Deteriorating squat form when increasing weight

[jimmy9pints]

Well if the least you can go up each workout is 10 lbs then I WOULD suggest "microloading" and adding only 5 lbs per workout (though in my knowledge, microloading really only refers to adding 2.5 lbs or less per workout).

Also a good cue for you may be "chest up"...I tended to lean forward until I consciously thought chest up the whole time going down and coming back up. Take a biiiig breath at the top and hold it there your whole squat, you should feel it in your abs.

This makes sense. Great advice. Thanks
I think as I was looking down (about 5ft in front) I may have also been drawing my chest down - rather than up.

BTW, Do you ever find the pressure of that deep breath gets too much? I sometimes get a painful ache in my neck (near the throat glands) which I think is related to pressure. It doesn't occur if I breath out on the way up.

[Ian Kovtunovich]

I've had some discomfort with the Valsalva maneuver. I found it's a bit better if I really focus on getting that pressure in the abdomen. I don't know if anything different really happens physiologically, but it feels different. I have noticed that I frequently blow small blood vessels in my neck and face. I wonder if that's normal?

[jimmy9pints]

Got my 1.25kg plates today - will take them along to the gym tomorrow, deload and see how I go.

cheers