*** H&F Form Check Thread ***

[kidcolin]

ab,

since "ca.wk" is filtered, it's screwing up my DL example. Use this example instead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZiGpxIsVKA

[anklebreaker]

Lol wow. Fixed in OP.

[sylar]

subscribed

[Soulman]

Originally Posted by kidcolin

best camera angles I can think of:

squat: from a 45 degree angle to the rear, inline with the opposite leg. example.
This angle allows us to see most of the important things: bar position, grip, elbows, depth, and knees. It's definitely the best angle to check for knee cave.

bench: I'm really not sure. I'm guessing from the side.

Agree with the rest, just a few comments.

If possible, get a shot of the squat both from 45 degrees (or rather 30 imo, but whatever) and from the side. Tougher to judge depth and knees from the 45 degree angle.

Bench: I think a front angle is best here as well.

General comment for filming: DON'T film from the floor. Filming from hip height or higher (press, PC) is better for all exercises. This to ensure we can see the entire ROM, as well as making angles more "natural" and easier to judge.

[ScoobyDooo]

First form check EVER!

First off, it is very upsetting that these videos are sideways lol and i dont know how to fix it. Uploaded them from my cell phone. Please turn head sideways? Or someone explain how i can fix that?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oDn4iRnrKQ
A light squat set. I think I'm pretty happy with how this looks. Decent hip drive and good bar speed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r4Cw43wFBk
2nd work set of Rippetoe's. Getting pretty heavy towards the end. Hip drive dies down, real slow bar speed. One thing im worried about is that i may actually being going a bit too low for my flexibility, causing my back to round a bit down in the bottom of the hole. I'm pretty disappointed in my squat strength. My current 5rm is at 270 and I've been in this area for a long time (a year or so). Thoughts?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqfE01r_JEc
Pressing 145. I think i'm pretty happy with how this looks, just making sure. current 5rm is at least 165 so this lift wasnt the most difficult.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obXqt_osl4U
Deadlifting 355. I'm not the best at analyzing this lift. I think it looks ok but idk

***Most Interested in This One!***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emr0sLjV1u4
Joining the 8 plate club for the first time. I'll start by saying i am NOT happy with the lockout on the 5th rep, and i know the 4th looks pretty shaky as well. I think part of this has to do with grip (it was a raw lift) but yes i do use chalk. It felt like it was coming out of my hands a bit at the end. I'm definitely gonna make a conscious effort to fix that bit of a jerky lockout. I had no idea it was actually that bad til i saw the video. Anything else though? My DL has gone up a good bit lately (more scooby snax ftw) but i definitely want to make sure i don't hurt myself.


I really appreciate any help and again im sorry for the sideways vid's

[ThaHero]

Why didn't we have a thread like this years ago? Seems like common sense.

Great thread!

[kidcolin]

@scooby

yeah sideways vid is tilting.

Press - looks pretty solid. Get under the bar faster.
DL - overall good. Lose a little lumbar extension towards the end of your 405 set. And obv the hitchy lockout isn't a good thing. but your overall setup / lift is good.

squats - you mention a lot of low-bar cues (hip drive) in your self-analysis, but you're doing high bar squats. The bar is up on your traps. Which do you want to do? The cues are a little different. Answer that and we can continue. The one thing I do notice is your stance is a tad wide and you could probably keep your chest up more. For chest up, think tight upper back.

[ScoobyDooo]

I'm aiming for a low-bar position, so i guess that sucks lol. I feel like i have a flexibility issue getting the bar down much lower, or maybe i just dont know how to do it. even with the bar where its at i'm not able to get my elbows back/up high enough to establish a straight line with my forearm/wrist to the bar. theres not too much angle at the wrist, but i understand straight is optimal

[ScoobyDooo]

and remind me which bar position allows for a heavier lift? i felt like it was low-bar (shorter ROM) but i feel like i remember OLY competitors using a high-bar position?

[kidcolin]

low bar is the style used by PLers and for the vast majority of people it's the stronger of the two. Partly due to shorter ROM (most can't get ass to grass in the low bar position) and partly due to greater posterior chain recruitment. oly guys generally train the high bar style, whether that's ideal or not is debatable.

either one will get you strong like bull, though.

It sounds like you don't quite understand the low-bar position though. Do you own SS? Read up on this part. In the low bar position, your arms aren't supporting the weight. you're merely pinning the bar to your back. Thumbs should be over the bar. If flexibility is an issue, you can simply widen your grip.

It should look something like this:

With the weight lower on your back, you'll naturally have to sit back more into your squat to keep balanced, and from there is where you'll really develop hip drive.

[OhHaiIAmHamster]

kidcolin, thanks for your comments, but I don't feel confident about my form yet to start going faster. I think it will come with time.

Originally Posted by jdock99

Is it just me, or does "Hamster" have extremely long femurs relative to the rest of his body. Definitely doesn't seem to help with regards to squatting.

Yes, you are not the first person to say that. I think it means that for me, knees going ahead of toes a bit is normal and to be expected.

[ScoobyDooo]

hmmm ok. i always have used a thumbs on top grip, but i think the issue might be that i have my hands way too close together. i was doing this to create a tighter back and better "shelf" for the bar, but it doing so it may have prevented me from getting the bar down low enough. very much appreciated. thanks brah!

[jdock99]

You can 5rm deadlift 405 and 5rm press 165 and you have been stuck at 270x5 squat for a year? This makes no sense at all. And looking at your video I cannot see anything blatantly wrong with your squat. You could probably fix little things but overall it seems to be a very passable high bar squat. Your relative weak squat is very strange.

[kidcolin]

i train with a guy who benches close to 3 and pulls over 5 at ~200lbs. He struggles with getting 315 for 1 rep in the squat. Some people just have weird developments.

[ScoobyDooo]

Originally Posted by jdock99

You can 5rm deadlift 405 and 5rm press 165 and you have been stuck at 270x5 squat for a year? This makes no sense at all. And looking at your video I cannot see anything blatantly wrong with your squat. You could probably fix little things but overall it seems to be a very passable high bar squat. Your relative weak squat is very strange.

yeah idk. its ****ing embarassing lol. at least i get low though...

one possible issue may be that i have been squatting 3x a week for almost a year and half now. maybe something like 4 months on Rippetoes and the rest on Madcow's 5x5 (one of the madcow squat days is a light day). I have done deload periods, but maybe i just need a bit more recovery time than that...idk. I probably have 3-4 more weeks of progress on 5x5 and then I'm gonna give GST a shot. The split will only have me squatting once every 7 or 8 days, and there will be some supplement exercises as well. I've definitely been more of a full body strength routine guy, but i think this is worth a shot at least.

The reason i still have progress to make on 5x5 is b/c i'm recovering from a wrist injury i had in early fall, and was unable to do any upper body training at all for 2.5 months. so i want to get my #'s back to where they were at least, but it looks like im actually rebounding stronger than before.