Please check my lifts

[CJR]

Hello again.
As a reminder:
33 y/o M, 255 lbs, 6'3"
Fourth week of lifting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg1N...hIZolCrGTuX__A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fytq...hIZolCrGTuX__A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eIX...hIZolCrGTuX__A

I see that I am not consitantly making depth and will work to fix that. Probably best to film and immediatly review my warm ups. I may have overloaded the previous lift by adding 20 lbs instead of the normal 10. This lift is an increase of 5 only. Also, I am beginning to wonder if I would benefit from a belt at this point.
I know there are some serious flaws here that I haven't picked up on yet.
The wrists...the damned wrists...I just cannot make it happen without pain in the shoulders. I have tried dislocations and they help though only a little. It almost feels like I need to spread my arms wider than the rack allows to get comfortable. To be honest it is becoming a distraction to the rest of the mechanics.

Now for the deadlift.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPIE...hIZolCrGTuX__A

I don't know. This feels great to me. I am really liking the deadlifts. Thoughts?

[BareSteel]

Hi CJ,

Squat: Looks like knee cave is the culprit for your inability to hit that last little bit of depth (you're very close, by the way). I can see your left foot is pronating at the bottom, cluing me in to knee cave. So shove 'em out hard to the sides. That should help you get a stretch reflex out of the bottom.

I'd also advice lowering the bar in the rack just a little bit. You've only got a little bit of clearance and if it gets heavy and you get sloppy and tired, it could be a recipe for missing one of the uprights. Lower it just a bit to ease re-racking, provided the next rung down isn't too low - then you'd have a choice to make.

Belt? If you want to. Try it and see if it teaches you to do the valsalva maneuver more effectively.

DL: Your pants are baggy - I can't tell if you're touching the shins to the bar after you do the grip step. Also, you've pointed your toes out a little (good), so make sure your knees go out as well. Lastly, keep the bar against your body for the descent. It's okay to let it down fast, but it has to happen against the legs.

[CJR]

Thanks BareSteel!

Any thoughts on the grip as far as width? Is it possible that my forearms are longer than average and therefore make attaining the prescribed grip in SS more difficult/painful to do?

[BareSteel]

You may have long forearms. If the bar floats above your delts when you press - even with the correct grip width - this is probably the case.

But that's okay. For the squat, you may have to disregard the optimum width and get into a position that lets you squat day in and day out. If you can narrow it to a more normal dimension over time, pain-free, that's a plus. Last thing you want to do here is force a position that hurts you and takes away valuable squat time.

And see if you can at least improve your wrist straightness while you're at it.

[CJR]

Thanks again.

The gym owner actually showed me a picture of the "perfect squat" the same day I filmed these. It was a picture of John Cole squatting 500. Brick, the owner, insisted it was a low bar squat.

Thing is, in the picture, John Cole had his hands spread all the way to the collars! I pointed this out to Brick and he replied, "You have to be comfortable." I am beginning to agree with that more and more.

I am trying to be strict about sticking to the methods laid out in SS. The last thing I want to hear is YNDTP. However I can't help but feel there is a little wiggle room for certain aspects of the program. Such as the grip width.

Next lift I will move over to some squat stands where I can spread the grip out without smashing my fingers when I rack. From there the process of bringing the grip in can start.

Thanks again for your time. You are a real asset to these boards.

[BareSteel]

Thing is, in the picture, John Cole had his hands spread all the way to the collars! I pointed this out to Brick and he replied, "You have to be comfortable." I am beginning to agree with that more and more.

I am trying to be strict about sticking to the methods laid out in SS. The last thing I want to hear is YNDTP. However I can't help but feel there is a little wiggle room for certain aspects of the program. Such as the grip width.

No question. SS lays out an excellent model for starting out. A lot of it is pretty concrete. For example, bar over mid foot is a universal component. But as you're finding out, there are little things that can be considered a matter of preference and comfort.

Thanks again for your time. You are a real asset to these boards.

Glad to assist you CJ - the same way I have received form advice here. Every video is a chance for me to hone my eye a little bit and improve my chances of nailing the SS cert next time around. No question it's a tough credential to acquire.

[CJR]

What are your thoughts on me doing some prowler training? Would this interfere too much with recovery? I would like to take a little fat off...ok a lot of fat off. I have read that it may actually facilitate recovery if done at the right intensity.

[BareSteel]

I'd start with something low intensity and easy, like fasted walks in the morning to shed some fat. Get up an extra 15 minutes early and do a brisk walk before breakfast. It's easy and you can do it every weekday without any chance of interfering with your recovery.

Not saying that the prowler couldn't work for assisting you, but I don't have any experience with it personally.