Squat form check: knee slide?

[Viola]

Hello coaches. Could you check my squat form please? I think my problem is knee slide, but likely there is more that I need to improve.

Brief history: Start SS last Dec. Got up to a 140lb squat, got hip tendonitis, was too stubborn to quit so it got pretty bad, and I couldn't clean up my form enough to help it. Hips were very painful for several months, squatted light (<100lbs) over the summer while playing soccer and running, inflammation went down, restarted LP in late October. (and stopped running, but not soccer).

After rereading SSBBT and actually using a tape measure, I discovered I had been squatting with a narrower than shoulder width stance (narrower by 3"). Widened my stance, worked up to 140lb, only minor hip pain, and different from the tendonitis, some attributable to soccer.

Just did 145lb 3x5 (PR), and the next day, have the same #$%'ing tendonitis hip pain again. Looking at my videos, I think my knees are darting forward at the bottom. I have been getting reps that are a touch high, and feel as though the only way to get depth is to loosen up at the bottom a bit - not wise, I guess. I may try bringing in my stance a bit to see if that helps.

Can you see anything else that I can improve? I have included 2 sets at 145lb, and one at 120lb.

Thank you for all you guys do! I have learned a lot from this forum.

145lb, 45 degree rear view
http://youtu.be/aA13KHnQ0Os

145lb, side view
http://youtu.be/xi4cZdbW_LQ

120lb, side view
http://youtu.be/0UoWjpH5Ta0

[Paul Horn]

There's a little knee slide, but we need to address some bigger issues. Your reps are a little high and your knees are caving in when you drive up. Next workout, I want you to focus on shoving your knees both forward and out harder. This is how you initiate the Squat. Knees forward and out, hips back. Then you've got to keep them out. Fix your eyes on a spot about one foot in front of you. Watch your knees out of your peripheral vision. If you see them dart in, make them go back out. Knees out should also help you drop down another inch or two. Finally, when you drive up, think about keeping the bar over the middle of the foot. Right now it's getting forward, over your toes. Use The Master Cue.

Fix. Repost. Funkifize. We'll go from there.

[Viola]

Say what! I need to shove my knees out and forward?!? I've been trying to keep them back. Alright, I'll work on that, and keeping the bar over midfoot, and repost.

[Paul Horn]

Ha! I like you.

What I mean with the knees is to put them where they're going to end up, and do it right away. Get all the forward knee travel over with by the time you are 1/3 - 1/2 way down. Then focus on reaching back with hips and getting a real powerful stretch in the adductors.

[tsoukase]

I recently solved such problems myself with a single and only one cue. When you grab the bar think constantly: "I am gonna bend my hips" and decent. Think at nothing else, neither the knees, nor the depth.
If you only think to bend at the hips, the knees will get their position at the beginning and stay there and the weight will force you to pass just below parallel and bounce slightly at the bottom, which constitute a perfect squat. This might add some at your max AND provide the base for future LP.

[Viola]

Hi Paul,

Clarification noted. Saturday I managed a set at 135lb, for which videos were terrible so I didn’t post. The cues you suggested helped, but I still did some good mornings. Then Monday, soccer. I’ve been treating soccer games like a workout, because I find I need the recovery. So Wednesday was the next squat day – 145lb again.

This workout started great. The knees forward and out cue worked great, I could feel myself sitting back into the squat and popping nicely back up. Until I got to the work sets…. I should probably have gone for 140lbs instead of 145, but I am greedy and impatient. Sigh.

First set, http://youtu.be/TpHFYAMCfzY

Side view, second set http://youtu.be/ZjskSVTq0sg

Third set, http://youtu.be/xkgGy94zbzg

I think these might be a smidgen better than last week. Your opinion may differ. I had a really hard time keeping the bar path straight.

So, question 1. Should I just keep adding weight and working on these cues? I don’t really want to stay at one weight and “practice”.

Question 2. Because of once weekly soccer games, I usually squat 3 times every two weeks and deadlift only once per two weeks. Could this be negatively affecting my progress? Should I add an easy squat day or two for volume, as long as it doesn't affect my recovery?

Oh yeah, one more thing… I feel good! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzlpTRNIAvc

No more hip pain this week.

Tsoukase. Thanks for the suggestion. I’ve tried using the hip cue, and many others, and that wasn’t working for me. Simplifying the number of things I think about is probably a good idea though.

[Paul Horn]

Most of your reps are still high, your knees are caving in, and you're not looking where I want you to look. The point of staring at a spot 1' in front of you is so that you can watch your knees as you drive up. You'll see them cave in. When that happens you must shove them back out. You have to do this with manageable (read: lighter) weight until you learn what it feels like to keep the knees out. You are looking down on the way down and then looking up on the way up. That defeats the purpose of this little exercise. So, next time:

1. Shove the knees out harder than you think you should.
2. Watch the knees as you drive up.

There's no point in bumping up the weight if you aren't able to do the proper technique. Eventually it will catch up with you. Find a weight you can do perfectly and build up from there.

With regard to your soccer practice question, what is your current workout / soccer schedule? How old are you?

[Viola]

I feel like a student who has practiced her spelling and thought she improved her mark from 60% to 70% and then found out she still failed....

Lol

I am a (very young) 43. Presently I play indoor soccer once per week. Games are 50 min long, I usually run hard for the whole game. We have few subs. Playing soccer makes me grin from ear to ear and feel like a teenager. I'm not giving it up anytime soon. Although I would consider short layoffs to prep for powerlifting competitions, eventually. No other workouts except lifting. I tend to be ambitious and do too much though. I had hoped to get a bodyweight squat by New Year's Day. (175lb)

I will back off to a lower weight and work on knees out. Sir, yes sir. Thanks for the advice.

[Viola]

It occurs to me I should give more detail on my workouts.

Typically.

Tues squats, PC, OHP
Thurs squats, BP
Sat soccer

Tues Deadlift, OHP
Thurs squat, BP, sometimes PC again (low weight -working on form)
Sat soccer

Backoff/volume sets on BP and OHP as I find that helps me progress.

The schedule varies because soccer night isn't always Saturday. But that's the rotation I aim for. I was doing more, but getting hip pain or failing to progress well. So I've backed it off. I would love to do more though, cause I'm a sucker for punishment... no , I've never done CF.

[Paul Horn]

So you got your squat up to 140 using the standard SS program as written? Where did the above program come from and can you tell me more about the sets and reps for each day? Why did you make the switch? How have your lifts been progressing since you switched?