Some form check videos for your viewing pleasure: Low bar squat, front squat, dl

[calmasahinducow]

My knees keep shooting out on low bar squats and there's nothing I can do about it. I think I may just switch to high bars entirely. Right now I alternate between front squat and low bar because I my main emphasis is on O-lifting. I feel comfortable with my front squat form, but my low-bar sucks and has always sucked. It also hurts my back. Low bars are 117.5 kg done today. Fronts are 110 done last Friday. Deadlift was done today. Deadlift felt good, but it looks funny. I'm not sure why. Thanks for watching.

Low bar squat side view:


Low bar squat set 2 back view:


Set 3:
Wider stance


Front squat side view:

[calmasahinducow]

Back view:


Deadlift 160kgx5:


And finally a PR of 170x1

[pjthiel]

First video (low bar squat, side view) is marked private -- can't play it. Just an FYI.

Got to run, but why do you release your valsalva at the top of the DL pull? ... you take another breath before you lower the bar, but you can never get that tightness back while under load, imho.

[MikeC1]

Stance is too wide on your back squats. Hard to say for sure from the back angle but your depth looks questionable.

Front squat looks good from the side.

Deadlift: Can you tell that you are setting up too far behind the bar? It is throwing off the rest of your pull.

The 170kg sure seemed to go up fast for a PR. And if you would learn to pull correctly, your PR would quickly blow past 170.

Nice to see the guy in the background doing RDLs and OHPs.

Edit. Okay, so your BSQ depth looks good from the side. But there are other things you need to fix in your squat. Start by breaking at the knees and hips simultaneously instead of starting with your hips shooting back.

[calmasahinducow]

First video (low bar squat, side view) is marked private -- can't play it. Just an FYI.

Got to run, but why do you release your valsalva at the top of the DL pull? ... you take another breath before you lower the bar, but you can never get that tightness back while under load, imho.

private video is fixed, my bad. I don't know why I do that. Just seemed right.

[calmasahinducow]

Stance is too wide on your back squats. Hard to say for sure from the back angle but your depth looks questionable.

Deadlift: Can you tell that you are setting up too far behind the bar? It is throwing off the rest of your pull.

Take a look at the side angle now that it's public. Depth is fine with room to spare imo. That first set was also with a narrower stance and toes a bit more forward. I widened my stance just to see if my knees would stop drifting forward at the bottom, although I guess I also changed the camera angle so it's not like I could even tell. My 2nd and 3rd set are quite ugly because of the wide stance, and you can see me narrow my stance mid 3rd set. Re: the deadlift set-up. My shins are actually about an inch from the bar when I am standing. I used to set-up over the mid-foot but that was definitely behind the bar. Short of my shins actually touching the bar in a standing position, I'm not sure I can set up any more forward. Unless I'm doing something wrong other than that in my set-up.

[MikeC1]

Sorry, I wasn't referring to how far your shins are from the bar. I mean you have gripped the bar, your bodyweight and shoulders are too far back. Look at 0:15 in your 170kg video, at your final position before the bar leaves the ground, then at your positions as the bar moves up. In your final setup position, straighten your shins a little bit. This will give you room to bring the bar in a little bit. This should bring your hips up and your shoulders forward a little. Once you get in the right position, DON'T CHANGE IT before pulling.

[mstrofbass]

Take a look at the side angle now that it's public. Depth is fine with room to spare imo. That first set was also with a narrower stance and toes a bit more forward. I widened my stance just to see if my knees would stop drifting forward at the bottom, although I guess I also changed the camera angle so it's not like I could even tell. My 2nd and 3rd set are quite ugly because of the wide stance, and you can see me narrow my stance mid 3rd set. Re: the deadlift set-up. My shins are actually about an inch from the bar when I am standing. I used to set-up over the mid-foot but that was definitely behind the bar. Short of my shins actually touching the bar in a standing position, I'm not sure I can set up any more forward. Unless I'm doing something wrong other than that in my set-up.

Still looks like the stance is too wide. At the very least, your knees don't look like you're shoving them out at nearly the same angle as your toes are pointing.

[calmasahinducow]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll give your suggestions a try on Monday which is my next DL and LBBS day. Hopefully I can get some more video and see if anything has changed.

[Gunnhild Bruno]

My knees keep shooting out on low bar squats and there's nothing I can do about it. I think I may just switch to high bars entirely. Right now I alternate between front squat and low bar because I my main emphasis is on O-lifting. I feel comfortable with my front squat form, but my low-bar sucks and has always sucked. It also hurts my back.

Hard to tell because your shirt is loose, but the low bar squat may be hurting your back because you're hyperextending your lumbar.

Do you see in the side view how you reach back with the hips/tilt your pelvis exaggeratedly at the top, which kind of flips your hips back in a weird way at the start of the rep? That + the fact that you go very deep is causing a LOT of motion in the lower back throughout each rep. Also, see how the first part of your squat is all hips, and the knee contribution is way delayed?

Instead, keep your lumbar in a position that feels neutral to you, not extended, and tighten it and your trunk as hard as you can before you start each rep. Break at the hips and the knees AT THE SAME TIME. Make sure your knees are shoved OUT as your descend. If you keep everything properly tight, your knees will come forward very early in the squat and then stop moving forward once you're about 1/3 of the way down or so.

Also, bring your stance in a bit (a bit narrower than in your second video) and get the knees out more, and keep them pulled apart SUPER HARD at the bottom and as you come out of the hole.

If you get the knees out HARD and set the back in a natural (as opposed to exaggerated) arch HARD, your depth will almost certainly cut off a little higher naturally than where it is now, which is what you want.

DO NOT relax into the bottom of the squat. TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT.