Very bad squat asymmetry, not getting rid of it

[JTT]

Hey!

I'm having big issues with my squat, I have a very annoying hip shift. I've failed a linear progression twice now, and it is frustrating to say the least.

This video is BW squats, last set.



I think the first three reps are acceptable. Are they? But the fourth and fifth rep are obviously very bad and they're the reason I cannot increase the weight next workout.

I've lowered the weight and made small increments like ten times to "work on form", but it is not helping at all. When I reach close to BW the shifting starts. It is mentally draining to squat three times a week but never get stronger or better at it.

I've considered the possibility that I have leg length discrepancy, but getting an x-ray done is almost impossible. I live in Sweden and it takes months to even get an appointment with a orthopedic and if he doesn't give you a referral, it's impossible to get an x-ray. But I tried to shim my right leg but it didn't help at all.

I've watched my videos so many times and I'm not sure if I can make an objective analysis any longer. I need input from you!


Sorry for the disturbing noise after the fourth rep.

[rjharris]

Your feet look to me like they are turned out at different angles. That will definitely cause this sort of thing (I was doing it for a while).

[David Geiger]

As for technique, try moving your heels about an inch further apart. You have not given us enough info on your programming. How long did you run your initial LP before resetting? Starting and ending weights? Starting and ending body weight? It's quite possible (and more likely probable) you need to adjust your programming; you should not need to reset that many times to work on work on form.

[Dave Joksimovic]

Not a coach like even a little bit, but I agree with rjharris your left foot is pointed out a lot more than your right. Also it may just be the video but I honestly thought your right leg looked longer than your left BEFORE I read you thought you had a discrepancy.

[Brodie Butland]

Not only are your feet at different angles, but it looks like the right foot is behind the left one. So you're working with a double asymmetry in the setup. I don't know if fixing both of those will fix your problem.

As for determining if you have a leg length discrepancy, you don't need an x-ray to determine it. Rip did a video on this a couple months ago...look it up. A competent chiropractor or physical therapist could also determine it with a couple measurements...emphasis on competent.

[JTT]

As for technique, try moving your heels about an inch further apart. You have not given us enough info on your programming. How long did you run your initial LP before resetting? Starting and ending weights? Starting and ending body weight? It's quite possible (and more likely probable) you need to adjust your programming; you should not need to reset that many times to work on work on form.

My initial LP never took off, after just a few workouts I could feel that something was asymmetrical with my squat. So I filmed my squats and noticed I was corkscrewing and had a bad hip shift. This was over 3 months ago. I considered the possibility that I upped the weight too fast so I "deloaded" several times trying to be symmetrical but the shifting is always there. It's subtle at lower weights and more pronounced when the bar speed is slower.

My BW started at 63 kg and today it's 77 kg. 180 cm tall.

Your feet look to me like they are turned out at different angles. That will definitely cause this sort of thing (I was doing it for a while).

Not a coach like even a little bit, but I agree with rjharris your left foot is pointed out a lot more than your right. Also it may just be the video but I honestly thought your right leg looked longer than your left BEFORE I read you thought you had a discrepancy.

Not only are your feet at different angles, but it looks like the right foot is behind the left one. So you're working with a double asymmetry in the setup. I don't know if fixing both of those will fix your problem.

As for determining if you have a leg length discrepancy, you don't need an x-ray to determine it. Rip did a video on this a couple months ago...look it up. A competent chiropractor or physical therapist could also determine it with a couple measurements...emphasis on competent.

Yup, in this video my feet are turned differently. I have recorded every workout for two months and today I watched the videos. I looked at feet angles and they were very inconsistent between sets, and depending on how my feet are pointing out, it looked like my knees were at different heights. Some sets it honestly looked like my left knee was an inch lower, but on the next video it was my right knee that appeared to be an inch lower. But, not a single rep was done without a hip shift, no matter what feet angles/knee heights I had! On some videos it looked like my feet were angled perfectly symmetrical but it didn't seem to do much. I could put markers on the floor next workout so I'm 100% sure they are symmetrical and see what it does to my form. If one hip rotator rotates more than the other, could this cause the illusion of a short leg?


I've actually been to a Chiro a few months back to have my legs measured, she did NOT find a discrepancy. I don't know if she was competent, maybe she wasn't... I have no idea. Felt like she was just running a money-grubbing business.

She did however say that my pelvis was rotated and that I had a small curve in my lumbar spine. She demonstrated this by having me stand with my feet together and my points pointing forward, and in this position my pelvis was rotated counter-clockwise by a tiny bit. I asked what the cause was, and she had no real answer, she just suggested some muscle imbalance.

>>>>Questions:
Could an imbalanced pelvis be the cause of my hip shift? Sounds likely to me.
Could a longer right femur put my pelvis out of balance? Pretty sure it could.
I have this idea that if I point out my right foot more than the left, and putting it one inch behind my left foot, it would actually be like "shortening" the right leg and restoring the pelvic balance. Stupid idea? Probably.

I'll try to shim my left leg again (1/2inch~) and stagger it behind the right foot and see how it looks.





Sorry for the wall of text, I'm just very frustrated that I cannot squat correctly.

[David A. Rowe]

1. See a competent chiropractor. That means one who provides expert massage therapy before adjustment.

2. Unfuck your feet. Unless you have a master plan that involves you squatting without using your feet you'll have to figure out how to get them in the right position every time.

3. Once both of the previous two are fixed... when your hips drift to one side shove out the knee on that side harder during the squat. You are shoving the knees out, right?

[JTT]

1. See a competent chiropractor. That means one who provides expert massage therapy before adjustment.

2. Unfuck your feet. Unless you have a master plan that involves you squatting without using your feet you'll have to figure out how to get them in the right position every time.

3. Once both of the previous two are fixed... when your hips drift to one side shove out the knee on that side harder during the squat. You are shoving the knees out, right?

I haven't found a single private chiro in the whole of Sweden that can do x-rays. Same with physical therapists. It seems that in the US, you have experts everywhere in every field, but in Sweden the only option is the public healthcare system and they won't do anything for you unless you're dying. I would gladly pay for my x-rays on my own but that's not even an option. I'm seeing a PT next month anyway, I hope he can check my leg length with Rip's method.


-------------------------------


You've all mentioned how my feet were at different angles, and I've found another BIG asymmetry in my setup. Look at these pictures.

The left picture shows how my hips are aligned in EVERY video I've taken. It clearly looks like I'm putting the weight on the left leg without realizing it. The legs are at different angles. Maybe it's a longer right leg, or maybe just a bad and annoying habit of putting the weight onto the left leg.

The right picture is from today's workout. I setup as usual, but moved my hips to the right and put more weight on the right leg in an attempt to correct the leg angles. It felt very weird, but it's more symmetrical for sure.
alignments - Album on Imgur


And here's a video where you can see that I'm moving my hips to the right and trying to place them above the feet symmetrically before every rep. Look at that last rep and compare it to my first video!

[Satch12879]

I haven't found a single private chiro in the whole of Sweden that can do x-rays. Same with physical therapists. It seems that in the US, you have experts everywhere in every field, but in Sweden the only option is the public healthcare system and they won't do anything for you unless you're dying. I would gladly pay for my x-rays on my own but that's not even an option. I'm seeing a PT next month anyway, I hope he can check my leg length with Rip's method.


-------------------------------


You've all mentioned how my feet were at different angles, and I've found another BIG asymmetry in my setup. Look at these pictures.

The left picture shows how my hips are aligned in EVERY video I've taken. It clearly looks like I'm putting the weight on the left leg without realizing it. The legs are at different angles. Maybe it's a longer right leg, or maybe just a bad and annoying habit of putting the weight onto the left leg.

The right picture is from today's workout. I setup as usual, but moved my hips to the right and put more weight on the right leg in an attempt to correct the leg angles. It felt very weird, but it's more symmetrical for sure.
alignments - Album on Imgur


And here's a video where you can see that I'm moving my hips to the right and trying to place them above the feet symmetrically before every rep. Look at that last rep and compare it to my first video!

The bar is not level on your back because your hands are at different distances away from your shoulders.

[Charlie Davies]

The bar is not level on your back because your hands are at different distances away from your shoulders.

It's also not centered -- it's offset at least an inch to the left.