Squat Check

[Greg Ruhl]

I'm working away on my novice progression. I've been on the program for about 2.5 months and started at a squat of 135# w. a body weight 295#. This is my 3rd set at 290# (w. body weight 290#). I look forward to your critiques and appreciate your time, thank you!

https://youtu.be/H3I5u3FW-4g?t=12

[Steve Hill]

These are about 2" high.

First, narrow your stance about an inch or two (it's hard to tell because of the angle) and then drive our knees OUT harder. Second - the bar should be gripped in your hands, don't just lay the hands over the bar. IT may be that you have the bar too far down your back - again, hard to tell because of the height / angle. Third, finish the rep - stand all the way up, hips and knees fully extended and locked.

[Greg Ruhl]

Thanks Steve. I see what you're saying about finishing the rep (torso needs to come up more). Looking again at the images in the SSBBT book, I think you're right, the bar is maybe 1 to .5 bar widths too low. I'll take a picture tonight from the back to get a better shot of (adjusted) foot width and bar position for confirmation.

I've been working on shoulder flexibility and moving my hands in on the bar and thought palms+2-3 fingers on the bar was OK (based on the image 2-21 in SSBBT 3rd ed.). I'll keep a full grip (thumbs over) on the bar from now on.

I have been battling depth issues which is the primary reason I took the video. I'll work on your suggestions, it seems like my gut keeps getting in the way. I'm going to go through the full training progression (no bar, bar only, etc.) this evening with the adjusted positions and will take some video.

Thanks for your help!

[Greg Ruhl]

I've been working on my form over the past couple of sessions and I think the depth looks better. I took it all the way back to practicing with no bar and then worked my way back up to 245# (deloaded from the previous 290# video). Below is my progress.

2nd set @ 245#, rear view (to see knees and bar position better):
https://youtu.be/pLYuesx_C5k

3rd (last) set @ 245#, rear quarter view:
https://youtu.be/etr6R-B8AlA

Known issues are that I'm still not finishing the rep on all sets (2nd set is better than the 3rd, it's a mental issue) and that I move my hand around to fix the grip after unracking. I've been doing shoulder dislocations for flexibility but haven't been seeing a lot of progress. On the rear view, things look a little wobbly, is this due to a lack of tightness (I feel like I'm stretching to hit depth)? I seem to be struggling between tightness vs depth. One other weird issue is that I start with my toes pointed @ 30 degrees but my first squat rotates the heel in and the toes out so it ends up at ~45 degrees (you can see this slide on the rear view).

Thanks again for the help!

[Tom Campitelli]

Your stance is now too narrow. I see why Steve was uncertain about your stance width. I suspect it was fine before. Now it is too narrow. Shoulder width is what you want. I would bet your feet will not turn out as you squat with a slightly wider stance. Don't relax to get get your depth. Proceed smoothly to below parallel, then rebound. Drive up aggressively with the hips. You want to lead with the chest and be upright. Stay with your hips.

[Greg Ruhl]

Your stance is now too narrow. I see why Steve was uncertain about your stance width. I suspect it was fine before. Now it is too narrow. Shoulder width is what you want. I would bet your feet will not turn out as you squat with a slightly wider stance. Don't relax to get get your depth. Proceed smoothly to below parallel, then rebound. Drive up aggressively with the hips. You want to lead with the chest and be upright. Stay with your hips.

Thanks Tom, I'll go back to my original stance width. I'm confused about your comment to drive with the hips but lead with the chest/be upright. Is there an issue with my upper body position (beyond the tightness/wobbliness)? I've been working on the tightness issue and I'm not wobbling around anymore and getting more rebound out of the bottom (i.e. I can 'feel' the correct depth now). Thanks for your help!

[Tom Campitelli]

Sorry, I should have been clearer. You are trying to lead with your chest, but I want you to drive your hips up instead. Your chest will come along for the ride, but the squat should feel like you are pushing your butt up all the way to the top.