Herniated Disc Form Check

[catkeson]

At 18 years old I herniated a disc and could barely walk for about 2 years. I am 22 now and fully recovered so I decided to get strong. I started starting strength 2 months ago and was making some good progress until last friday when I felt a pop in my back on my final set of squats. My back seized up over the next 2 days and I thought I was in for round 2 of disc herniation. Luckily, the pain has gotten a lot better and I have resumed my squatting with a weight belt and higher depth.

Attached is a video of my squatting form my last workout. I think butt wink is what caused my back to pop last week and I think I've improved it a little already using the belt and not going as deep. If anyone has any advice for me to continue to fix my form it would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Btw I have the book and read the squat section. I will probably read it again this weekend. I thought I was keeping my head down but I can see it shoots up...

final set of squats: Form Check Starting Strength - YouTube

[Mia Inman]

Not a great video sir. Please read the sticky, and ask people not to walk in front of the camera.

Your back angle is too vertical initially, and your knees are going too far forward. You're on your toes and your balance should be on the midfoot.

Instead, from the top, take a bigger breath and get tighter through your torso. At the start of every rep. Don't rush.

Next, point your chest to the floor by shoving your hips back and knees forward and out. At about 1/3 to 1/2 way down, your knees should stop traveling forward and you should be sitting back and down.

Maintain that tightness all the way through the rep and shove your knees out. This should help to prevent lumbar flexion, and it looks like that is still occurring.

You're lifting your chest on the ascent. Drive your hips all the way to the top. Keeping your chin down will help. You could try a rolled up towel or tennis ball between chin and chest to reinforce this cue.

[catkeson]

Thanks I'm gonna get some better footage when the gym is less crowded. I don't think I could be any tighter at the top. I pushed so hard against the belt actually that my stomach bruised a little. I am going to slow it down though for sure. It's hard to see but my squat stance is actually quite wide and my toes are pointed out a lot. To get the knees and hips back I will have to lean forwards more which might increase lumbar flexion. I am going to try it though. Do you think I should continue moving up in weight or do a reset and work on form?

[Mia Inman]

You do need to lean forward more initially, i.e. your back angle should be more horizontal and your chest should be pointed more towards the floor early in the rep. You're starting a little too vertical, then collapsing forward near the bottom.

Knees go forward and out (not back), hips go back. If you shove your knees out and keep your torso tight, you should be able to minimize lumbar flexion.

Post a video from the rear showing your stance if you can. Your heels should be shoulder/hip width, toes out ~30 degrees.

I think you need to get your form correct at this weight, or find a weight at which you can demonstrate correct form, then move up in weight.

Definitely read the squat chapter again. Look at the photos of a correct squat and compare them to your video. There are plenty of video resources on the site, you could take a look at those too. If you're anywhere near a SS Coach, it would be worth a session.