Squats and Deadlifts

[Dillon Spencer]

Sorry if I'm committing an egregious forum foul for posting this again. I originally posted it a couple of days ago as a follow-up to my original squat check thread, but I'm not sure if people noticed it there. Either that or they did and nobody feels like helping a brother out! Given that everyone usually seems pretty eager to lend a hand, I'm assuming the former and making it a new thread to hopefully get some feedback before I head to the gym tonight. If it's the latter, feel free to disregard and/or delete if I'm out of line. Original post was:

Alright so I hope everyone is still in a helpful mood. After my unpleasant first squat session with 285 I took a lighter session to try and work on everyone's suggestions, and today I took stef's recommendation to keep the weight on and do fewer reps per set. Today was 5x3 with 285. I was really focusing on getting more of an explosive bounce out of the hole, with what felt like some success. I also tried to break at the knees and hips more simultaneously, and I think from the side view it looks like my knees were set earlier. Yes, I'm still squatting barefoot for the time being.

I took video of all 5 sets. First three from the back quarter, fourth from behind, fifth from the side once the rack beside me opened up.



BONUS: If anyone's feeling extra helpful, I took video of my deadlifts at 320 as well. It's the first time I've seen video of myself deadlifting, and I wasn't too thrilled with what I saw. My biggest concern is how rounded my back seems. I'm somewhat kyphotic, and I've always thought my arms are a bit short for my height, so I struggle to get that nice flat back that I see so many other people deadlifting with even after I squeeze my chest up as far as I can. I've never been too worried about it as long as it feels set in the same position the whole time, but it's making it hard for me to tell if my lower back is set properly. It also looks like I'm extending my knees early causing the bar to drift away from my body a bit, especially on the last rep. The knees and the drift I think I can probably fix now that I'm aware of it, but is there anything I can do to achieve a flatter back despite the kyphosis and how concerned about it should I be?

YouTube

Thanks!

[JD Keip]

Overall really good, in my estimation. A few squats were arguably a smidge high.

When you re-rack the bar though, just walk into the uprights. Then you'll know you're over the hooks. Don't look around with a heavy bar on your back -- nobody moved the rack on you while you were squatting.

[JD Keip]

On the deadlifts, notice that your shins are vertical before the pull, especially after the first rep. Keep the knees forward, drag the bar up your legs/push your feet through the floor. Stand up all the way at the top, proud chest. I think you can do that better despite kyphosis.

You might need someone to yell CHEST UP HARD to get flatter. Try a rack pull... do you have 3" mats to elevate the bar a bit to see if you can complete extension in that setup?

You're right though, I'm not seeing additional rounding throughout the lift, so less worrisome.

[Jstrause]

Focus on pulling the slack out of the bar and setting your back first. Then imagine leg pressing the floor to get the bar moving. I met with Adam Skillen about a year ago and he really emphasized this and I feel it helped me a great deal.

[Dillon Spencer]

Thanks a lot guys! I didn't get video this time, but I felt like I did a better job of keeping the bar against my shins during yesterday's deadlifts. I did a full reset between each rep which I think is helpful for me. I tried focusing on that leg press cue and I think it helped. I'll try elevating my deadlift for a session or two to see if that helps with extension. It's not something I want to have to do longterm, but I'm curious to see how much difference it makes in the quality of my setup. I noticed myself looking for the uprights in the videos too. It's a bad habit I picked up after walking a hand right into the hook a couple of times. I've managed to narrow my grip since, but I still worry about it subconsciously I guess.

Thanks again!

[Mark Rippetoe]

Squats: Is my back angle too high?

Look at his bar speed. Amazing, isn't it. I see no other problems. Deadlifts: Get some weightlifting shoes.

[Dillon Spencer]

Thanks Rip! I've noticed that I tend to hit a sticking point half way up, but nobody has ever called me on my back angle so I didn't think that was an issue. Wish I'd read this before my squats today, but I'll work on it next time! And you're like the sixth person to tell me to get shoes in about three weeks. I'm working on it!