Squat, Press, Deadlift Form Check

[StartingStrength88]

Any comments and help on my form would be greatly appreciated:

Squat

Squat#1 - YouTube

Press

Press#1 - YouTube

Deadlift

Deadlift#1 - YouTube

Thank you!

[David Geiger]

Squats: You are going way too deep; cut it off just below parallel and rebound back up with your hips. Tuck your chin and stare at a spot on the floor 3-5 feet in front of you. Slow down the descent to a point where you are under control. Your low back is going into flexion at the bottom; this is likely a result of the depth, but it may also be due to you getting loose because you are dive bombing the descent. Post a new video from a 45 degree rear angle.

Press: Don't punch your head so far forward at the end of each rep (at the top), just return it to its natural position. Finish with the bar directly over your shoulders at the top, you are pushing it back behind you a bit too much. Overall not bad though.

DL: Pretty solid. I think you are dropping your hips just a tad when you tighten your back. And I don't think you are squeezing your chest up as hard and tight as you could. But this weight looks so light that we wouldn't see much form break down in those areas. Lets see what happens when you start adding some weight (as part of an intelligent progression; i am not suggesting huge jumps in weights).

[StartingStrength88]

Thank you for the advice, I really appreciate it!

I will try to correct these flaws in my training tomorrow morning and post some new videos then.

[StartingStrength88]

Tried to take the pointers from AtlantaDave. I need to focus on bracing and staying tight better and controlling the weight on the way down. I did find that squeezing the bar helped me stay tighter. I think I'm still dive bombing and going too deep on my squat and probably need to lean forward a little more to emphasize hip drive.

Any suggestions to prevent my hips from rising early on the deadlift? I really want to have strict proper form on all my lifts so any other tips, critiques, or advice is definitely welcome!

Bench Press

Bench#1A - YouTube
Bench#1B - YouTube

Squat

Squat#2 - YouTube

Press

Press#2 - YouTube

Deadlift

Deadlift#2 - YouTube

[Joe Jaloszynski]

[U]Bench Press

Hard to tell from this angle how tightly you're setting your shoulders. Really squeeze your scapulas together and rotate them down. Your elbows look like they may be flaring out a little bit on the way down. It's hard to tell from this angle. But otherwise, these looked good.

[U]Squat

You're looking up and your torso is awfully vertical. See how the bill of your hat is level with the ground at the bottom? Push you hips back more and lean over. Keep your eyes on the ground in front of you. This will help you stay in your hips better.

[U]Press

Squeeze your elbows together in front of your chest. Try and get them to touch. Right now, they are behind the bar. This will be problematic as you put more weight on the bar.

[U]Deadlift

You skipped step 2 of the setup procedure. Bend over from the hips, with straight legs, to grab the bar. Don't squat down to grab the bar.

[StartingStrength88]

Thank you JoeJ!

Great observation about my squat. I think this stems from looking at a mirror so the spot changes as I descend. I'm thinking next training session I will reverse the bar collars in the rack so I can squat looking 3-6 feet in front of me at a point on the floor that won't change.

I just re-read the setup steps on the Deadlift from the book and I think this will help a lot.

Thanks again!

[Joe Jaloszynski]

Thank you JoeJ!

Great observation about my squat. I think this stems from looking at a mirror so the spot changes as I descend. I'm thinking next training session I will reverse the bar collars in the rack so I can squat looking 3-6 feet in front of me at a point on the floor that won't change.

I just re-read the setup steps on the Deadlift from the book and I think this will help a lot.

Thanks again!

Put something on the ground a few feet in front of you. Water bottle, kettlebell, your hat, something. Look at it the entire time.

[carson]

Welcome.

You recognize that you are way to slender from comments on your log. If you follow the plan you will gain weight and probably land somewhere between 210 and 230.

The weights are still very light for you and so it is difficult to see what happens when you become somewhat challenged. However:

Squat: Wear shorts so we can see your legs. If you are able photograph from a 45 degree angle as suggested. Keep head down. Your depth is still a bit low.

Press: It is designed to engage more of your body. Your hips should shoot forward and then back during the lift. At present you are only using your arms. You can get away with that for the light weights you are using now. Believe me, you will need to engage your body when the weights get higher.

Dead: Form isn't bad but you need to squoze and don't drop hips.

Check the location of a Starting Strength Coach in your area. Don't settle for less. Go see him or her. That coach can straighten out your form in a few visits. It's well worth the cost. If you don't find a coach within 2000 miles then read much and follow instructions. It will take longer but it can be done. I suspect that you can find a certified Starting Strength coach within 2000 miles.

[Satch12879]

It's OK to wear shoes when you deadlift, really it is.

[StartingStrength88]

Thank you for the advice JoeJ and Carson.

Thank you Satch12879, I plan on wearing shoes to deadlift from here on out lol.

Read the comments and feedback and also re-read the sections on squat from the book. Yesterday, I took some time practicing form with just the bar and trying to get the lift pattern and motion in my head. Nipples pointed at the floor is what I think on the way down and then drive the butt up on the way up, still a work in progress though. Sorry I couldn't really get the 45 degree rear angle camera view for the squat.

Squat

Squat#3 - YouTube

Bench

Bench#2A - YouTube
Bench#2B - YouTube

Deadlift

Deadlift#3 - YouTube

I think my setup was better on the deadlift this time but I need to do a better job of squeezing my chest up and keeping my lower back tight throughout the whole lift. Any cues or tips on how to do this?