Squat Check

[Jords]

Hey everyone, was hoping I could get some opinions on a couple of recent sets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyKehDWZaMY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yvYeUhEO5g

I've been experiencing some pain in my right patella after I squat. What do people think?

[veryhrm]

Only thing i see is that you knees move forward a bit at the bottom on the way down and then right back when you start back up. Almost like you're bouncing off of them. I've read around here (and also possibly in SS) that knees forward at the bottom is caused by loss of tension in the hamstrings though i have no personal experience w/ it or specific knowledge beyond that and don't know if that's what we're looking at here.

Other than that little knee motion they look exemplary to me.

[Brodie Butland]

It seems like you're well below parallel--like 3 inches on occasion. Maybe giving up just a little bit would help avoid bouncing off your knees, like veryhrm noticed? (I also remember in a Mark Rippetoe Q&A thread about how going too deep can sometimes slacken hamstring tension, which is why it's better to cut it off just below parallel.)

Don't know if that's what is causing the knee pain or whether it's just that, you know, you're moving a shitload of weight...

[Jords]

Thanks for the response guys. I had pretty much deduced the same thing. Will aim to cut depth ever so slightly and remain tighter at the bottom.

Thanks.

[Carlos Daniel]

There's a tiny bit of forward wobble on the bottom, but I don't think you should pay much attention to it. I think your squats look fine.

[Gunnhild Bruno]

It seems like you're well below parallel--like 3 inches on occasion.

I don't see this. 3 inches below parallel is a lot. He is maybe an inch too low on occasion. That and the forward knee slide that happens sometimes are probably just indications that he needs to concentrate on staying tight on every rep. Other than that, from what I can see in the videos, those squats look good.

FYI, even a slight slide forward at the bottom can affect the knees. So concentrate on staying tight. If I let myself get a little loose and slide forward, I feel it in my knees right away.

[Jords]

Thanks Carlos and spar. Staying tight and knees out is what I will really be focusing on come Friday. Cheers.