Assymetrical squats

[sarahf]

Rip,
I began SS 3 weeks ago, and find that my drive up during the squats is assymetrical. I tend to move to the left. At first it was a knee issue, and my right knee dipped in pushing my left hip out. I focused on "knees out", and that helped a bit, but my hip still moves to the left even when my right knee doesn't.

Also, my left shoulder is weaker than my right, creating an assymetry in my overhead press. I'm working through it, but I wonder if a weaker left shoulder may distribute the weight unevenly during the squat. My spotter occassionally comments that the bar dips slightly on the left during the squat. It doesn't seem to be due to unequal grip distance or where I place my shoulders on the bar.

I admit these videos are embarrassing, but I want to do the program right before I develop incorrect muscle memory or create an injury. Any advice?

Below are my worksets from this morning at 100lbs:
Work set 1 (filmed from behind)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzWOJUYlvtg

Work set 2 (filmed from the front)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JRDqYpZSs8

Work set 3 (filmed from the side)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW9w_zOVUu0

Many thanks,
Sarah

[Mark Rippetoe]

I still see the right knee caving in. Your shoulder is not involved. You're going to have to shove it out to a position that feels to you like it's outside your foot. At the same time you have to make your ass track to the right as well. It will take some outside yelling.

[tertius]

I still see the right knee caving in. Your shoulder is not involved. You're going to have to shove it out to a position that feels to you like it's outside your foot. At the same time you have to make your ass track to the right as well. It will take some outside yelling.

Rip, do you find that people tend to drift towards their strong side when they do this, or perhaps the leg that they tend to stand up on (if that makes sense)?

[Mark Rippetoe]

I don't know. I've never noticed a pattern, but that doesn't mean there's not a pattern.

[JoeM]

This is coming from a struggling-beginner perspective, but aren't those squats (viewed from the side in the third video) going way *too deep*? From my own limited experience, to get that low (several inches below parallel) requires/causes letting all the muscles in the legs to go slack.

I've noticed in my own attempts to squat right that remembering to keep things tight (upper and lower back, abdomen and hamstrings) was as important to good form (and particularly to keeping my knees out) as anything else. I struggled with my knees wanting to come in and thought I needed to back way off in weight, but it wasn't until I started thinking in terms of "bouncing off the hamstrings" that it cleared up.

[Mark Rippetoe]

No Joe, the depth is fine.

[JoeM]

No Joe....

Damn! See that right there! This board is so fucking amazing it drives me crazy... I wasn't trying to bullshit anybody -- I was just your typical know-nothing-trying-to-be-helpful schmuck offering my sincere - but wrong - opinion. How many gazillion of those are there in gyms/training camps/Web boards around the world? It really is amazing that this field *ever* advances. Luckily for those posting to this board, however, just after I offer my uninformed opinion, along walks a guy with thousands of hours of experience looking at exactly the phenomenon in question and - in six words - sets the record straight. THAT is a thing of beauty. (Absolutely no sarcasm intended).

[Steve Hill]

Rip,
<snip>

Many thanks,
Sarah

I commend you for working so hard at this. I recommend you keep the vid cam in the gym with you. and look at every set after you do it.

And get the yelling.