Squat Form Check - sticking point?

[pshotsb17]

Hi,

Would appreciate a technique review of these squats I did yesterday. I have been focusing on the following cues: knees out, reduced knee travel, and squeezing my glutes out of the hole - though it appears my knees move forward a bit at the bottom - is this a problem?

12.06.2017 set 2 of 3 3x3 147.5kg @9 - YouTube
12.06.2017 set 3 of 3 3x3 147.5kg @9 - YouTube


I am frustrated by the sticking point once I am out of the hole. This is psychologically and physically my limitation, I think, with heavier weights. I don't get stuck in the whole, but halfway up, and worry about crumpling over. What gives?

Thanks!

[Satch12879]

Yes, it's a problem. It's knee slide and it slackens the hamstrings limiting their involvement. Don't hump forward at the bottom; tuck your crotch under your ass. Reach back and down for depth.

You're also looking up, killing hip drive.

Plus, these may be high, but dark clothes and bad lighting make it hard to tell for sure.

[pshotsb17]

tuck your crotch under your ass.

Thanks! what do you mean by that? send my crotch backwards?

[manveer]

I am frustrated by the sticking point once I am out of the hole. This is psychologically and physically my limitation, I think, with heavier weights. I don't get stuck in the whole, but halfway up, and worry about crumpling over. What gives?

This is everyone's sticking point.

[I_iz_a_fatass]

Thanks! what do you mean by that? send my crotch backwards?

I describe it "getting into your hips" - its a focus of pushing your hips down and backwards. If the knees are shoved out hard, either then knees can slide forward or the hips can move back to hit depth. My experience is it makes all the difference.

[pshotsb17]

I describe it "getting into your hips" - its a focus of pushing your hips down and backwards. If the knees are shoved out hard, either then knees can slide forward or the hips can move back to hit depth. My experience is it makes all the difference.

In the past, when I have tried to sit back and down further, in order to get my ass down and maintain a flat back, my torso position becomes more vertical. I cannot maintain the more horizontal torso position I have in the video and sit back and down further - I find that if I do, i either become more vertical, or lose lumbar extension.

What's going on here?

[Marenghi]

Whats going on is that you have some wiggle room in regard to forward lean and forward knee travel (shin inclination) - but not infinitely, as the combined COG of yourself and the barbell needs to stay over midfoot. And you may have motor patterns or simply strength that lead to corrections or as you put it: you lose lumbar extension when you lean forward because you dont manage to keep it extended, either bc of a technique/learning or strength deficit.

So, if you want less knee travel and more forward lean - you gotta learn how to keep your lumbar spine extended. Stop the forward knee travel till halfway down as Satch said and youll have the typical SS-style LBBS with a bit less knee extension and more hip extension.

If you are in balance with the knee travel shown in the vid and you want to keep it that way (which is equally fine), youll have your sticky point here. Which, as manveer said, is the usual sticky point because your quads are maxed out. You could also change to high bar squats if you want to train that specifically. Or simply keep on squatting.

[Adam Franklin]

Your knee slide is preventing proper hip drive, which is killing your speed on the way up. You are also lifting your chest out of the hole, compounding the issue. Get the knees slide under control (search "TUBOW") and stay in the hips on the way up. It may be useful to think "stay bent over" out of the hole.

Like manveer said, it is everyone's sticking point, but your are not making any easier on yourself.

[pshotsb17]

Your knee slide is preventing proper hip drive, which is killing your speed on the way up. You are also lifting your chest out of the hole, compounding the issue. Get the knees slide under control (search "TUBOW") and stay in the hips on the way up. It may be useful to think "stay bent over" out of the hole.

Like manveer said, it is everyone's sticking point, but your are not making any easier on yourself.

Thanks Adam. A question: staying bent over - in the past when using TUBOW and focusing on hips, I found that my hips shot up and the angle of my back became more horizontal. I gave up, assuming that my physical geometry implied that the only way to keep the back angle and hips not shooting up was making room with my knees. clearly this is wrong - so is a but of independent hip movement OK?

[Marenghi]

Of course when youre overdoing it, your back angle can get too horizontal. Dont let your hips shoot up. Think "legs through ground" and "hips and chest raise at the same time".

In the end, a squat is still also a knee extension exercise - you need to extend your knees against resistance and cant shove all the weight to the hips.