Novice Squat Form Check

[Cobus Boudewijn]

Have some lower back soreness/tightness sometimes after squatting... thought I'd video my form... this is 95kg (~210-215lbs)

YouTube

personally i'm no expert so it's hard to tell from the angle, i did the best i could w/ the video..

is the bar too high? Am I below parallel? Should I deload & work back up or is my form decent? What needs to be corrected?

Wish I could do a seminar but I'm thousands of miles away from an SS facility lol thanks

My stats in lbs:
32 y/o male 5'11, ~2.5 months into linear progression
w/ a 30% reset after 6 weeks of training
due to travel, flu, & a lower back injury
Bodyweight 210-->224
SQ 105-->215
DL 115-->230
BP 75--> 140
OHP 55-->100

microloading BP & OHP
just started learning to clean

[Stefan Theimer]

Joe,

The bar is definitely in the high bar position. Get it lower. Figure out where the spine of your scapulae are and get it just below them, maybe have your camera buddy help you find the spot.

Depth is tough to judge at this angle but it looks a touch high. Have your assistant crouch down a bit next time.

Once you get the bar in the right spot, spend some time finding the mid foot balance point through the whole range of motion, it will feel different.

Enjoy the new stronger movement!

[Cobus Boudewijn]

thanks for the critique. ya i was surprised how high the bar was in the video, i never realized i had it that high...

even tho I don't have floor space for a full home gym set up, I'm going to buy an Oly bar first thing tomorrow morning so I can work on technique at home (hard to have random ppl film me at the gym) with 20kg...

as far as work sets, what do you suggest for regression/progression? I'm doing 95 kg now... should I back it off to 60kg then step it up by 5's, or 10's, or start even lighter, or what?

Thanks for you insights

[Stefan Theimer]

as far as work sets, what do you suggest for regression/progression? I'm doing 95 kg now... should I back it off to 60kg then step it up by 5's, or 10's, or start even lighter, or what?

I am not an SSC (yet), and am just starting to help out in the technique sub-forum, but if it were me, I would work up to a new working weight based on the bar-speed criteria that you used for your first workout. You may find as you get comfortable with the low-bar position and really start working the posterior chain that it will be stronger than before- it certainly was for me.

Things will feel different. You'd do well to re-familiarize yourself with all of the tight things, and especially the master cue. Work on it and post us another one.

[Cobus Boudewijn]

hey man just wanted to say thanks.

i've been low bar squatting the last two sessions with the correct bar position and a chronic soreness in my low back went away... (that is what caused my injury)

it's awesome to go squat in the gym and not feel back pain.

i'm assuming the pain was from having the bar in the high position but trying to bend over at a 45-degree angle (as is done in the low bar squat)...

that must have created a moment arm that caused my lower back to be pushing way more weight than appropriate.. which led to chronic strain and eventually an injury that left me unable walk more than a few feet for a few days without pain and unable to lift for a week

i was also having some minor wrist/thumb pain that has now disappeared... i'm sure that was a mechanical mistake as well..

posting this for anyone who might be having the same problem. thanks again

[Stefan Theimer]

Happy to help and I'm glad that you're squatting pain-free now.

Feel free to post another check now that the bar is in the right spot, there could be some other form issues we could clean up to make it even better.

[Frankie]

Happy to help and I'm glad that you're squatting pain-free now.

Awesome stuff.