Dealing with a crooked squat

[JTT]

Hello coaches,

I know you guys have seen many squats and have the experience, and I'm in need of some guidance here. Thanks for reading my post, any input is much appreciated, thanks. I know the sticky says only ONE video, but I need to post three to put things into context. I hope that's OK.

So a quick background: I was sedentary between age 14-23, and it was extreme. I literally sat on a chair for years and probably gave myself a functional scoliosis in the process. I started squatting earlier this year and I had a huge asymmetry which has been with me since then.
So this is what my squat looked like when I started (NSFW):


It hurts watching that video, I know.



My form has gotten much better over time, but the asymmetry is still lingering around. I have increased my BW from 75kg to 92kg in the last 4 months, but right now I'm just getting fat and I'm in need of some professional advice on what to do next.

Anyway, some good news is that I've found a small "fix" which makes my squat less shifty. I watched my old videos and noticed a small, subtle detail. It looked like my body was twisting counter-clockwise and it threw me off-balance when I was driving up. So in the last weeks or so, I've started to corkscrew my torso/hips clock-wise before initiating each rep. I know it sounds stupid AF to twist your body before each rep but it makes the hip shift less pronounced, I think.

So this is how my squats looked in the last two sessions. As you can see, I'm rotating my body before each rep and the bar looks uneven, but there's less shifting left to right. If I don't do this twist, my hips sway much more. I honestly don't think I can get my squats to look any better than this without drastically lowering the weight and that won't make me stronger.

Rear view


Rear-oblique



I have no pain when I do my squats, but I don't know if this rotating of the torso is a good thing in the long run. Let me know what you think about my squats, and thank you so much for reading through this mess

[Tom Campitelli]

Firstly, congratulations on the progress you made. Seriously. That initial squat was ugly. Really, really ugly. However, you turned things around very nicely. Your shifting and twisting probably had much more to do with weakness than it did any kind of structural problem. Your squats now are symmetrical enough that I would not worry about anything. For real, the little deviations you exhibit are not problematic. In cases of asymmetry, my first cues are often to do the opposite. If you need to cue yourself to shift or twist in order to counter a shift or twist, that is fine. Good work. As for your squat, my only recommendation is to take a slightly wider stance (half inch or an inch), point your toes out a little more, and drive your knees out harder. That's it. Otherwise, go forth in sin. As for calories, you look worlds better than you did skinnier. If you feel it is time to pull things back a little on the dietary end, that is fine, too. Eat enough protein, adjust the rest to taste, and keep lifting. Nice work. You have done well.

[JTT]

Thank you Tom, very comforting to hear that my asymmetry is within tolerance now.

I started with a new cue recently and my squats are looking better each session now, which makes me very excited. I'm thinking about bringing my left shoulder forward and towards my right knee. A very specific cue but it totally works!

[Tom Campitelli]

This pleases me. Carry on and best of luck as you continue to get stronger.