That is considerably better. I noticed that you started looking down on later reps, too. Good work. Now, let's see a shot from the rear oblique instead of from directly behind. Go deeper. Don't arch the hell out of your back at the top.
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Here goes:
Squat check elbows 175 lb 6/26/17 - YouTube
Deloaded here from 200 to 175 lb to make this more manageable. Is my stance wide enough? In this final set I was mainly thinking about rotating my hands and shoulders backward around the fixed elbows, in an attempt to do what you said. I also forgot to look down on the first two reps.
I read Bill Hannon's article about thoracic flexion, and Feigenbaum's about "the elbow problem". Tried making my grip narrower on some earlier sets, but this didn't seem to fix it. Part of the problem may be weak rhomboids due to 35 years of borderline posture, which runs in my family. Had also been neglecting chinups lately, but I've started those again. Would you recommend anything else to strengthen the shoulder blades / upper back, besides continuing to squat and do the other main lifts?
Hate to break the "no black clothes" rule, but my other shorts are in the wash and I didn't feel like broadcasting to the world a video of me squatting in my underwear
✓ Member
That is considerably better. I noticed that you started looking down on later reps, too. Good work. Now, let's see a shot from the rear oblique instead of from directly behind. Go deeper. Don't arch the hell out of your back at the top.
Member
Squat check depth arch 6-28-17 - YouTube
What I'm thinking:
1. Top of shoulders tight together
2. Weight forward, hips forward
(This seems to help avoid arching my lumbar. I had found myself standing up with the weight back on my heels, necessitating sticking my butt back to regain balance, resulting in the arch. Consciously moving first the bar forward then my hips forward gets me in balance without as much of an arch. But there may be a better way to accomplish this that I'm not aware of).
3. Face over & down quick (attempting to both avoid arching and also look down in a single cue)
4. Elbows forward
5. Deep
One more thing that may ave contributed to the arch: a month or so ago I had begun consciously shoving my hips way back at the start of my descent. This was partly in response to p. 51 of SSBBT3, which shows a guy with long legs and a short torso (me), with a more horizontal back angle, hips farther back, and hips not as deep relative to knees, compared with the guy that has a longer torso and shorter legs. It was also partly in response to thinking my knees, as well as the bar, were too far forward at the bottom. I had tried to shove the hips back to get the bar back over mid-foot. In this video I stopped shoving my hips back, and just let them find their natural place.
✓ Member
These squats are a little variable, but they are not too bad. See if you can get the bar slightly lower on your back. Maybe half an inch to an inch. That may help you with the bar rolling up on you. Really focus on keeping the bar in a slot over the midfoot and then driving your butt up while keeping the bar in that same slot.
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Squat check 175lb bar lower slot hip drive - YouTube
These are raw, but it feels simpler with the bar a little lower, and the slot cue is helpful. I think rep #2 might be pretty ok. Is it me or is depth still not low enough?
✓ Member
A couple of your reps may have been a hair high, but, overall, not bad. Stand up a little more normally at the top. You are still a little overextended. See if you can bring your grip in a fingerwidth and drop your elbows a little. Good work overall. I dig the improvement.
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Squat check 175lb grip width - YouTube
A little step back here I'm afraid. I'm having trouble understanding how to lower the bar on my back without widening my grip. I widened my grip in the last video, which allowed me to get the bar lower, and the squats felt natural. Here (and in past videos) I was trying to make my grip narrower, which for some reason makes it harder to balance the weight.
I also have trouble thinking about extending my upper back without also overextending my lower back. I guess this is what Rip means by "kinesthetic sense". Are there tips for keeping these separate other than just keep trying?
In this video it seems like the lumbar overextension is a consequence of not getting my face over & down early enough. Or is there a better way to think of it?
Thanks for your help Tom, it is greatly appreciated.
✓ Member
I don't need the bar any lower on your back. I just want your elbows to be lower. The bar can more or less stay where it is. Those squats actually looked okay for the most part. Go a little deeper. Make sure your toes are pointed out at 30 degrees, not 45 degrees.
Member
So my job has been feasting on my soul for the past three weeks, including working for 30 consecutive hours on a deadline, a few days prior to that last set. So, that probably had something to do with the struggles you saw there.Originally Posted by Tom Campitelli
Squat check 175lb before layoff - YouTube
This was my next workout a couple days later after catching up on sleep. While there's still plenty to work on, I'm pretty happy with my progress here. At the time I wrote in my log that I'm ready to start adding weight to my squat again.
After that, the aforementioned soul-feasting continued apace, and now I'm about to go on travel for 3 of the next 4 weeks, mostly vacation which will be nice.
When I return in late August I will unleash a steady disciplined LP on this humble iron, and see how much my body remembers. I may check back in if squats get stuck again, or I may ask for some help with another lift. I've been meaning to try cleans again for example.
This is a good thing you do Tom. I hope anyone who's followed this thread gets something useful out of it. God bless you.
✓ Member
An inch or two deeper on those squats and you are good to go, man.
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