Squat form check.

[Polishdude20]

Tried doing low bar today after previously always doing high bar. How's my form? Is my chest pointing down fast enough and far down enough?

January 6, 2017 - YouTube

[Steve Hill]

These are actually pretty good. The first few reps you don't control your knees very well at the bottom and there's a little bit of knee jab - keep them still during the changeover from descent to ascent. The third rep you start by breaking at the hips first, however. you start correctly (hips/knees breaking at the same time) on all the others, so just watch out for that. Finally, I like your ascent on rep 5 the most out of all the reps. The early reps look like someone who know's what a LBBS is supposed to look like, but still is trying to squat a little like high bar (leading with chest). Note the difference on rep 5 ascent. THAT is hip drive. Do that on all the reps.

[Polishdude20]

These are actually pretty good. The first few reps you don't control your knees very well at the bottom and there's a little bit of knee jab - keep them still during the changeover from descent to ascent. The third rep you start by breaking at the hips first, however. you start correctly (hips/knees breaking at the same time) on all the others, so just watch out for that. Finally, I like your ascent on rep 5 the most out of all the reps. The early reps look like someone who know's what a LBBS is supposed to look like, but still is trying to squat a little like high bar (leading with chest). Note the difference on rep 5 ascent. THAT is hip drive. Do that on all the reps.

I went back and did 165 here trying to focus more on keeping my knees from going forward and using more hip drahhv. I still notice in this video that the knee is going forward a bit still. I see on my fifth rep that it doesn't go as forward as before. Is my form good enough to keep increasing the weight and focusing on proper form? Or should I decrease the weight and not increase until I fix these issues?

Here's the video: YouTube

[Steve Hill]

Yes.
No.

I say that havging not seen the video, which is set to private.

[Polishdude20]

Yes.
No.

I say that havging not seen the video, which is set to private.

Ok
Ok
Sorry! I't's public now!

[Polishdude20]

Steve,

I forgot to mention, last month I was working up to the squats I'm at now (although high bar) and I developed a pain in my left hip. After my final rep it just felt like I moved a nerve into the wrong position. It was a feeling of "popping" something out of position which felt like it would go away if I moved my leg around and popped it back "in". It was also accompanied by slight pain in my knee. As if a nerve was being tweaked or something. Unfortunately, foam rolling and stretching didn't work (which I now know is useless anyways). But I stopped squatting for about a month to let this heal. It hurt to walk for a few days but it went away completely. So I tried squatting low bar last week and the pain came back during my work sets at 165 just not as severe. I was able to complete my three sets but it hurt to walk for about 10 minutes after finishing squatting. Every time my leg would swing back while walking, there would be pain in the front of my hips. Right now, as I sit, if I lift up my leg and bend at the knee and then shove my leg out to the side, the pain comes back slightly. I'm hoping that as I train my low bar position with good form that this will go away and I'll be fine. Have you heard of this problem before though? Can it be exacerbated by a certain wrong aspect of squatting form?

[Steve Hill]

Given NO actual medical diagnosis whatsoever, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to answer your questions. You may try changing your stance width - Matt Reynolds and I both suffer from the same issue with our hips, yet have to squat with totally different stances. Matt squats real narrow, I squat slightly wider than wide. In my case, if I don't keep my knees out, my hips hurt. Matt will have to tell you if *he* has any special things he does when he squats, since I can't recall. The point being you're going to have to play around with it, and see what works or doesn't for you. What you describe can be attributed to several different things. I just can't see what's wrong with you from here.

[Polishdude20]

Okay fair enough. I remember that the pain did stop when I squatted really narrow with my feet pointed just straight. Then again, it did cause some hip impingement. I'll try a different stance tonight and see if that helps. Thanks!

[Steve Hill]

Okay fair enough. I remember that the pain did stop when I squatted really narrow with my feet pointed just straight. Then again, it did cause some hip impingement. I'll try a different stance tonight and see if that helps. Thanks!

You know this how? I'm not disagreeing, just asking.

[Polishdude20]

You know this how? I'm not disagreeing, just asking.

Oh I'm not sure if hip impingement is the right word. It was the feeling that Rip describes in the SS book when you squat too narrow and soft tissue can get squished between your anterior superior iliac spine and femur. After doing some googling, this is not "hip impingement".