Squat and deadlift form check

[DrDuktayp]

Decided it is never too late (i'm 46) so I got the book, watched the videos and am now struggling with my form. I am not very flexible so I have been stretching too.

Squat http://youtu.be/NYD4FFBTUvU

Deadlift http://youtu.be/C1Vw6pgPOYw

Thanks
Tom

[MikeC1]

Hey Tom, these look pretty good. The last set of squats were all a little high. I think you can do a better job of arching your lower back through the squat and especially at the bottom. Ditto on your deadlifts, they look good but you can do a better job of setting your lower back in a tight arch. It'll become more important as the weight gets heavier when you need to be able to properly break the weight off the ground.

Pushing your knees out a little further may help your squat.

[DrDuktayp]

Okay, thanks.

[Steve Hill]

On both:
Your breath control is wrong. Deep held breath for THE ENTIRE REP. You are not taking a deep breath and holding it.

Deadlift:

The bar should be set all the way down. Full stop. No touch-and-gos. Your set-up is improper. At the bottom, shoulders should be in front of the bar, arms hanging back at an angle. Read this: http://startingstrength.com/resource...468#post182468 and set up that way. This will result in your hips begin higher at the start of the lift. THEN post another video.

Squat:
You are trying to high-bar squat in a low-bar position. This results in you keeping your weight back on your heels, which is wrong. This is why the bar (once you have some weigh on it) travels from the right side of the video to the left as you descend. Keep the weight over your mid-foot at all times, bar travels in a straight line up and down. SIT BACK and BEND OVER AT THE HIPS. This will limit your forward knee travel, which is excessive. It looks like you could use to turn your toes out more, but it's hard to tell at this angle, and I'm not sure on your stance width since we can't see your feet or their spacing from this angle / distance. You also need to slow down. Stop between reps and re-set. You are not holding your breath for the rep - I can see you inhale, then exhale, then squat. You breathe at the top between reps, then take a deep breath and HOLD IT for the entire rep.

Fix all of this, read the sticky(s) at the top of the forum on how to film form check videos, and post again.

[DrDuktayp]

Thanks again. I printed up a poster, changed the camera angle and will incorporate pointers into Monday's routine.