rst time doing a form check here, I've pretty much tried teaching myself squats just from looking at videos online and watching myself do it. I started off doing low bar but I've switched to high bar a few weeks ago and like it more.

I usually do squats at my gym in a rack with safety pins, but for the purpose of having it recorded I did them using my dad's weights at home.

250 x5 video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYE3SSPXIys

Not bad, but I think you can get a little more depth. I would consider getting some WL shoes. High-bar squats bare-footed are tough imo.

Usually do them at the gym and not on carpet, but I'm looking into weightlifting shoes either way.

Do any stores sell them or am I limited pretty much ton ordering only online.

I called up and looked around at a bunch of sporting goods stores and even asked a few gyms. Nobody carries that ****. Kind of sad a place like Sports Authority can't carry a few pairs of entry or mid level Oly shoes but that's the world we live in.

www.RogueFitness.com has a decent selection and they're a reputable vendor.

I don't mind ordering online, I'm just scared they won't fit if I don't get to try on a pair first =(

Should you go with Adidas, mine were exactly the same fit as their other shoes.

IIRC, Rogue will let you exchange them if they don't fit. I'm sure many other places will do the same.

re: pull-throughs. Less knee bend. It's not a squat. It's more like an RDL or KB swing. Ass back, pull through the hips.

Xposting from my log

Front squats 3x245 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6yi1RSzsNc

Bench 5x209 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p-EjnnEB6I

Deadlift 5x264 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OomqwDUPCUM

For pullthroughs I generally don't bend my knees so much. I try to keep my back straight and bend my knees a bit but not nearly as much as you're doing. What your doing may be fine, I'm not sure, but it definitely seems unnecessary and possibly could allow more thrust not generated from your butt but from your legs which isn't really the point of this accessory.

You want to "finish" really strong and tight at the end by squeezing your butt as tight as possible and standing up tall (don't bend backwards, just stand straight up), locking out your knees. The cue Cha told me that helped me do them is to really "hump the rope" - my form got way better after that, .

xposting from my log:

Squat
195x1x2
195x1x3

A couple sets at a lower weight I did afterwards for comparison:

145x1x5
145x1x5 (shot from behind)

Wtf am I doing wrong on my squats?

Press
90x1x5
90x1x3
90x1x4

I think my form on Press is solid. Confirm/deny?

DL
light weight form - 135x2x5
200x1x2
heavy weight form - 240x1x5

Looks like I still have back rounding in my heavy DL. Should I move down, or is it slight enough I can stay at this weight until it's corrected and then move up?

G/f's squats:

She had knee surgery a couple years ago and is very wary of her knees. I think her form is v solid but I want to confirm. Confirmation of this or form issues she needs to work on would be super helpful!

75x1x5 (shot from behind)
75x1x5

Yugo--

Seems like with the DL, you get into a nice position before the pull and get your chest up, and then it goes right back down again as you rise at the hips, which is where the back rounding comes from. When I DL, if I actively think of my chest and shoulders as being the first thing to move (even though that's not where the pull is coming from) it helps keep my back tight.

squat - might be worth trying high bar squats.

press - are your knees bent? and squeeze hips forward at the bottom.

nice workout behind you in the 240 deadlift video. the back movement you have there is not because it's max effort imo - you're just not aware how hard your lower/mid back must work to stay extended when loaded. and a nit for you, but your notation is backwards. 240x1x5 implies 5 sets of 1.

girlfriend should not be squatting inside that rack. is the one next to it adjustable? the pins need to be lower. she could also just walk the weight out of the rack. footwear not optimal but telling a girl about that is suicide. the one thing i see from the rear view is some hip twist on the ascent. not sure how to address this but it's worth pointing out now. perhaps there's some tightness in one of her hips.

Yugo, re: press

Like Miles said, squeeze hips forward.

Bar path is a bit wonky, goes out a tad on some of the rips. Drive the bar closer to your nose & along your face. "Aim for your nose" - Rip

Same for on the way down which you can really see as your elbows float a bit behind the bar in later reps. Focus on keeping your elbows slightly in front of the bar especially on the way down.

Hmmm. I do know of this cue (It's actually what I tell my g/f while she does DLs.) but I don't actively remember to do it. Instead I think "tight back tight back tight back" doing all DLs. I will try this cue specifically next time. I've learned I can't follow more than 1 cue and often it ends up being "pull" or "push" so for now I'll give "chest up" a try.

For what specific reasons? I spent weeks getting the flexibility to do a LBBS grip to begin with, .

My knees shouldn't be bent and if they are it's v v slightly to not have them completely locked out. Should they be 100% locked out?

Yeah, I'd love to find music to put over it. I was quite excited I caught it on video. Best part of my DL sesh imo, .

Ummmm. Well the one thing I'm concentrating on is keeping my back tight. Are you basically saying I mentally am not keeping my back as tight as it should be but my back should be strong enough? If so, how do I fix this effectively?

Hmmmm. That's what is intuitive to me too but the FAQ states under logs: "When posting workouts in your log (or anywhere else) use the following format for sets and reps: Sets X Reps, i.e. 3 X 8 is 3 sets of 8 reps."

And it's the notation the SSwarmup calculator I have (posted somewhere on this forum) uses.

Umm, the one next to it is a Smith Machine. But it is adjustable fwiw. I assume you wouldn't recommend her doing squats in there.

How is the rest of her form, good I assume?

There definitely is tightness in her hips. She's been starting to do foam rolling and said she literally has almost been crying while doing it. I keep "reassuring" her that this is almost surely the cause for whatever pains she is feeling around her knee. But still, I do agree being careful is smart. At least until she can study Cha's copy of "bulletproof knees" and then buy it for herself, .

Really great responses, thanks!!!

Hmmm, you mean squeeze my glutes like when I'm supposed to "finish" on DLs?

Hmm, I will relook into this. On my first view I thought the bar path was pretty vertical. Any ways to get better at this besides just really focusing on going straight up and down during warmup sets and work sets?

Bar path is pretty good on the way up, but on the way down, it clearly comes pretty far out(which is why your elbows end up behind the bar a bit.

In your 5 rep set:
1 - goes out just a bit on the way up, not bad. On the way down, definitely goes back out & then back in. Follow closer to your face on the way down with focusing on keeping the bar pinned back slightly behind your elbows. Will put you in stronger position to drive the bar straight up on the next rep.
2-4 are better on the way up especially considering its heavy. Same as above on the way down.

Press takes a lot of practice, it's not really technical, but some small mistakes(bar position in hands, elbow position, etc.) can make a big difference. Mine probably needs some work but I'm critiquing yours.

My best thought while pressing is just to keep strong forearms/elbows on the way down and not allow my elbows to float behind the bar path.

Gator - that's really helpful to read, thanks!

Ok, so I've been working on my back arching/rounding whatever you wanna call it for deadlifting, but I don't think I really made any progress. Maybe it was/is ok, maybe it's not, I'll be curious to hear what you guys have to say. I've been pretty much going from 315 to 335 and resetting even though my 5RM is 345-350ish because I haven't been 100% confident, so another question I have is would it be safe for me to move up with this form and get my weight up?

2 @ 245 (warm-up): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZyOqFFdbBU
5 @ 325 (work set): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoY5wymJyPs

Thanks in advance.

because it might be much easier for you to do. your torso is almost horizontal doing low bar squats.


yes

basically. it is what rip means by "squeezing" the bar off the floor. what people think is that extending the back pre-lift is somehow remotely close to what must happen as the bar goes from supported by the floor to supported by you. it isn't, and it's impossible (and likely dangerous even to attempt) to contract your back to that level without holding the bar. you would hyperextend your spine and own yourself. everyone is different, so there's no real fix-all that would surely help you, but i think as long as you realize this fact, you can make progress.


when listed without the weight, that is the common notation. when listed with weight, 3x5x300 and 300x5x3 mean the same thing. reps go next to the weight lifted. if the warmup calculator says 300x5x3 means 5 sets of 3, it is wrong.

no. there's no great solution. lesser of all evils is having her walk the weight out of the rack. rest of her form is good.

Miles - thanks! For now I'm going to stick with LBBS and work on my form with Cha59. I would be surprised if I'm too tall or too proportioned in some way that makes LBBS extra hard. I have a feeling it may be because I've developed some bad form breakdown habits. But I guess it's to keep in mind that I could switch if I have to.

Nothin?

FSs look fine, but then again I don't know much about FSs.

Bench reps could be a little more slower and controlled. I think you're lowering the bar too fast.

DLs look very solid.

On the deadlift, the weight is way too light for you to tell anything.

Wat?

Doesn't look that way.

Form check

LBBS, 225x5

Deadlift, 205x5