Squat Twisting

[Chickma2]

Hi Tom, can you take a look at this and see why I'm twisting? I have other videos in my YouTube channel. The 45 degree angles look fine but from the back i always see twisting. I've tried different stances and asymetrical ones but this always happens. The second I take the weight off the pins I can feel the right side of the bar angling down.

http://youtu.be/zRtBJUOy59U

Thanks!

[Tom Campitelli]

I don't see you twisting, but the bar is a little lower on your right side. If I were to pretend to be a doctor, I would bet this is a skeletal thing, perhaps scoliosis, or a long-term postural habit. It isn't awful, either. Pretty subtle, actually. My right shoulder is a little higher than my left shoulder. Lots of people have some asymmetry. Unless you are experiencing some pain as a result, I don't know that I would worry about it. I would just keep training and focusing on feeling as balanced as possible with the bar over the midfoot.

[Tobias]

I had some twisting going on when the squats got heavy. Narrowing my stance and keeping knees out on the way up fixed it.

[Tom Campitelli]

I had some twisting going on when the squats got heavy. Narrowing my stance and keeping knees out on the way up fixed it.

The thing is, he isn't twisting.

[Bryan Dobson]

I don't see twisting either. I would make adjustments to the set up to get the bar as level as possible. It's is hard to see the relationship to the scapula from the distance and angle.

[Chickma2]

Thanks for all the great responses! I'll focus on straightening out the bar if I can. Here are two videos, one of 320, and one of my light squat day today. I did them in front of a mirror so I could focus on the bar being straight. However, I'm still seeing my ass significantly shift to the left at the bottom and then quickly shift back to straight. I'm just worried this is bad for my back. I also seem to get a huge
Pump in my right low back and not my left when I squat sometimes. Any input would be great. Thanks

http://youtu.be/qtYF_CrkrNw

http://youtu.be/T3HyGApoaNI

[Chickma2]

And actually yes I am asking mainly because my right lower back always seems to ache a little. And when I do have serious back tweaks it's always the right side. Also whenever I injure it, it is relieving to go into full flexion and bend over and hurts when I do a concentric contraction. Is this a sure fire sign it is a facet joint / overextension injury as opposed to flexion?

[quad]

I don't know if it's the cause or the effect of the asymmetry, but you have an uneven stance which results in a more abducted right femur.

[Tom Campitelli]

Thanks for all the great responses! I'll focus on straightening out the bar if I can. Here are two videos, one of 320, and one of my light squat day today. I did them in front of a mirror so I could focus on the bar being straight. However, I'm still seeing my ass significantly shift to the left at the bottom and then quickly shift back to straight. I'm just worried this is bad for my back. I also seem to get a huge
Pump in my right low back and not my left when I squat sometimes. Any input would be great. Thanks

http://youtu.be/qtYF_CrkrNw

http://youtu.be/T3HyGApoaNI

If I squint at your video, I can sort of see this, but it is subtle. If you were not experiencing pain from it, I would ignore it completely. Try this next time: squeeze harder at the bottom of the squat. You may move a little less weight since you won't be bouncing quite like you are now, but really focus on contracting your leg musculature as hard as you can near the bottom and the first part of the ascent. See if that helps to make you feel more symmetrical. It is also possible that as you train you will adapt to this and it will cease to be an issue. The asymmetry you show is barely there. It doesn't look like a short leg situation, either.

[Tom Campitelli]

And actually yes I am asking mainly because my right lower back always seems to ache a little. And when I do have serious back tweaks it's always the right side. Also whenever I injure it, it is relieving to go into full flexion and bend over and hurts when I do a concentric contraction. Is this a sure fire sign it is a facet joint / overextension injury as opposed to flexion?

The back is a strange thing and I cannot tell you for sure what is wrong since I am not a doctor and I cannot see you. However, your hypothesis of a facet joint/ligamental injury seems sound. If you have pain radiating down a leg, then you may have some disc involvement, too. Since you know overextension bothers you, be careful about arching your back too much.