Shitty Squat. What Do?

[John Bono]

So you're saying it isn't that my chest is raising too slow, but that my hips are raising too fast because I'm not hitting depth?

Not quite.

Take a look at this video of me squatting with a light weight(either an empty bar, or 95lbs or something, way below my 1RM at the time):



And take a look at this video of me squatting 205:



I break parallel in both videos, but I actually move the bar faster in the second video than in the first. The reason why is because in the first video, I park my butt in the bottom of the squat and wait to settle into my max depth. In the second video, the 205 lbs on my back "shoves" me into the hole, and the stretch reflex starts to take over, and I'm able to rebound out of the hole quicker.

That's what is happening with you. You simply don't have enough weight on the bar currently to make it easy to reach depth. You are actually working to get full depth with 65lbs on your back. With 200, you would simply get shoved into full depth.

[Schwiggity]

I break parallel in both videos, but I actually move the bar faster in the second video than in the first. The reason why is because in the first video, I park my butt in the bottom of the squat and wait to settle into my max depth. In the second video, the 205 lbs on my back "shoves" me into the hole, and the stretch reflex starts to take over, and I'm able to rebound out of the hole quicker.

That's what is happening with you. You simply don't have enough weight on the bar currently to make it easy to reach depth. You are actually working to get full depth with 65lbs on your back. With 200, you would simply get shoved into full depth.

I guess my fear of getting stuck in the hole might have kept me from adding weight in the past. But what about the forward lean on the ascent? I don't see that in either of your videos (though I wouldn't be able to tell in the first one).

[John Bono]

In both cases, I'm squatting high bar, which makes for a more erect posture. Also keep in mind that I've got over a year of squatting that you haven't done. However, when I air squat, I lean over. Here's a vid I did of me doing squat stretches last year, before I blew out my achilles. I'm not reaching parallel, but that's because my ankle flexibility back then was shit:

[Schwiggity]

So just keep working at it and adding weight is all there is to do then?

[Briks42]

Schwiggity, you don't have too much forward lean. That is not a problem for you at all. Your main problem is that you still aren't close to depth. You sped your descent in the beginning, but then you slow down and "search" for the bottom. You have to descend fast all the way until you bounce back up. Try to go Ass To Grass FAST, and see what happens. You wont get hurt. Youll be fine.

I also agree with someone else in this thread who said you shouldnt be starting your descent by sticking your butt back. Shove your knees out should be the first thing you think. Then drop as far as you can as fast as you can and bounce back up. Dont worry about your torso lean.

[John Bono]

Yeah, basically. I would suggest that you keep tabs on your form, but don't bludgeon yourself. Keep adding weight to the bar. Basically you just need to make one decision at this point--high bar vs low bar. If you are going to stay with low bar, you are going to have to do something about your hand position. Your wrists are going to scream bloody fucking murder if you have 225 on your back with them in that position. If you switch to high bar, you need to remember to wrap your thumbs and to look forward/slightly up v. looking slightly down squatting low bar.

[David_G]

Hey man, thumbs up for the willingness to learn the damn movement, I remember when I struggled with 100 lbs for like 3 months when I started SS cause my form was just SHIT.

A small thing that might help with the squat is to shove the knees out as soon as you take your ass backwards.
Right now you are only moving the hips backwards and not shoving the knees forward and to the sides, so as you come down your own body-weight moves the knees forward to where they should be from the very start of the lift. Fix this and a lot of other problems will correct themselves and I believe the movement would be more natural for you.

Start putting on some more weight and just don't overthink it, chest up, take the bar out, one step back and squat right away, standing with the bar on the back and overthinking makes the whole thing much harder

[Schwiggity]

Updated videos from today. Felt a lot better. Still issues, but I think it's an improvement. Thoughts and critiques?

[KAG]

I don't think the problem is you shooting your butt back too soon. It happens to some degree, but on almost every rep, the first movement you make is you lean forward at the waist, dipping your chest down like a good morning, which is causing your butt to shoot back. There are reps where it literally looks like you're attempting to lean down and kiss the ground, before your knees or butt move.

And there were a few reps where the bar was literally out in front of your toes because you're leaning forward so much.

I wish this computer would let me take a screenshot because there was a spot in a video that I paused it perfectly where you're leaning forward quite a bit, to the point that the bar is out over your toes, and your but and knees are in the same place.

[Schwiggity]

I don't think the problem is you shooting your butt back too soon. It happens to some degree, but on almost every rep, the first movement you make is you lean forward at the waist, dipping your chest down like a good morning, which is causing your butt to shoot back. There are reps where it literally looks like you're attempting to lean down and kiss the ground, before your knees or butt move.

And there were a few reps where the bar was literally out in front of your toes because you're leaning forward so much.

I wish this computer would let me take a screenshot because there was a spot in a video that I paused it perfectly where you're leaning forward quite a bit, to the point that the bar is out over your toes, and your but and knees are in the same place.

On the ascent correct?