Squat Form Check: Depth and Tightness

[TheChubbyViking]

Age: 23
BW: 225
Sleep: 7-8 hours
Calories: 3,500 (working on it!)

I know the weight on the bar is less than it should be. During my week of training at SS Atlanta, Adam Martin had me do a pretty substantial reset, just so I can get a good run-up as I restart the NLP.

That being said, I am struggling with the bottom position of my squat. When I go to what I believe Rip defines as parallel, it seems like my spinal erectors relax at the bottom, and I struggle to drive out of the hole. I also deal with lower back pain for a day or so after training [injury history: I fractured a lumbar vertebrae when I was 6 but that healed. At age 19 I blew out my back from improper lifting technique pre-SS, and all 5 of my lumbar discs were bulging. I have recovered from that as much as I ever will].

Here is a video of my third workset from friday's lift: 190x5

1. Am I going too deep, or is that just right? I think it's correct depth, but I would be thrilled to know I could go shallower.
2. Does it look like my spinal erectors are relaxing too much at the bottom?
3. Any other tips for driving out of the hole?

Here is my second warm-up set, in which I go about 1 inch less deep: 45x5 in case this is the preferred depth.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Your depth is good, and your low-back is not relaxing excessively at the bottom. But you're trying to raise your chest instead of staying in the hips all the way up. I don't know it that is sufficient to cause the pain, but it's the only thing I see to correct.

[TheChubbyViking]

Rip, thank you for your feedback. Being told that there is only one (quite fixable) issue with my squat is genuinely the highlight of my day. During tonight's session I focused on emphasizing hip drive and it helped. I appreciate your insight, as always!