Squat Form Check 335 x 5

[PetrZampas]

Hello,

This is 335 x 5 and one of my 5x5 on volume day for the Texas Method.

I have posted in the past a few other attempts and I am trying to incorporate improvements from you guys.

Here it is https://youtu.be/c14Mw5F1OMA

Apologies for the music on the background please listen on mute.

Cheers

[Michael Wolf]

In the set-up, get your fingers on the bar.

In the descent, get your knees in place sooner so they don't slide forward at the bottom.

At the bottom, bounce; drive your hips hard out of the hole right as you get below parallel.

[PetrZampas]

Thank you for the reply. I have my fingers off the bar because the grip is kind of wide. Otherwise my elbows are killing me. I will try to improve the knees and hips then.

[Michael Wolf]

Have you watched this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2tyOLvArw0 ?

If not, watch it.

If so, watch again.

[PetrZampas]

Of course I have watched it. It seems I need to watch it again. I have to say that my elbows suffered even when I followed Rip's instructions. They suffered that much the rest of the training was ruined. There is a reason why I have this grip.

[Michael Wolf]

I've worked with dozens of people who thought they were gripping the bar correctly as shown in the video, but weren't. That said, if you were doing it correctly and it was still giving you elbow trouble, I'd rather you have your thumb around the bar and wrist bent a little back than taking the grip you're currently doing. It's harder on the wrists, but you can wear wrist wraps and probably manage it. The grip you're taking leaves you in a very poor position to control the bar and keep it in the right spot.

[tfranc]

I have a quick question regarding getting the knees into place first: Should it feel like you're breaking at the knees first while maintaining the torso angle, only then reaching back with your butt? I know that your hips will flex with your knees automatically, but I keep trying to correct my knee slide and don't know really what it's supposed to feel like as I do it. I find it challenging to keep the load over the middle of my feet and transferred to my pelvis and setting my knees up first. I usually tend to lose some balance forward and that makes my knees scream.

[Michael Wolf]

I have a quick question regarding getting the knees into place first: Should it feel like you're breaking at the knees first while maintaining the torso angle, only then reaching back with your butt?

Maybe. Ideally we correct it by cueing what we actually want to happen, which is "knees and hips together, then just hips." But sometimes things need an "overcue" to be done correctly, in this case thinking "knees first." Now, if we did that, it would be first with a bodyweight squat and perhaps a TUBOW or equivalent; then empty bar, then some escalating light weights. By the time you get any decent weight on the bar, I wouldn't want you actually going knees first anymore and would want to see you have integrated the movement properly. I don't want you to set the pattern of not leaning over with any appreciable weight. I'd rather you not set it at all, but sometimes it's necessary to fix the knee thing.

[PetrZampas]

Thanks the for the prompt reply, I actually tried placing my fingers on the bar as the video above and it didn't hurt. I will try to post a video again in the future trying to improve the technique.

[tfranc]

Maybe. Ideally we correct it by cueing what we actually want to happen, which is "knees and hips together, then just hips." But sometimes things need an "overcue" to be done correctly, in this case thinking "knees first." Now, if we did that, it would be first with a bodyweight squat and perhaps a TUBOW or equivalent; then empty bar, then some escalating light weights. By the time you get any decent weight on the bar, I wouldn't want you actually going knees first anymore and would want to see you have integrated the movement properly. I don't want you to set the pattern of not leaning over with any appreciable weight. I'd rather you not set it at all, but sometimes it's necessary to fix the knee thing.

Really useful/interesting, thanks. "Knees and hips together, then just hips" reminded me that the book says to get the knees set in the first third of the movement. Will definitely use this cue.