Squat check

[DannyP]

After a few weeks of not really making any gains, I managed 5@310 today. Thought a form check to keep myself honest might be a good idea. Sorry for the pin in the way of definitively observing depth. Other than a little knee wobble out of the hole, anything that will prevent a full set of five with three plates next Monday?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CqaV1jQ3Eg

Also, does depth look OK on the first back-off (300)? I know, always a bit tough to know exactly where the hip crease is but this angle is better...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr5-80mf4nY

[Carl Raghavan]

Hey DannyP

Camera angles / clips;
2nd video with 300lbs captures a better camera angle from which to observe a form check out of the 2 video links you sent.

Mirror;
STOP LOOKING AT IT! Mirrors are very distracting and never help in self correcting your form ever! use a rack where there is no mirror in front of the squat rack or put a huge mat up in front of it so you stop looking at it. or stick up a piece of paper or something as a reminder NOT to look at it.

Elbows;
your being TOO aggressive shoving your elbows up when this is not actually NOT helping your flexed wrists in the low bar position. (Think of rotating your palm over the bar more still keep fingers wrapped around the barbell)

Chin;
in the bottom of the squat your chin is up. Try squeezing a tennis ball under your chin with empty bar and light warm up sets to correct this issue. Correct chin angle can help aid/cure a lot of issues with your current squat too, especially your lack of hip drive and knees out will improve with a correct chin angle.

Knees;
don't let your knees collapse as you come out of the squat. It is especially happening on your right knee. a great tool i use to cure this is incoporating the hip circle in your empty bar and light warm up sets, link here;
Hip Circle

Food;
You straight up need to add more food into your current daily intake judging from your physique. If you have a problem increasing solid food intake then try GOMAD, a gallon of milk a day.

[DannyP]

Thanks Carl. Need to work on the head; believe it or not I do have my eyes on the floor not the mirror, though that's only half the battle. Right knee, too, is a constant problem above about 285. Will look into hip circle as I'm always looking for incremental form improvement here !!

I'm not 100% sure what you mean on the elbows. Where they end up is mostly related to how hard I'm able to squeeze my upper back but are you saying I also need to be more cognizant of hand position?

Food wise I'm very reluctant to increase since I'd like to avoid additional mass, especially if it's not 100% lean. Contrary to SS principles I realize, but I'm happy weighing 187 at 6'1 but looking like I'm low 170s. But that's just a matter of competing personal priorities. I did, however, make a delicious ribeye topped with butter that could have fed a family tonight .

[Carl Raghavan]

Your wrists are bent which can lead to elbow tendonitis and related shoulder pain.
I understand your squeezing your back but this current wrist angle will come back to haunt you when you start to have 400lbs (+) and beyond on your back...

Your 6'1 and 187lbs!!!!? Im 5'5 and 220lbs, i started skinny and scrauny too. Roughly 154lbs, i too was ignornat to the imporatnce of gaining weight you need to get over this BS and have STRENGTH and PERFORMANCE as your main priority and not worry about abs. i've come out on the other side and the strength and results gained from having a bit of extra "fluff" outweighs the lack of GainZzz my skinny ass self once was trust me on that one.

[MBasic]

Your wrists are bent which can lead to elbow tendonitis and related shoulder pain.
I understand your squeezing your back but this current wrist angle will come back to haunt you when you start to have 400lbs (+) and beyond on your back...
.

Carl, Regarding the chicken-wing-overdoing-the-elbow/shoulder thing . . . you think if the bar was a hair lower he would not be able to do this, to this extent.

The bar doesn't look terribly high, but if it was touch lower on his rear delts ? ? ?

. . .or I guess, by "over doing it" he winds up moving the bar up as a side effect of that . . .

[DannyP]

Your hands and arms should not absorb the weight: they merely support/balance the bar under the spine of your scapula. The weights looked to be difficult, and when performing near maximum efforts, some form breakdown is normal. Do you have any videos of a slightly lighter workset?

Actually, yes, as it so happens I do. This is from Friday's "M" day, at 285:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvm-IupPM5E

[DannyP]

Your wrists are bent which can lead to elbow tendonitis and related shoulder pain.
I understand your squeezing your back but this current wrist angle will come back to haunt you when you start to have 400lbs (+) and beyond on your back...

Hmm, I'll have to pay better attention to this. How I position hands/arms/bar has actually been largely in response to nerve pain I was having a few months ago, and I don't feel like my hands and arms are "catching" the bar but perhaps they are. Tomorrow is much lighter so will have a better ability to pay attention instead of just trying to get down and up.

Was also thinking about what you said with head position a bit more. Perhaps this is the reason I've been feeling a little stiffness in the bottom of my quads, right above the knees, recently? Somehow when I clamp my shoulder blades together to tighten my upper back, it automatically makes my head pop up. Even if I'm still looking down, it seems to do this. Besides the real or imaginary tennis ball, any cues to unlearn this?

[DannyP]

Actually, yes, as it so happens I do. This is from Friday's "M" day, at 285:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvm-IupPM5E

The above show me actually "working" but these from today (light day) gave me a chance to practice the head position thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7S8MZWgfac

[Satch12879]

Does the "M" thing mean you're doing HLM, meaning intermediate programming?

Anyone else find issue with this given the OP being somewhat underweight?

[Satch12879]

We've collectively granted Danny "situational intermediate" status.

Ah.