Squat check 102.5kg

[theyorkshirewaller]

General stats: 5'10", 175lb (165 when starting SS 6 weeks ago), UK

OK, so I know this looks a mess, I have read SS multiple times and have been trying to iron out flaws, been using these forums a lot to so thanks for all you do.

Also get stick in my gym for low bar squatting, thumbless grip, not looking up (!!) etc. so i need some advice that jives with the books, and advice i can trust!

I wanted to wait till it looked better before posting a vid but I feel like I'm about to stall and I want to give myself the best chance of continuing LP.

Cues currently in my head when squatting - stay tight, knees out, hips back, but still feel I squat morning the weight sometimes? (more feel that on watching back, dont feel it in the lower back like i am tbh)

Im rambling, be brutal...I know you will...

Thanks in advance!

Last set of 5 @ 102.5kg, getting tired

http://youtu.be/Amy4SRRx8nA

[Michael Wolf]

These aren't brutal, really. Look down (regardless of what the people in your gym tell you), and initiate the squat with knees and hips together instead of sitting back first. There's a bit of back angle change coming out of the hole (your "squat morning"), but it's not awful. Try to embrace leaning over more to keep the bar over your mid-foot, and don't try to keep your torso artificially vertical leading into the bottom.

[theyorkshirewaller]

Cheers coach, great to get some feedback; much appreciated.

Forgive my ignorance, but why won't a more horizontal back angle cause me to 'good morning' the squat more? Is it a case of leaning over more BUT keeping chest up, is it the chest dropping / upper back losing tightness that causes the good morning...if that makes sense?

I’m trying to initiate hip drive out of the hole which i thought changed back angle slightly in an allowable way, but I know what’s occurring at the moment isn’t right.

Is depth ok? I was going deeper but corrected to keep tighter in lower back.

Thanks again.

[Michael Wolf]

I can't tell for certain from this angle, it's possible you just need to 'keep your chest up' better. But I think your back angle is correcting, in which case it wants to be more horizontal to align bar over mid-foot while accomplishing hip drive. In which case trying to keep it more vertical, artificially, is deleterious to your squat. Depth is borderline; I suspect it's a bit high, but since I can't see your knee, I'm hesitant to say that for sure.

[theyorkshirewaller]

Hi coach (also posted this update in technique forum but would really like your view),

All gone to shit now. Cant seem to get depth, sit back, or not good morning the weight, and this is a slight deload to 100kg. Admittedly my frame of mind wasnt great entering the gym this morning, feeling frustrated. where do i go from here? Take a lot of weight off and start again??

100 kg back http://youtu.be/wE6tH4yP7ug
100 kg side http://youtu.be/IBw8l4KCPTM

[Michael Wolf]

You're still noticeably sitting back first, not breaking hips and knees together. And yes, depth wasn't great either. Maybe it was just a bad day. I don't really know enough about your training to say.

[theyorkshirewaller]

Wolf - is this any better? I have deloaded to 90kg and it feels light, want to nail form before putting the weight back up. Is the back angle change at the bottom acceptable or do I need to think 'chest up' even more? Also, is depth ok here, as that was the main reason for taking a deload? On watching myself back are my hips still breaking earlier than knees? Thanks again appreciate it.

http://youtu.be/4KLawEdGhGw

[Michael Wolf]

Much improved, overall. Still the slightest tendency to sit back first, so trick yourself by thinking "knees first." We both know that's not really what we want, but since you're so wired into hips first, try overcorrecting to the other direction to fix it and make hips and knees go together. Also lock your lumbar up a little better, isometrically, so it stays in extension at the bottom.

Definitely better, though. Add weight incrementally while maintaining good form.

[LeinadAffar]

In a case like this, would it be beneficial to think about initiating the descent like a front squat? I know the movement tends to interfere with the back squat pattern and needs to be un-learned in beginners. But, whenever I find myself sitting back too early/doing squat-mornings, thinking "front squat! front squat!" on the way down actually has the result of fixing the knee/hip timing (since it obviously emphasizes an early knee-break).

[Michael Wolf]

That's not the route I'd go, because it doesn't address the issues we're trying to fix. You're not leaning forward too much on the descent, you're breaking at the hips first instead of hips and knees together. So to initiate the movement, think "hips and knees together," and if that doesn't work, "knees first."

Then, on the way up, drive with the hips but think "keep chest up" (never ever ever to be confused with "lead with your chest" - do NOT lead with your chest), which addresses the other, minor issue you're having with the good-morningeqsue ascent, which really aren't too bad.