Squat + Deadlift form check (have no idea what I'm doing)

[TinyWeakling666]

I've had some serious trouble with the Squat and Deadlift and I'm just looking for some guidance after wasting almost an entire year "lifting".

I think I'm more or less what Rip describes as a "physical idiot" and despite having read the book over multiple times and searched the forums, watched the DVD, watched all the platform videos, reading all I could, it still seems that I'm having trouble with the these two lifts, and I now have to acknowledge the fact that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.

This is my latest workset for the Squat (150lbs)



I've worked up to this from a big reset from 75lbs after messing up my back in November due to squatting 175lbs in basically full spinal flexion and no hip drive. From what I've been able to see and feel the last few of my worksets I'm still not sure I'm properly using hip drive and I'm not sure my back angle is correct or if I'm even hitting depth. I've also been having some very slight back discomfort that I can't seem to source. I don't know. I don't understand how to really "bounce" either. I'm not sure whether to progress the weight or not or to stay on 150 for another session to sort things out a bit.




This is my deadlift. I honestly haven't really made that much of an effort to deadlift since I had a lot of trouble doing it without some serious back pain and have stuck mostly with light weights trying to sort things out. I'm not sure if there are any problems here since these actually felt pretty good, but I still need an impartial critic to tell me if my back angle is safe or not. I think I was yanking the bar a little bit here too, but I already know not to do that. I also know I'm not supposed to look sideways at the end. I dunno what happened there.


I apologize if the videos are unwatchable or this post is illegible.

[Ryaan]

There are some problems here, but, geez, quit the moaning about how bad you are. You're trying to improve, which is great. You'll get nowhere with a mindset of "I'm tiny and weak, and I'm a motor moron, and my technique videos might be unwatchable, and maybe my post is illegible!" Seriously, stop all that.

Squat
- Basic problem is that you're in your knees too much with a too vertical back angle on the way down. Break at the hips and knees at the same time, and immediately point your nipples at the ground. This will help you get more forward lean—if you lean forward a bit more and keep the bar above your mid-foot, you'll also get your hips back and the weight out of your knees.

- The 'bounce' comes from having all of the muscles of the posterior chain at their max extensibility at the bottom of the squat. When you hit the bottom, you should feel everything is completely stretched out and tight. I think you need to take a slightly wider stance (heels at shoulder/hip width), turn your feet out more (30 deg), and focus on shoving your knees out harder on the way down.

- You could do with a couple inches more depth. Sort out the back angle and knees, and that might take care of itself.

- Your elbows are cranked up too high, which can contribute to spinal flexion. Check this out: The Elbow Problem | Jordan Feigenbaum

Deadlift
- Better to film this from the rear quarter like you did your squat so we can check out your stance and get a better look at your low back.

- It looks to me like on the FIRST REP you're following the right deadlift setup steps: you do a pretty good job of getting your back into extension (step 4: chest up!) but right after you do that, you breathe out and let everything go slightly slack before the pull. Breathe before you set your back, then set your back by squeezing your chest up, take all the slack out of the bar, and then pull the bar off the ground.

- On subsequent reps, you need to reset your back before each pull, which you're not doing at all here. After you put the bar down, repeat the sequence from the first rep: new breath, squeeze your chest up again, take all the slack out of the bar, and then pull off the ground. You're not fully in extension in any of the reps after the first.

- Don't look in the mirror. Turning your head 90 deg to the side in the middle of a heavy deadlift is a very bad idea.

- On the way down, you're breaking at the knees too early, which means that you have to swing the bar around them. The way down should be the opposite of the way up, so only break at the knees once the bar has passed them.

With a few tweaks, you can get these lifts where they need to be. Both of these videos look like reasonably light weight for you, especially the deadlift. Your YouTube descriptions say "I am a failure". Cut that shit out. The mental discipline of lifting weights is just as important as the physical, and there's no place for self-doubt. You could be doing a lot worse: these are on their way to decent.

[chrisd]

I agree with Ryaan.

Your squat is a lot better than some of the nonsense I see in gyms on a regular basis. The bounce can be practiced unloaded, just get down into the squat position, check your stance, make sure your back is extended and you should feel that you have to stop at depth. You can try bouncing in that position.

Your first deadlift rep was fine. The next reps were done quickly and you didn't set your back in extension. Pause, take your time, set each rep the same. sure it will get harder with subsequent reps.

You're still doing better than many of the half squattng, cat backed bozos I see on a regular basis and they think they're great.

[Ryaan]

You're still doing better than many of the half squattng, cat backed bozos I see on a regular basis and they think they're great.

Amen to that!

If you need some help feeling better about yourself, watch this nonsense:
Gym Idiots - Squat Fails & Brad Castleberry Agility Drills - YouTube

[TinyWeakling666]

squatz - YouTube

This is the third workset from today. I jumped from 150 to 155lb (ten lbs away from bodyweight!!!) which might have been a mistake. It felt easier, albeit much more painful, as trying for a more horizontal back angle seems to cause me a ridiculous amount of back pain. I think I might just not know how to actually get into the proper back angle. From what I can see and feel it almost seems like I'm goodmorning ing the weight down by bending at the lumbar

Tried to keep my elbows down but whenever I do my back angle seems to go more vertical. I think I might not be raising my chest as much as I should

I also still don't feel like I'm hitting depth. It seems like whenever I try to bury these everything goes completely slack as I drop down into the bottom, yet if I try to cut them off I always quarter squat. I don't know.

Really beginning to consider a coach


I also couldn't get a good deadlift video because some bro's were bro'ing out where I normally prip up my phone. I'll post what I have in a few.

[Ryaan]

Definitely better back angle here, and it doesn't look to me like you're good morning-ing it at all. Continue to focus on hip drive and staying out of your knees.

Depth is fine. If you want to double check for yourself, pause at the bottom position and compare the height of the top of your knee to the crease of your shorts. You may have a mental image of the ass-to-grass squat, but that's not what hitting depth in a correct starting strength style LBBS looks like.

Work on producing more tightness in your trunk before you start the rep. Bigger breath, and then really push out with your abs and tighten everything up around your Valsalva. A belt might help, as it provides tactile feedback and something to push against.

... trying for a more horizontal back angle seems to cause me a ridiculous amount of back pain ...

I don't see anything in this video that should be causing serious back pain, so 1. try posting up in the SSC Staff Coaches Q&A to get folks who actually know what they're talking about to take a look, and 2...

Really beginning to consider a coach

If you have the means, do this ASAP. The sooner you get quality coaching, the sooner you'll get all of this stuff sorted out and start making meaningful progress on your lifts. Go see a Starting Strength Coach: Starting Strength Coaches Association

[Greg Ruhl]

squatz - YouTube
This is the third workset from today. I jumped from 150 to 155lb (ten lbs away from bodyweight!!!) which might have been a mistake. It felt easier, albeit much more painful, as trying for a more horizontal back angle seems to cause me a ridiculous amount of back pain. I think I might just not know how to actually get into the proper back angle. From what I can see and feel it almost seems like I'm goodmorning ing the weight down by bending at the lumbar

I don't see anything wrong with your back tightness from here. However, there is a lot of knee slide. Use TUBOW for a session or two until the motor pattern is ingrained. Beyond that, it's hard to see anything since you have very dark shorts against a dark background. Lifting shoes would also help.

Yes, an hour or two with a SSC will save you may weeks of trying to figure things out on your own.

Oh one more edit: Be sure to stand all the way up at the end of each rep.