Squat check please

[latinlifter]

Hello Coaches,

I'd like to have my form checked since after shoulder surgery 7 months ago this was my first low bar squat in that time. I want to make sure that my form is acceptable at least. I started doing high bar squats and now I switched to low bar, continuing my LP.

I'm still having some problems racking and re-racking the bar, and some pain/discomfort after each set, but nothing serious, it should get better with time I believe.

Two things worry me a little: depth and my struggle to avoid knee cave.

Here's the video of the 3rd set




Thanks a lot for your time!

[Emily Socolinsky]

First, I would strongly encourage you to purchase either a power rack or get a sturdier set of squat stands. I would have issues too if I had to rack and re-rack the weight with those squat stands. Get a power rack and I guarantee your issues will subside. You are messing around under the bar because those racks are awful.

Depth is eh. The first two were okay. The last couple were high because you are not getting tight before you squat. And you are losing tightness with each rep. You could stand to open your stance out a little wider and make sure to finish completely. Stand all the way up and lock out your legs. Take a big breath, pause, squat, Stay TIGHT and drive up with your hips and lock out at the top. Pause and take another big breath and repeat. You are not tight when you come out of the rack because you cannot get tight in that flimsy rack. It amazed me that you were able to rack the bar. Get a power rack. Please.

[latinlifter]

Thanks a lot for your input Coach!

Yes those racks are awful. I'll start squatting inside a power rack shortly. That basement is my gym's. They have a power rack in the ground floor, but the bars there are all bent and I don't think I'm allowed to carry the bars from the basement that are supposed to be used to do weightlifting. I should ask, if I'm not allowed I'll switch to another gym.


I hadn't seen your reply until today. I checked regularly my profile under "recent started threads" to see if my post was approved but it wasn't showing up until today. I posted yesterday night a new form check because I thought my thread must have got buried down in the sea of endless form checks that flood the SSC Q&A. For that I'm sorry, but I really didn't see until today that my thread was approved.

[Tom Campitelli]

For that I'm sorry, but I really didn't see until today that my thread was approved.

That is because of a mix up. It was not approved until today, although Emily replied several days ago. No worries. I see your other thread and will remove it.