Form Check - Squats Only

[mstrofbass]

I hope this is as much fun for you guys as you want it to be. Also, I just spent an hour and half trying to figure out how the fuck to make iMovie export my shortened clips, so you fuckers better appreciate it. Next time I'll cut off more at the beginning, just didn't know if someone would want to see the setup. Some "brief" training history and background:

I quit squatting for a while (like two years) after developing some horrible patellar tendinitis until I realized the best way to cure chronic tendinitis is to force it to heal (thanks TBone). When I started back, I started with overhead squats with the bar, eventually switched to high bar squats, got those up over 200 lbs. (this was with doing five lbs. jumps only), and then switched back to low bar squats. I managed to get up to 225 lbs. eating like shit, getting little sleep, and lots of stress. Then I decided to take a break until after the bar exam, and continued taking a break from the gym for 2.5 months until I couldn't resist anymore.

Additionally, a year and a half or so ago, I sat in a chair for a semester that was slightly higher on the left. This really aggravated some back problems that had disappeared since I started working out. A month or so ago I went to a chiro and got x-rays. My lower back is something like 11 degrees off from vertical due to a left leg that's 6mm shorter than the right, and an angled sacroiliac joint or something like. The prescription is a 9mm lift for now, moving up to a 12 mm lift soon. This should raise my left hip enough (making it higher on the left side) to make my spine almost straight. He says this problem is likely permanent, and can't say that the chair exacerbated the issue. We'll see. I also have spondylolisthesis of the very bottom vertebrae, likely caused by a pars defect down there. He said he'd normally warn people with this away from deadlifts...but considering I've pulled 405 for reps, he wasn't going to say anything.

You'll notice I'm in my minimal, almost flat shoes (4mm drop). The heel lift in my unmodified Do-Wins is way too much for my left leg, so I'm sticking with these at least until I can get my lifting shoes modified. I'm wearing my belt at a weight I normally wouldn't just for extra protection since I'm having the above issues. It also really helps me maintain back extension, I think.

I don't see any major issues with these, except rep two is a bit loose. My patellas were a little achy (both) after this set. I'm not sure how the way the camera is angled up a little would distort the perspective, but it looks like depths was great on all of reps, even if not completely consistent.



First rep was a bit high.



I was particularly interested in this view to see if my hips were doing anything funny due to my leg length difference/tilted pelvis. I also widened my stance a little bit from the prior sets (probably a couple inches wider). I tend to use a more narrow stance because it feels more comfortable and natural when I'm standing up, but this really feels much tighter and more controlled when I'm actually in the hole. Depth looks good, but the perspective is again pretty weird. I'm judging by the fact that the highest point of my quads looks like it's about at the top of my knee, which, by definition, would mean I was below parallel. The bar was sliding down a bit more than usual. I didn't have a problem the prior two sets, so I didn't think I would on this one.

My hips DO have some weird action. It looks like they they travel to the right a little bit. I'm not sure what causes that...if it's just a slight muscle imbalance (a previous chiro said one glute fires before the other) or because of my back, my leg, or my lift. Thoughts?

[mstrofbass]

Watching my ass eat my shorts is really annoying.

And next time I'll get a 45 degree angle...I just really love that rack, and yet the uprights blocks the 45 degree angle. I'll just do it outside the rack next time.

[The Emancipated Freak]

Butt wink.

[hamburgerfan]

Tl;dr

[mstrofbass]

Tl;dr

That's why there are videos!

[hamburgerfan]

Winking butts aside, they look alright. I guess.

[mstrofbass]

Winking butts aside, they look alright. I guess.

Is that disappointing? Have you been waiting forever in hopes I would post a form check and they'd be utterly atrocious and you could make fun of me to no end?

[hamburgerfan]

Is that disappointing? Have you been waiting forever in hopes I would post a form check and they'd be utterly atrocious and you could make fun of me to no end?

Your shoes are gay though.

[mstrofbass]

Your shoes are gay though.

I love them.

[Tamara Reynolds]

If you were just a random person posting and I saw these videos, I would say "Good job. Add weight to the bar."

Since it's you, I'm going to say, "Please burn those fucking shorts right now."