First squat form check

[JayDee]

Hi, I've been doing SS for about 5 months now. My progression has been a bit slower as I have been training and competing in MMA and Submission Grappling at the same time. However, I've managed to work up to a 310lbs squat. I've read SS and watched the DVD but I have never actually had someone critique my Squat form. I appriciate any and all help.

The first video is my first work set and the second video is my last work set. Sorry about the dark color shorts, I tried to get as much light on me as possible.

Thanks for your time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1XFM...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FRCM...eature=related

[skills101]

These are high

[f4thpathway]

Your feet look like they are on a wider angle than your knees. Don't try to go lower until they are lined up. Big ouchies. But go lower with segment alignment.

Do you feel zapped by the time you start your reps? You pause under the bar while it is racked. I've found it best to duck under, check your centering, get hands placed, and go. Get it over with. Then you pause for a long time once you walk out. That's manly stuff but it might kill your reps.

[JayDee]

Do you mean my feet are too wide? or my toes are pointed too far out thus causing my knees not to track properly? Any cues I can use to fix this?

Ok I'll drop the weight a bit and focus on proper depth.

No, I'm not zapped before I start my reps. I think its more of a mental prep and making sure my feet are under the weight properly. I do try to step out, let the bar settle, take my breath and go.

Thanks.

[f4thpathway]

It looks like your toes are much wider than your knees. Your knees look like they are traveling inside of your ankles. Hard to be sure. The width of your feet is based on personal preference and the ability to prevent ASIS squishing, etc. But the knees must track over the feet. They like that. As for cues, you should only need to ensure placement at the start of your set. That's another reason why I don't like a lot of motion and pondering before doing the movement. I would screw myself up if I did. Once the bar is on I feel like a Mario Brothers enemy getting squashed.

I don't think weight is a problem. If your knees are inside of your feet you won't be able to get low very easily. If this is the case then fixing it could up your numbers.

[JayDee]

Ok so if I understand you correctly, its not really a matter of my feet being too wide (since this is a personal preference) but more of an issue of my knees traveling inside of my feet/ankles. I imagine the best way to fix this would just be to focus on keeping my knees out farther and ensuring they track over my toes. Is this right?

I'm also thinking that maybe an easy way to fix this would be to narrow my stance a bit and therefore give my knees less room to travel inward. Could this work?

Thanks for your time and help, I really appriciate it.

[f4thpathway]

Your feet look like they are on a super wide angle. Your knees could be pushed out a bit but not to the same angle as your feet. Unless a wide push out is better for you. I like things at smaller angles myself. Again, its hard to tell but you may hit the spot by meeting your knees and feet at the halfway point of where they are in relation to each other in the videos.

[JayDee]

Ok so basically narrow my stance a bit, don't point my toes out so much and focus on proper depth and tracking my knees. I'm assuming that's what you mean by "hit the spot" just kinda tighten my whole stance up a bit and not be so wide.

Thanks again for all the help.

[f4thpathway]

Try it and see. But do what feels right and helps you get strong. If you really are tracking your knees inside your feet and still hit over 310 then you are going to be a really strong dude with the knees moving correctly.

[JayDee]

I dropped the weight back to 300lbs yesterday (just to be on the safe side), narrowed my stance and pointed my toes at less of an angle then filmed myself just so I could go back and make sure I was hitting the correct depth. After reviewing my sets it looks like I've got proper depth, even going below parallel on some reps. I could feel my adductors working hard.

I'm finding it difficult to know where a 30 degree angle is and then making sure my knees track properly (any cues that can help?). I try to approximate and then push my knees out during the whole rep. I'm probably just being too picky but I'd like to get my stance as perfect as possible and therefore have proper form. I've often thought about marking the floor just so I can always re-create correct foot placement. Have ever heard of doing anything like that? or am I getting a little too OCD about the whole stance thing.

Thanks I appreciate the help.