Squat check

[sjbillingham]

Would appreciate any general or specific comments about my squat technique.

This is my squat 370lbx5. This is the first set of 3:
http://youtu.be/NA54h4_DC0I

This is the last set:
http://youtu.be/BfDCP5o8178

One area of concern is the forward movement of the bar out of the hole (prompted, I think, by hips rising faster than the chest). This lead to a massive squat fail last weekend. I was attempting 400lb 3x3, this happened on the last set (you can see very clearly the horizontal movement of the bar):
http://youtu.be/7z3SQzmUhtc

Some cues I could use:
1. Shove knees out more so
2. Keep chest up
3. Drive traps into shoulders
4. Keep hamstrings tight

I try to use these cues but my hips still come up. Either I need to learn to grind the squat in the right position or I'm just not strong enough to lift correctly at these weights.

Any thoughts welcome and appreciated ...

[Nick Delgadillo]

You're losing your tightness at the bottom. I think this is because you're descending too fast. You're knocking yourself out of position at the bottom, possibly trying to feel for a bounce. Get yourself nice and tight before the rep shove your knees out and go down with more control. If your low back is locked in extension, you'll feel the bottom without trying and you'll get a real bounce off your hamstrings rather than a bounce off your calves.

[sjbillingham]

Thanks Nick. Something I've not considered. It's also consistent with the fact that my paused squats (albeit done at lighter weight of 310lb), which are much more controlled, don't suffer from this same problem:
http://youtu.be/b2daPsc3HVM

I'll give that a go during my next squat session.