Open Side Menu Go to the Top
Register
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** *** H&F Form Check Thread ***

06-05-2016 , 10:18 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by _dave_
In fairness I don't think Clayton is doing a Rip-advised head and eye position here - IIRC the recommendation is 6-8ft away on the floor, while performing a low bar squat - seems Clayton is looking pretty much straight down (2ft at best?), with a high bar squat no less.
ok, but looking 6-8 ft ahead on the floor still leads to squatting with chest down/weight forward as well for a lot of people. Tilt the head up a bit and look at something at least straight ahead or upward imo.
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
06-05-2016 , 08:34 PM
upward is ******ed.
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
06-05-2016 , 08:50 PM
I like straight ahead or a slight decline. Down causes me to fall forward more.
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
06-05-2016 , 09:01 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Renton555
I like straight ahead or a slight decline. Down causes me to fall forward more.
me too
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
06-07-2016 , 04:09 PM
Clayton
What type of back squat are you trying to do low bar or high bar?
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
06-07-2016 , 08:31 PM
^ yea I was wondering the same thing. I feel like you're setup for low bar but the bar is pretty much in a high bar position
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
06-08-2016 , 02:33 PM
trying to low bar but i guess that isn't quite right. it's weird, i feel like i'm putting it in the correct place for low bar when i'm in the act of doing it.

here was a work set from sunday: squat

i tried to get lower and shove the knees. my motion on the way up continues to bother me. a friend noted that it was a bit of a 2-piece motion and I'm doing a "good morning" thing. he says possibly due to bending at waist over sitting in the hole.
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
06-09-2016 , 02:02 AM
I was hoping one of the more expert posters would reply, but since they haven't yet I'll have a go. It might sound harsh, the intention is not to criticize - Please don't take offence.

Your bar position is that of a high-bar squat, I think - it might be wrong for that too, but it's certainly way off for a low bar position. You're moving like a low bar squat (good!).

See this picture:



You basically want the bar sat on your rear delts (i think they're called). Behind your shoulders.

Here's a side-on pic of some random youtuber:



and here's you: (I tried to mark about where the bar should really be)



I watched this video and I reckon it's pretty good at teaching the bar setup for a low bar squat, hopefully you find it useful:




The second problem is you're leaning WAY forwards during the movement. I don't think at any point you have the bar over mid-foot, but at the bottom it's way out - no surprise there's some good-morning of the weight trying to bring it back in to balance.

Another pic of you (red line is somewhere around what you want)



compare to the SS pics:



This will probably correct itself when moving to a proper bar position / practice and as the weight goes up (you won't be good morning-ing 120kg easily!), but preferable to sort it out early on.


Thirdly you're still looking WAY too far down, basically just in front of your feet. Look forwards, ~8 feet on the floor in front.


GL! You're doing a hell of a lot more than my lazy fat self at the moment. Keep at it!
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
06-09-2016 , 08:24 AM
thx dave, i appreciate the effort u put into that

i did a work set last night and tried the lower bar positioning and noticed that it messed with my wrist angles. putting the bar in the correct spot made it more difficult to have an overhand grip. i guess it's a bit of a flexibility issue.

i decided i'm gonna try and get some lessons from a starting strength powerlifting guy in the area, this should hopefully expedite the process and make me less of a burden in this thread
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
06-09-2016 , 04:11 PM
You dont need a thumbs-around grip for the squat. Just using your palms to stabilize the bar is fine.

Also there are lots of inflexible powerlifters that grip the bar as wide as the plates. Just try to take the most narrow grip that your flexibility allows.
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
06-11-2016 , 04:20 PM
Renton is correct. For low bar, try a thumbless grip. Your flexibility will improve over time simply by squatting and gradually moving your grip closer.
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
06-11-2016 , 07:05 PM
Had a very productive coaching session that plugged tons of leaks. Lots of new fun things to focus on.

re: squat, I got my wrist/bar placement fixed, I know where the bar is supposed to go now (its easier to find when your scapula is sore) and I was standing up a little too much on the way down. Bending over a little more on the way down allowed me to use my hip drive more freely and avoid the good morning posture.

really though, just getting into a low bar position and having my balance on the center of my feet made a world of difference.

Properly deadlifting my bodyweight feels great too.

I'll post a few quick vids on like tuesday then start my own potatolog
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
06-26-2016 , 11:58 AM
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
06-26-2016 , 05:46 PM
Renton,

Some of your issues will correct themselves as you strengthen your core.

Three things stood out to me.

First, get your body into position and as tight from head to toe as possible. Become a block of concrete. Shoulder blades in, arms extended and tight, hamstrings and butt back and stretched. All of this before you pull. This will make your body so ready to stand tall that with lighter weights, you'll probably pull the bar off the ground an inch or so before you actually initiate the pull.

Second, keep your chest up.

Third, pack your neck. Don't let your head lean up. Though looking up helps trick your spine into straightening, you can easily hurt your neck by doing so.
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
06-27-2016 , 02:00 AM
Shoulder blades in? You mean like a bench press?
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
06-28-2016 , 10:38 PM
a little bit, but really pinching your shoulder blades. Think about pulling your chest up using your back and the bar and it should kinda naturally happen.

Another cue people like is pull your shoulder blades into your back pockets. But really, using the bar to pull your chest up/big chest, you should feel what you're supposed to going on in your back.
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
07-03-2016 , 10:36 AM
I would watch the eccentric portion, you looked really loose mid way down. Need to stay a lot tighter.
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
07-15-2016 , 01:21 PM
Hey friendos, I'm back with more form checks. I got lessons about a month back from a local powerlifter / starting strength coach and I feel more confident these days. Gonna book another lesson soonish but would like any critique. My current 5 rep maxes are (Squat 190, DL 165, Bench 125, Press 75). Once I get a little more weight on with ideal form I'm gonna learn the power clean and then sorta build from there.

I feel pretty good about my squat, might need some minor adjustments. Any critique obv appreciated, maybe this wasnt the best camera angle.

My deadlift continues to feel sucky even though it's a lot better than before. Main things stressed by my coach were the stance, addressing the bar, and then reaching for bar with the bar over the center of the foot. dropping the hips until the bar hits my legs, looking about 12 feet forward, proud chest, sticking the back posture all the way through. i think my posture gets a little crappy when i'm descending with the bar. what usually happens with the deadlift is when i get to heavier weights my form breaks down, especially when i'm in between reps. usually having to re-adjust the bar positioning and back positioning makes things sloppy. sorta evident to see in the video (?) any critique appreciated. you can see plain as day that i'm really trying hard to get that correct lower back posture via re-adjusting constantly, lol. possibly had too many reps that were too far away from my legs... maybe gotta get a little better at dragging it along the thigh on the way up.

Squat 190 - link
Deadlift 165 - link
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
07-15-2016 , 01:54 PM
Squat from the back is difficult to judge. Your knees are caving inward a little at the bottom. Try to focus more on shoving them out, and taking a bit narrower stance might help you achieve depth. I'll let the experts say more.

In the deadlift you have a way different body type than me so I can't comment with much authority. I'd ditch the shoes and gloves though. Assuming those are romaleos, the 3/4" heel is probably making it significantly more difficult for you to assume the correct starting position.
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
07-15-2016 , 02:03 PM
they are romaleos, yeah

i use the gloves because my hands get torn to hell without them on the deadlift x_x

i've considered going to a mix grip to maybe help with that
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
07-15-2016 , 02:09 PM
Make sure you're supporting the bar with your fingers, not palms. If the weight is in your palm, it will settle into your fingers during your set and that's what tears your hands up. With a correct grip, you'll develop some calluses at the edge of your palm where the fingers begin. There's a page in starting strength that talks about this.
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
07-15-2016 , 02:19 PM
yeah i have those, mostly under the middle and ring fingers.

that area and my middle phalanxes (the middle third of the finger i guess) were getting wrecked.
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
07-15-2016 , 02:23 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clayton
they are romaleos, yeah

i use the gloves because my hands get torn to hell without them on the deadlift x_x

i've considered going to a mix grip to maybe help with that
Mixed won't help for this. Mixed is for when one hands grip strength lacks. Just need to be build tolerance in your skin which just takes time.
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
07-17-2016 , 11:24 AM
removing gloves and holding grip more in the fingers helped a ton. I think I was too palmheavy previously. that plus keeping bar closer to my legs all the way through (plus sticking out my butt on the way down to help the back posture) made this the first 165+ set where I didn't feel like I did anything egregiously wrong. thx.

DL 165
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote
07-18-2016 , 11:59 PM
I think those actually look pretty good. I suggest you not take so long crouched down over the bar before you perform the first pull. You're losing a lot of energy maintaining that position
*** H&F Form Check Thread *** Quote

      
m