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Thread: Squat Form Checkup

  1. #1
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    Default Squat Form Checkup

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    Two angles - two different sets. All with 220lb.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xiz-Gb6H9b0

    Would really appreciate any comments.

  2. #2
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    4th and 5th reps of each set look a little high maybe?

  3. #3
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    Thanks Tiburon.

    My major concern is my knee position. Is this correct in my squat?

  4. #4
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    You have some forward knee travel at the bottom of most of your reps. Try and get those knees to the correct place by about halfway down and keep them there. Squatting in bare feet is tough, too. Some weightlifting shoes might be of assistance as far as depth and stability go.

  5. #5
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    Thanks Tom,

    Ive watching a bunch of squats on this site and it seems that most people are squating with their knees behind their toes or barely infront of their toes. When I am watching my squats my knees come out farely far in front of my toes.
    Today I tried doing bar squats and tried to get my knees back but I couldnt manage it.

    Is my knees coming over my toes that far acceptable? Is this due to my body being weirdly proportioned. Is there a way I can correct this?

    Also what would be the reason for my tendency to move slightly forward at the bottom of my squats?
    Last edited by MikeJanell; 03-22-2010 at 08:01 PM.

  6. #6
    Ryan Long Guest

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    I'm not necessarily worried about where your knees are but rather where your ass is going. I thought your last two reps looked really good. On the others you seemed to 'drop' to fast and out of control, resulting in shifting your balance too far forward on your feet/toes when you drive out of the hole, resulting in your ass and knees sliding forward. On your last two reps you appeared to stay tighter on the way down and it looked like this gave you a better stretch reflex 'bounce' out of the hole. Keep your chin down more. All that said though, it looked pretty good, good work.

  7. #7
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    starting strength coach development program
    Quote Originally Posted by MikeJanell View Post
    Thanks Tom,

    Ive watching a bunch of squats on this site and it seems that most people are squating with their knees behind their toes or barely infront of their toes. When I am watching my squats my knees come out farely far in front of my toes.
    Today I tried doing bar squats and tried to get my knees back but I couldnt manage it.

    Is my knees coming over my toes that far acceptable? Is this due to my body being weirdly proportioned. Is there a way I can correct this?

    Also what would be the reason for my tendency to move slightly forward at the bottom of my squats?
    Assuming you have somewhere around average proportions, the knee should be slightly in front of the toes by halfway down the squat and there they should stay until you come out of the bottom and back up to halfway again. If you have long femurs compared to your torso, your knees will need to come forward more to stay in balance (bar over midfoot). So, just because you see lots of people with their knees behind their toes doesn't mean that you can or should do the same. It depends upon your limb lengths. SS talks about this, too.

    The reason your knees move forward at the bottom of the squat is because you are allowing your hamstrings to slacken distally (away from the body). This is very common because the hamstrings get stretched at the bottom of the squat and when you have a heavy weight on your back, your body starts looking for ways to get more comfortable. It takes a lot of effort to maintain that position. Rippetoe talks about the active hip and that is an important concept in the low bar squat. Read that article. It's useful. Letting your knees come forward at the bottom takes the tension off of the hammies, lessens the bounce out of the bottom, and can cause some irritation in some people up in the hip where the rectus femoris inserts.
    Last edited by Tom Campitelli; 03-23-2010 at 12:00 AM. Reason: spelling

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