Reply With QuoteDo you actually have a copy of the SS book?
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back rounding during squats
hey guys, please critique the form on this.
one problem my buddy pointed out, i wasnt at all aware all this time. apparently my back rounds quite a bit when im squatting. i didnt know that at all, even after he pointed it out, until i looked in the mirror. i dont feel it at all. so im not sure if i can fix it given that im not actually doing it, it just happens. can anyone advise if there's a way to fix it, or if i should not go too low to avoid that happening?
also a question - i believe when doing squats we're not supposed to go more forward than our toes, ie knees chest face etc should all be behind the toes (or equal). but on the cover of SS the head of the person doing the squat is clearly in front of the toes. am i missing something?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjBJzErWCnQ
edit - how do you imbed a video in here? ive tried a couple times, cant seem to do it.
Last edited by Swordfish; 05-12-2011 at 11:47 PM.
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Do you actually have a copy of the SS book?
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yes i do and ive gone over it. but i dont have a trainer and putting 70 pages of correct squat technique is a bit hard to put into mechanics especially when i cant see what im doing well.
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Ok good, hope you don't mind me asking.
The most important thing for you is to start putting weight on the bar. How long were you planning to keep squatting 55 lbs or whatever that is? Have you read the chapter on programming? Do sets of 5, add 5 lbs each workout. That should be +15 lbs a week since you should be hitting the gym 3 times each week. You should be squatting more than this by now if you'd been doing that.
Technique wise, jam your knees out, keep a little more upright at the bottom of the squat, keep your chest up. Pretend you're inside a Smith machine, and make the bar move down and up in a completely vertical line, right over the middle of your foot.
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> jam your knees out
meaning they should be wider? or more forwards?
> keep your chest up
i'm hearing this a lot but not sure what that means. is it the same as being more upright, or are they two different things?
the aim of course is to make the bar move as vertically as possible but when doing the set that's hard to do.
about the lack of weight, i havent worked out in a few months, this was going to a friend's gym to work on technique exclusively.
what do i do about my back rounding btw? i spoke to a doc a few days ago who actually said squats were a good thing (i was quite surprised, most say to avoid) but also said not to go so low b/c my back is rounding and that's harmful. i have a weak lower back btw.
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Some of these depend on anthropometry. Many people’s knees end up slightly in front of toes in a correct squat.Originally Posted by Swordfish
In addition to MikeC1’s advice, wear different shorts. Your pants or shorts should be of a stretchy material.
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You’re not staying tight at the bottom. Read the article on the active hip.
http://startingstrength.com/articles...2_rippetoe.pdf
Also, you rock back and start with hip flexion, then bring the knee flexion in later. You should unhinge both at the same time so that knee and hip both start bending simultaneously. Think about dropping your gut down between your thighs. You’re probably doing this because you’ve been told the knees should never come past the toes, which is not true for most people. You seem to have long femurs, although this could just be an optical illusion caused by your shorts/cropped pants. If you do have long femurs, the [toes EDIT:] knees will come out further past the toes. This is normal.
Last edited by Gunnhild Bruno; 05-13-2011 at 12:46 AM. Reason: typo
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Meaning wider, over your toes.
They're pretty related. Hopefully if you have multiple cues that are similar, one of them will work for you, or they're reinforce each other or something.> keep your chest up
i'm hearing this a lot but not sure what that means. is it the same as being more upright, or are they two different things?
Your back isn't rounding too much. If you can work on the stuff above first, keeping more upright etc., that will help fix the problems with your back rounding. It will also go a long way towards injury prevention. In my experience at least, the only really good way to put your back in jeopardy while squatting is to lean forward too much, and letting the bar drift towards your toes. Keep upright and balanced and it won't be a problem.what do i do about my back rounding btw? i spoke to a doc a few days ago who actually said squats were a good thing (i was quite surprised, most say to avoid) but also said not to go so low b/c my back is rounding and that's harmful. i have a weak lower back btw.
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I agree. A bit of a “buttwink”, as some people call it, is not the end of the world. Working on the other stuff Mike mentions will fix a lot of it, anyway.
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got it, thanks.
now the doc said not to go so low b/c of the back thing. would it be OK if i stopped a bit over parallel, or would that cause other problems, and if so, are they serious? with my lower back issue i would consider that way more important than any minor harm i cause in other places.
>the only really good way to put your back in jeopardy while squatting is to lean forward
>too much, and letting the bar drift towards your toes
what does bar drift towards toes mean?
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