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Originally Posted by
Jason Donaldson
Great news - glad to help. A few more unsolicited pointers that may help, as well:
Being able to keep the mouth open is a great diagnostic to ensure you're not holding "too high", since the definition of the maneuver is to hold air in the lungs against a closed glottis, which is in the throat. In my experience, it's still possible to have some extraneous tension up in the head contribute to dizziness, thought not as badly. I've found trying to keep a neutral face helps with that, if that makes sense. (This also helps me with focusing on technical elegance, to steal from a recent article by Andrew Lewis.) Perhaps this is contributing to your experience of pressure like trying to pop your ears. Are you perhaps thrusting your jaw forward?
A small point that will help with clarity: The rule of thumb around here is that "reps go second". Three sets of five reps becomes 3 x 5. 225 pounds for three sets of five reps becomes 225 x 5 x 3. By definition, it's an arbitrary rule, but held consistently, it helps with communication.
Finally, it will definitely help to digest the book, not just consult it. It only becomes an effective reference manual after you've done that. It will likely take multiple readings, but it will definitely repay your attention.
The SS recommendation for depth doesn't just come as a prescriptive "what", but there's a well-reasoned "why" behind it, explained in the book, as well as in many videos and articles. To know why deeper isn't better will help you immensely. (Hint: Start with the three criteria for exercise selection, viz. moving the most weight using the most muscle mass through the greatest effective range of motion. How do each of those terms map to the SS squat form?)