Please help me!

[Robert Callahan]

Coach Rippetoe,
I just had a very very frustrating workout. I have been doing a starting strength cycle for maybe two months now and it has been going pretty well in everything except my squats. I got up to 200 pounds but failed and found that my knees were sliding foward at the bottom, so i reset to 190 and attempted to address the issue. I then progressed back up to 205 just fine but found in video i was still having my kness come foward. So i reset again today back to 185 (instead of attempting 210 like i was going to) to try and fix it again. Only this time i fail at 185!!!! I have been doing my best to analyze my form, and I see a lot of the problems, but i am not sure how to fix them and i am getting incredibly frusterated not progressing at all... I own and have read Starting Strength and PPST and am planning on attending a Barbell Cert but i would like to be able to progress on my squats before then. (Side note: can i attend a barbell cert without having been to a level 1 cert?)

I am 23/6'3.5"/185lbs

Me doing 205 last friday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk5iCZcGf7w
-bad knees i know

Today (trying to fix the knees):
Warm-up: 45lbs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I35dmeKPyhA
75lbs: didnt load video
105lbs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV29Xvcxp5M
135 a(me falling over..): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Eopf1jzszg
135 b:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkXWoi5gVug
165: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHlr2Lbk6XA
185 a:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AbnWxZJn7M
185 b:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgdy7Df6DVU
(the last one of these is particularly bad i appologize)
185 c:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylj89LyV434
(fail last rep )

I know you see a lot of these and i know i have the really common problem you see a lot, but i have tried unnsuccesfully at fixing it and would appreciate any feedback you can give me. Thank you for your time

-Robert

[Mark Rippetoe]

Two observations:

1. Your depth is good, but you have a bad concept of the descent mechanics. Reread pages 45-48 of BBT and try to get your knees stable as you approach the bottom. It will help tremendously to shove your knees out as you approach the bottom, something I don't see you doing at all. Your rebound out of the bottom and the use of your posterior chain will improve when you do this.

2. You need to gain about 30 pounds, and when you do your levers will have improved to the point that you'll be squatting 405 x 5 with less difficulty that your showing here at 185.

You don't need to be Level 1 to attend our BB Cert. In fact, about 1/3 of the people we teach have never been to any other cert at all.

[Robert Callahan]

Ok so I reread the section of the book you mention and did some work with a "terribly useful block of wood" and I reset myself back to the begining to 155lbs. I think I was able to get a much better grasp of how the decent should feel but I figured id double check. I am working on gaining 30lbs but that will be a long road... I think my fiance and I are going to sign up for your october cert at newport beach btw

workout from weds 7/16/08

Warm-up:
45lbs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqyd91ZxaqM
115lbs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYwCNCuZnic

Worksets:
155lbs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzGJbl2NYx4
155lbs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuJycAlaH3M
155lbs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9Heuwcsmvc

-Sorry about the commentary by my fiance, she is my lifting partner and doing her best to give me feedback

Thank you again for your time and energy!

-Robert

[Mark Rippetoe]

Good job of fixing things. Much better. And your fiance can talk all she wants as long as she's right.