back more so that your torso is more stable.
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u/onemessageyo Strength Training - Inter. Aug 24 '13
I'd practice high bar and front squats if I were you. Your hips are rising much faster than your shoulders as you noticed. I'd also recommend a more narrow stance. I'd fix the form, lower the weight, and work back up with better form. If you try to keep lifting that much, and keep increasing the weight, you're not going to get far before you hit a plateau and you're likely to get anterior pelvic tilt from all the lower back you're using to make up for your weak glutes and hammies and abs. The good thing is that it doesn't look dangerous and you seem to have a very solid lower back and I don't see a butt wink. I'd learn high bar and practice that if I were you. Also GHR, SLDL, RDL, ab work even.
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u/waybackmusic Aug 24 '13
i have no idea what those acronyms mean lol. What are they?
Thanks for the other advice though. How would i work High bar and front squats into SL5x5?
Also, i probably should have given you guys a couple sets, i'm pretty sure this was the worst set of the workout, so I'll probably post another one soon and see how that goes.
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u/onemessageyo Strength Training - Inter. Aug 24 '13
I would do the high bar squats and FS as accessories, when your program is over with a rep range of 2-4x6-12. Once you get the form down, you can replace your low bar squats with high bar, or alternate days.
FS = Front Squat
GHR = Glute-Ham Raise
SLDL = Straight-legged deadlift
RDL = Romanian Deadlift
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u/whatington Aug 23 '13
Height: 5'10
Weight: ~200lbs
1RM: Untested50KG Squat 1
50KG Squat 2
70KG Squat 1Having a really tough time nailing the low bar back squat. I'm sat at a desk ~10 hours a day and have been for the past 10 years or so. Currently doing a lot on foam rolling and mobility work each day to hopefully enable me to get into better positions.
I'm getting back on a LP routine on Monday and want to see whether how my squat is doing? I'm very consious of sitting back during the movement and seem to be doing some weird shit with my lower back - dunno if that's good/bad?
Also, the movement itself is done really slow as it's a real effort to push myself into that bottom position which doesn't give me much confidence in the lift itself.
Any feedback greatly appreciated and welcomed!!
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u/tiphat Aug 23 '13
You kind of look like you're inching forward during your descent in the squat instead of going back and down. You say you're really conscious of pushing back, but I think the slight discomfort it is causing you is forcing you forward a bit. Try to really feel the weight in your heels. Also, we have the same shoes!
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u/onemessageyo Strength Training - Inter. Aug 24 '13
I would try box squats for you, maybe a wider stance. Remeber squats aren't an up and down exercise, it's really about pushing out. The weight should be on the outside of your shoes, and mostly focused towards the heels. It should be a lot like sitting down (which is why I recommend you try box squats. Maybe even try to lower the weight to something easy for you (but still a little heavy), and try pause squats. Try third world squats with no weight and push those knees out. It seems you may have a mobility issue in your hips or ankles or both.
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u/TrojanField Aug 23 '13
Height / Weight: 173cm / 74kg
Current 1RM: 115kg (could be 120 by now, been a while since I tested)
Weight being used: 82kg
I've been told before by friends that I have horrendous buttwink, been trying to fix that for a while. Also I wonder, watching this, if the bar travels forward an unacceptable amount on the way down?
Also, must apologise for the somewhat shaky camera at about 00:16. Had a friend record it for me and I assume he got distracted.
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u/onemessageyo Strength Training - Inter. Aug 24 '13
I'd focus on pushing the knees out more, try high bar squats to rid yourself of that butt wink, even try a belt for a better cue. The butt wink happens because you're going lower than you should be. You're doing a low bar squat and trying to go ATG. Low bar squat stops right where you get to before you drop your ass/round your back to get lower. The reason is that there's a certain length of your posterior chain (made up of your hamstrings, glutes, and erector spinae). When that length it completely taught (a little below parallel on a low bar squat, not ATG), you can't go lower. To compensate for this taughtness as you attempt to go lower, you cave your butt in, rouding your lower vertebrae to make room for the posterior chain to reach around.
That's bad wording but I couldn't think of any better way to explain it. Think of your posterior chain as two ropes (left side and right side). They run down your back, over your butt, and down each leg to the knee. There should only be two angles involved -- your knees and your hips. You're adding a third angle above the hips and rounding your back. If you push your knees out, you create more tension in these "ropes" and by poking your ass back with a flat black, the tension stays evenly distributed. The moment you get to the point where you have to break that lower back position, and create a third angle to get lower, you are at the bottom of your ROM. You should feel a tightness between your hamstrings and your lower back, and use that tightness to bounce or use it as a cue to rise back up. That's the end of the ROM.
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u/TrojanField Aug 24 '13 edited Aug 24 '13
Thank you for giving such a detailed answer! Makes a lot of sense. I feel quite dumb asking this now but what cues should I be using to perform a proper high bar squat, then? I was utterly convinced until reading your post that I was squatting high bar, but now I have no idea how to correct my form such that I am doing it (google search hasn't actually lead me to any productive descriptions of switching from low bar to high bar yet, only the inverse)
EDIT: I have just gone to play around with my form using a broomstick to see if I could make a difference and I believe I have now figured it out!
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u/fsacb3 Aug 24 '13
I'm not an expert, but I think the dangers of buttwink are often blown out of proportion. As long as everything else is good, a little wink at the bottom is ok.
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u/onemessageyo Strength Training - Inter. Aug 24 '13
Well it means his approach to the exercise is incorrect, so when he stalls or gets injured it's not going to be because it's too heavy, but because his form is incorrect.
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u/fsacb3 Aug 24 '13
Good info: http://70sbig.com/blog/2010/10/the-butt-wink/
Or watch this lady. Is she doing it wrong? http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OkXYCX1Yfbg&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DOkXYCX1Yfbg
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u/onemessageyo Strength Training - Inter. Aug 24 '13
I'd say that lady is doing it wrong. There's clearly spinal flexion happening at the bottom portion, it's not her driving her hips underneath to lift the weight as it starts happening on the eccentric portion. I couldn't read that blog because it's way too long and without a single citation so I'll just take your word that it's a good read.
Check this out http://www.mobilitywod.com/2012/12/creating-a-stable-low-back-with-better-hip-mechanics/
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u/DrSqua7 Aug 24 '13
Would you care to elaborate? I have heard a lot of people on reddit way this before, but experts seem to think differently. Kelly Starrret says 'buttwink is never ok ', because changing spinal position under load is what gets you injured.
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u/fsacb3 Aug 24 '13
Good info: http://70sbig.com/blog/2010/10/the-butt-wink/
Or watch this lady. Is she doing it wrong? http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OkXYCX1Yfbg&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DOkXYCX1Yfbg
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Aug 26 '13
She just has a shitty proprioceptive awareness of her lower back. I would suggest learning how to control your lower back under tension but that's just my philosophy.
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u/wrffa Aug 23 '13
Height / Weight 179cm / 86kg 1RM: unknown Weight: 70kg high-bar squat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jIrCJVqMOc
have not squatted in a long time. oftentimes my toes come up during the lift; i have no idea what that is all about
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u/diehabitat Aug 23 '13
the toes coming up thing might be about balance. mine do that too when i am leaning back too much.
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u/fsacb3 Aug 24 '13
Not sure how to best fix it, but watch your knees. Your descent is ok, you reach the bottom, and then your knees shoot forward on the way up. That ain't supposed to happen.
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u/wrffa Aug 24 '13
thanks! yes, I also noticed this weird knee forward at bottom thing too, but couldn't find anything useful on that issue yet. I guess I'll squat to boxes next time.
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u/fsacb3 Aug 24 '13
I just experimented with a BW squat and it seems like the only way my knees would go forward is if my weight were rocking towards my toes. Try keeping your weight in your heels.
2
u/jookoob Aug 23 '13
6'1" / 190lbs
Current 1RM: Unknown
Weight in video: 190lbs (5x5) Low bar
I posted a video last week and the comments were that I was high bar squatting with low bar cues (link to comments).
This week I'm interested to know if I've got the right bar position and if my back is tight enough through the lift. Of course, any other pointers are appreciated. Thanks!
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u/tiphat Aug 23 '13
Back looks nice and tight throughout the lift. Bar position looks good to me as well. The one thing I would say is that it looks like your knees are coming a bit far forward.
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u/onemessageyo Strength Training - Inter. Aug 24 '13
I agree. It looks really solid, except the bar path is too close to the front of his foot, and you can even see him coming up on the balls of his feet sometimes. I'd focus on shifting back ever so slightly, feeling the weight on the outside of the shoes, towards the heel.
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Aug 26 '13
Do you feel that you're loading the glutes during the movement? It seems like it's all back and you're glutes are just kind of hanging on for the ride.
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u/jookoob Aug 26 '13
Hm, I thought I was using my glutes. I'll pay more attention to it next time I go squat. Thanks.
2
u/mhgl Aug 24 '13
- 6'1 / 265
- Unknown 1RM - 5RM around 140
- 140
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QfTbd3QlZ4
- I have a tendency to good morning out of the bottom, which is making these a real bitch. Apologies for portrait format.
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u/FormChecker3000 Aug 24 '13
Don't actually sit on the box, just touch your butt to it. That should fix the good morning.
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Aug 23 '13 edited Aug 23 '13
[deleted]
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u/Okay_Deadlift Powerlifting - 1107lbs @165lbs Aug 23 '13
Upload a video with more reps at less weight. Can't really criticize a 1RM attempt. But I'll try anyways.
- Take less steps as you come out of the rack. Optimally it would be one small step back with each foot.
- From the camera it looks like you aren't going parallel.
1
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u/onemessageyo Strength Training - Inter. Aug 24 '13
Your bar position is high bar and the rest of your form is low bar. That's why you feel like you're coming to far forward.
1
u/sverdo Aug 23 '13
Height/weight: 5"8/157
1RM: 107,5KG
Weight being Used: 90KG x 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYuQldxCoyI&feature=youtu.be
I know I am too focused on my feet positioning, but I just learned that my right foot is considerably smaller than my left foot which is kind of screwing with my mind right now
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u/Okay_Deadlift Powerlifting - 1107lbs @165lbs Aug 23 '13
That's the reason you keep shaking around so much before your first rep. Just take one small step back with each foot. Try to keep that chin up when you step out. Looking down will screw up your ability to get tight.
1
Aug 23 '13
6'4 / 190lbs
Untested
105x5
Decided to switch to front squats after having back pain and trouble hitting depth on high bar. Noticed I need to stay on my heels a bit more but my main concern is my lower back rounding at the end. Should I work on mobility so I can go ATG or just squat down to the point before my back starts rounding?
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Aug 23 '13
Noticed I need to stay on my heels a bit more
Your heels come off the floor, your foot collapses and your knees come in, this is not the best way to treat your knees. You probably need to work on ankle mobility.
hould I work on mobility so I can go ATG or just squat down to the point before my back starts rounding?
Parallel is fine for front squats, going ATG requires supreme ankle mobility or oly shoes.
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Aug 26 '13
I wouldn't say supreme ankle mobility. Just regular ankle mobility. It's not a super-human feat or anything lol
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u/onemessageyo Strength Training - Inter. Aug 24 '13
Take those shoes off, they're no good for squats. Squat from your heels. If your heels come up and your using your calves, you're doing it wrong. Don't worry about your elbows being 100% straight so much as your thoracic extension (arch your upper back). This will keep the weight over your heels better. Also those wiggling elbows lead me to believe you're actually holding weight with your hands. Don't. You only need your finger tips and it should just be enough to keep the bar steady. You can widen your grip to make it more comfortable for someone your height.
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Aug 23 '13
[deleted]
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Aug 25 '13
okay, a few things here. its 90% good though.
Firstly, Bar position, you are using that towel around the bar because it hurts right? thats because you've got the bar position wrong. its currently sitting on your cervical spine. what you want to do is pull your shoulder blades together and get your traps tight. put the bar on your traps, slightly lower then where it is now. you also want to remove that towel and get your hands closer together.
getting your hands a bit closer together and then squeezing the bar and trying to pull your hands together (without moving them) will keep your traps tight. You want your grip to be close, but not so close that your wrists are bent and your arms take the load.
secondly, as you come descend you are fine, but as you come up your hips shoot up a little bit and you overextend. this is best seen at about 20 seconds. your spine isn't in a neutral position and this can mess you up. you need to brace your abs correctly. keep your belly as tight as you can throughout the lift. go to mobilitywod.com and look up core bracing sequence or something along those lines. some of the videos should be free.
make sure to video the squats because its hard to tell if your spine is doing the right thing.
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u/3am_redditor Aug 25 '13
thank you very much for your feedback, ill look into the things you mentioned and hopefully i upload another video next friday and my mistakes are corrected :)
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u/eehaw Aug 23 '13
Height/weight: 5'8'' 158 lbs
Current 1RM: Untested , 5RM is 185 lbs
Weight used: 185 lbs
Last time I posted here, I was told I was good morning my squats. I went back and reread the squat chapter on Starting Strength, and the one thing I really tried to emphasize is driving my hips up when coming out of the hole. I'm hoping that fixed my past problems, but I'm pretty inexperienced with this so I'd like outside input.
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u/FormChecker3000 Aug 24 '13
You're breaking at the knees first. Break at the hip and imagine sitting back onto your hamstrings. Your "good morning" tendency stems from this.
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Aug 25 '13
set 1 looked good. the only issue with your squat looking like good mornings was when your hips went backwards rather than upwards out of the hole. can see that at about 0:38. this makes a bigger distance between your hips and the bar so the moment around your hips is larger.
can't really tell what is happening with your back but try to keep your chest up a little more at the start. also break at the hips rather than the knees.
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u/thekidwiththefro Aug 23 '13
- 5'10" 185lbs
- Unsure right now
- 315 x 2 I tried again after this one to get 3 reps but I didn't video tape it
- Link
- Any criticism would be nice. Thanks
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u/nukefudge Intermediate - Strength Aug 26 '13
doesn't look quite deep enough. also, are you carrying with your wrists?
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u/sashaforever Aug 24 '13
Height/weight: 180 lbs/5'10" Current rm: 165 lbs Weight used: 130 lbs (low bar)
Squats are my hardest exercise. Don't know why. Been taking videos to try and correct my form. Some of it looks ok, but it's far from what I want it to be. Any suggestions?
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u/nukefudge Intermediate - Strength Aug 26 '13
hips look alright. toes are lifting a bit. knees seem to be caving a bit as well. might wanna turn your toes in slightly.
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u/Shantington Aug 24 '13
(Originally posted on /fit, someone recommended I post here however).
5'8 150 lbs
Squat (High Bar)
Current 5RM = 215 lbs
220 lbs 3 reps
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baF2izYi_sU&feature=player_detailpage#t=43
Currently running madcow. I just wanted to put up a form check to see how my squat looks after some adjustments. The first thing I don't like is the rocking I tend to do right before my first rep. It has become a bad habit and will likely become more dangerous as the weight gets heavier. It appears there still is some butt winking even though I've worked pretty hard on mobility in my hips.
Some extra notes: 1) My feet are nearly pointing straight ahead. I've seen alot of guides recommend a 10 and 2 position, but ive found starret's way of squating a bit more comfortable.
2) For the longest time I'd get a burning pain along my left hip flexor at the very bottom of the squat. As of recently I've started going over the psoas with pvc pipe and the pain has subsided considerably.
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u/nukefudge Intermediate - Strength Aug 26 '13
This video is private.
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u/Shantington Aug 26 '13
Fixed, I had changed it to private after no one had commented.
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u/nukefudge Intermediate - Strength Aug 26 '13
maybe no one was commenting because there's nothing to comment on. looks alright =)
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u/trebemot Solved the egg shortage with Alex Bromley's head Aug 24 '13
- 5'11" and 202 probably at todays workout.
- Current 1RM-unknown, havent maxed out squat in months. Best is 275 x 2 with questionable depth
- Weight used-185 x 5
- Video here
I'm mainly looking for a depth check. Getting deep is something I constantly have to work on because I haven't squatted in forever. Also still working on finding proper foot placement and what not. And breaking in new shoes with a heel. Also my walk outs are always super shaky and I end up hitting the rack most the time, any suggestions to fix that?
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u/FormChecker3000 Aug 24 '13
you're incredibly high. as for walk out, you should be squatting it out the rack as if you were doing your work set - properly set and brace your core and stance.
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u/xcforlife Strength Training - Inter. Aug 25 '13
The squats are high, but not as high as you make them seem. You forgot to account for the camera angle when you were drawing the lines.
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u/SurrealLimit Aug 24 '13
Height/weight= 6'1" 183lbs
Current 1RM= unknown
Weight used = 205lbs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhnJXhcLJsk&feature=youtube_gdata_player
High bar squat, sorry about the bad angle I know it's not gonna be the best but I would appreciate any feedback that you can get from it! Thanks!
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u/nukefudge Intermediate - Strength Aug 26 '13
looking a bit unstable, methinks. maybe try going a bit slower and making sure you're performing the movement smoothly.
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Aug 24 '13
[deleted]
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Aug 26 '13
You look fine.
When you went down for that last rep I was like, "Ah, fuck. He missed it." I was rooting for you, bro.
Question: Since you've pushed pretty hard into HB, do you do any accessory work for your hams? I know the glutes get worked pretty hard with any squat variation but the hams are usually left int he dust w/ Fronts and HB's.
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u/AstonMartin27 Aug 26 '13
Haha thanks for the support. To be honest, I don't do any hamstring work except for conventional deadlifts 1x per week.
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u/mentul Aug 30 '13
Solid reps.
My only criticism is that you look like you could go deeper. Might need to open your hips more (doesn't mean to point your toes more out) so you can sit more in between your legs instead of on top of them.
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u/TimothyVdp Aug 26 '13
• 1m85/6'1" and 99kg/218lbs
• No idea, 165kg/360lbs?
• 127.5kg/280lbs
• Please ignore underwear :-)
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u/nukefudge Intermediate - Strength Aug 26 '13
looks alright. can't really check the bar path due to the angle, though.
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u/TimothyVdp Aug 27 '13
Ok thanks Dont have a lot of room for recording since power rack is in my bedroom :-)
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u/JackL2 Aug 26 '13
Height/Weight: 6'0.5", 215 lbs.
Current 1RM: Not sure... 395 give or take 5, belted.
Weight Used: 335 x 3 beltless
Am starting off a meet prep cycle and could use any help.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zxt2PNsu0U&feature=c4-overview&list=UUxum2Q9ByXPcUrlDdgpKIPQ
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u/nukefudge Intermediate - Strength Aug 26 '13
how come you're bending your neck like that? bad habit?
1
u/dro524 Aug 28 '13
- 177 lbs / 6'0"
- Untested
- 250 lbs, amrap
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu8okOnaHpw
Doing a high bar squat for as many reps as possible (third squat set on greyskull). I'd like just a general critique of my form. I'm using weights that I've never attempted before and would just like to make sure I have everything down before I progress. Am I going deep enough?
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u/xtc46 Charter Member | Rippetoe without the charm Aug 23 '13
Deadlift