starting strength gym
Results 1 to 5 of 5

Thread: Squat check

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Phoenix, AZ
    Posts
    305

    Default Squat check

    • starting strength seminar april 2024
    • starting strength seminar jume 2024
    • starting strength seminar august 2024
    It's been about 3 weeks since my last form check where my issue was not having any hip drive and not going deep enough because of too much knee bend. I did my best to follow the "keeping shins vertical" advice and since then I have also seen a SSC in person (he actually barely adjusted anything since I applied your tips).

    I've put on 40LB on to my squat since the last critique 3 weeks ago. It's good to be a novice

    Any further advice? These were the last set of 5 and the last one was a bit of a grinder.

    August 15, 2017(1) - YouTube

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Posts
    10,378

    Default

    Eine kleine Nachtmusik is one of my favorite Mozart pieces. Mozart is a little light for me, but it is hard not to get that opening line stuck in your head. I am more of a fan of the romantic era composers. Beethoven, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, and Saint-Saëns are my homies. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is probably the best piece of music a human being has ever written. I get misty listening to it. Christopher Hogwood conducting the Academy of Ancient Music has a set of CDs where they run through all of the Beethoven symphonies. Rawkin. That's all there is to it. Their rendition of Symphony No.9 is fucking transcendent. Even if you are not into classical music, you should probably own those discs.

    Ahhh... Squats... Yes...

    Not bad, but you need shoes. I probably yell at you about that every time you post. At the top, you are in mild flexion. Your upper back is round and your lower back is a little, too. I would like to see you drop your elbows and stand up a little straighter. On the whole, your squats are not bad except for number five, which went to hell and is essentially the logical outcome of a tendency you have on all of these — your knees are going a little too far forward. When it got hard, you went even further forward and got on to your toes.

    Here is what I think you should do: get shoes, stand up straighter at the top, and work to stay off your toes. Think "heels." This may keep your knees back a little at the bottom.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Phoenix, AZ
    Posts
    305

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Campitelli View Post
    Eine kleine Nachtmusik is one of my favorite Mozart pieces. Mozart is a little light for me, but it is hard not to get that opening line stuck in your head. I am more of a fan of the romantic era composers. Beethoven, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, and Saint-Saëns are my homies. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is probably the best piece of music a human being has ever written. I get misty listening to it. Christopher Hogwood conducting the Academy of Ancient Music has a set of CDs where they run through all of the Beethoven symphonies. Rawkin. That's all there is to it. Their rendition of Symphony No.9 is fucking transcendent. Even if you are not into classical music, you should probably own those discs.

    Ahhh... Squats... Yes...

    Not bad, but you need shoes. I probably yell at you about that every time you post. At the top, you are in mild flexion. Your upper back is round and your lower back is a little, too. I would like to see you drop your elbows and stand up a little straighter. On the whole, your squats are not bad except for number five, which went to hell and is essentially the logical outcome of a tendency you have on all of these — your knees are going a little too far forward. When it got hard, you went even further forward and got on to your toes.

    Here is what I think you should do: get shoes, stand up straighter at the top, and work to stay off your toes. Think "heels." This may keep your knees back a little at the bottom.
    Not enough people in our generations know anything about classical music. I don't really listen to it often and know most of what I know about it from playing piano during my youth. But every once in a while when I get sick of the usual garbage put out these days, I will switch to classical for a week and that cleanses my head. Beethoven #9 isn't one of my favorites, but I'm admittedly partial to the ones that are usually learned on the piano (moonlight sonata,fur elise,etc). One of my favorites is Chopin's Fantaisie Impromptu.

    I bought shoes last week (adipower) and actually just squatted in them for the first time ! I didn't notice too much difference other than it has become alot easier to go low (at first I even went too low on warm ups). A welcome phenomenon.

    I shift on my toes as a result of me cue'ing myself to drive my hips up out of the hole (from my original problem of not have hip drive). I'm doing my best to juggle driving my ass out of the bottom (versus my entire body or chest) but also not shifting my weight.

    I don't know what it is about me leaning forward at the top. I think it's from me really focusing on making my back horizontal enough during the descent. I dont know.

    I will continue working on all your recommendations. I'm at 275x5 now and I will try to make it to 300+ before bothering you again!

    Thanks again Tom

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Phoenix, AZ
    Posts
    305

    Default

    Well, I thought I was going to make it to 300 before bothering you but here I am. It seems like when I cut out the forward lean (flexion) at the top of my squat, I lose the ass back motion that leads to good hip drive. You can see in 2 or 3 of the reps, I am in flexion up top, remember to stand up straight, and correct that. But then I THINK the squat then suffers. The way I usually tell I'm missing the ass back motion is I struggle for depth. Many of these reps were right at the edge of below parallel, instead of being clearly below.

    August 23, 2017 - YouTube

    You see what I'm talking about or am I making this up in my head?

    (This is in the new shoes btw!)

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Posts
    10,378

    Default

    Many of my previous comments apply. You are also kind of crashing in to the bottom of the squat. This encourages more flexion and that shift to the toes that you struggle with.

    My recommendations: eat a few sandwiches, make sure your descent is smooth and that you do not accelerate near the bottom and lose tightness, and take a few pounds off the bar. Right now, the bar is bossing you around. Take 10 pounds off and get in better control. Keep your back arched. Get things in better control.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •