Member
New to SS and squats - lower back issues
I'm still in the very early stages of SS and having lower back issues when squatting and it's getting worse with each workout.
Background... I started with SS Dec 2010. I was forced to stop lifting as I injured my knee playing rugby. I was only 6 weeks into SS and couldn't do anything until I had surgery to repair my medial meniscus in Jan 2011. After rehab I eased my way back to training and after lots of cardio I felt ready to start lifting so I started SS 3 weeks ago.
I started squatting light at 60KG adding 2 x 1.25KGKG each session but, 6 workouts in and my lower back is giving me allot of grief and preventing me from getting depth on my squat. To the point where I cant get close to parallel as my back is just too stiff and painful. I'm 95% confident that it's nothing to do with my knee as I could feel the same issue building up when I first tried SS before my knee injury.
I have a general nagging pain in my lower back that increases when I reach the bottom of the squat. Also my hamstrings feel a little tender but, I'm not sure if that's from squats or me stretching my hamstrings.
I've laid off for 4 days to give it chance to recover but, it's very slow progress. When it started to ease off I tried squatting but, I could feel the stiffness in my back. I kept it light and filmed some of my sets to look at my form. I had an issue hyper extending my neck which I think I've now addressed but, I'd like to have some feedback on my squat form and if there is anything I need to address.
One thing that might be connected or may have nothing to do with it is how I bounce out of the hole. I came to realise that I probably wasn't bouncing properly out of the hole. So on my last normal SS workout before my back got noticeably bad, I made a point of bouncing. On my first set at full workout weight it felt good and I could feel it in my hamstrings. On my next set my lower back was just not up to it and I couldn't get descent depth.
http://youtu.be/sylMVK7oZQo
Feedback much appreciated.
Thanks
Last edited by dowen; 07-25-2011 at 04:13 PM.
Member
No wonder your back is bothering you. You're going into lumbar flexion, and so quickly that I can't imagine you are staying tight anywhere.
I'll let the squat experts comment on form, but even aside from the lumbar flexion issue, that doesn't look anything like a low bar back squat, apart from the bar position. Have you read the book?
Starting Strength Coach
Comments on the form check:
1) Why are you initiating the movement with your knees? I mean, do you think that you're doing your back any favors by droping straight down 2-3" and THEN unlocking your hips? Have you seen ANY videos on this forum where we've said that this is a good idea? Unlock your hips slightly before or at the same time as your knees.
2) Because of your clever camera angle and shoe coloration, I can't see your feet. I also cannot see your knees. A better angle to film from would be eye level from the front or rear quarter.
3) You're keeping the weight of the bar over your heels, which is wrong. Weight is kept over the mid-foot.
4) You are too deep. Cut your depth an inch. You are "bouncing" off slackened hamstrings. This is why your knees shoot forward and hips shoot up and forward instead of straight up out of the hole. Every muscle in your body should be tight, and you bounced off of stretch reflex in the hole. This is initiated by thinking "Up!" the whole way down, then firing out of the hole. As I said, cut your depth, focus on driving HIPS UP. UP. Not up / forward.
5) Get your elbows up more. Though this is the least of your worries.
At least you have your head angle correct.
Last edited by Steve Hill; 07-25-2011 at 07:42 PM.
Member
Try to get the book it will greatly help fix your form.Originally Posted by dowen
Member
I only about 3 months into SS, so not qualified to coach, but something that helped me with keeping my back straight was a big breath and a belt at my workout weight to push my stomach against.
Member
Stop Squatting until you get the DVD. You'll save yourself a ton of money on medical bills.
Member
Hmm... i (a random internet guy) generally agree w/ what coreJack and angry Steve in terms of the details , but I don't think it's anything as bad as what the tone of some of these messages suggest.
1) going too fast. Slow it down some. stay tight. Even at the top it doesn't look like you're really holding the back very tight in extension (check the back position platform video in the Resources section if you're not crystal clear on what's meant there).. I've found that, for me, the whole "chest up" part is necessary in order to keep the back tight. In about 4 months of LB squatting i've had to refocus on back extension at least on 3 occasions when i thought it was all dialed in but then either saw video or realized i'd somehow gotten loose again.
2) going too deep
3) the knees first thing is kind of strange, but the fact that you move them in the top part of the squat and then they stop is good. You don't want to change that part when you move to breaking at the hips at the same time.
The very first mobilitywod post (http://www.mobilitywod.com/2010/08/f...eat-downs.html) is kind of useful to some degree in terms of playing w/ the bottom position, especially if you focus on keeping your back in extension while doing it )
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