Squat form check

[LuxuryMode]

Slow motion video of some pause squats. Squat is (obviously) pretty weak generally even after a decent deload. Would appreciate any feedback/critique.

pause skwaat - YouTube

[Adam Franklin]

Couple of questions:

1) What style of squats are you trying to do? (low bar or high bar)

2) Why the paused squats and slow ascent?

Regardless, these are high bar squats with the bar in the low bar position (torso too vertical, knees too far forward, etc...). If you haven't done so already, look at the FAQ on this forum, look up the Starting Strength youtube channel, and pick up the book Starting Strength for Basic Barbell Training. These resources will help you clean up your squat ASAP!

[LuxuryMode]

Thank you for you reply. When I first started lifting (around 8 months ago), I did low bar squats, but more recently I moved the bar higher up to see if it felt better and improved my form. These reps are paused only because I was doing paused squats on one my lifting days in addition to heavier regular squats on another day. The slow ascent is partially because the video is slow motion, but I could certainly work on more explosiveness regardless.

> these are high bar squats with the bar in the low bar position

Could you elaborate on that? I don't see how/why this is a low bar position. More generally, I know SS (and powerlifting in general) teaches the low bar squat. Is it worth trying low bar again? I had some real issues doing low bar and moving the bar up some seemed to make quite a difference, but there certainly could be other issues. I have the Starting Strength book and have read it several times. Perhaps I need to read it yet again!

EDIT: Also, here's some squats when I was doing (what I thought were) low bar squats: Shared album - Levi Notik - Google Photos

[Adam Franklin]

Ah, slow motion. Got it.

The video angle can be misleading. From this angle, it appears the bar is sitting on your rear delts (low bar position) instead of the bar resting on your traps (high bar position). With the bar on your delts, you are squatting with a very vertical torso and alot of forward knee travel, which are high bar squat mechanics. Hence, the "these are high bar squats..." comment. Because you are doing a high bar squat mechanics with a low bar position, I suspect you weight was on your heals, or at least it would be at heavier weights.

I would strongly recommend you attempt to learn to low bar squat, using this forum as a resource. First, we need to confirm your bar position, so a video from about head height of the bar on your back will help confirm proper bar position.



Next, you knee to clean up your low bar mechanics. Review the first couple of pages of the squat chapter. You will have to focus on squatting by pointing your chest to the ground, shoving your knees out (not forward), and reaching the hips back and down. This will be difficult due to your familiarity with high bar squats.

Here's a good visual reference to add to the book.


Regarding your old low bar video: It's hard to tell much from this angle, but my gut tells me that the bar is too low (you probably needed your thumbs around to bar to prevent it rolling down your back), and that your knees are going too far forward (torso too vertical). Again, hard to tell from the angle.

[LuxuryMode]

Thank you so much for your thorough reply. I think you're right that I had the bar too low when doing low bar squats. I thought that low bar was lower and high bar higher. Right now I have the bar in low bar position but am doing a high bar squat. I'm going to give the Rip squat a try again and post some more form check videos. Thanks again!