Form check Squats & Deadlifts

[AaronMell]

Please take a look at these videos and tell me what you think. The Deadlift video cuts short after 3 reps, wife got a phone call in the middle of it.

I'm aware that I got stuck in the first rep squatting. Hasn't happened in the past, and I am not sure if it was just jitters of being recorded.

Squat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTk04lsofQQ

Deadlift
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfXVb6p7FqE

[the dio]

You doing high bar squats on purpose?

You're not going deep enough, regardless.

[AaronMell]

Yes, for the time being, I am working through some flexibility issues, but my goal is to transition into low bar squats eventually. It looks to me like the last two reps were parallel, but the first 3 were not.

[the dio]

You want to go below parallel.

[AaronMell]

I realize that you need to go as low as possible, but I also realize that you also need to keep from rounding your lower back. I doubt that I have the flexibility required to go lower without my back rounding significantly.

Anyone have any critiques on the deadlift?

[blowdpanis]

I realize that you need to go as low as possible, but I also realize that you also need to keep from rounding your lower back. I doubt that I have the flexibility required to go lower without my back rounding significantly.

Anyone have any critiques on the deadlift?

You are shoving your hips back bizarrely at the top of the squat. Stop doing that.

Read this post:

http://startingstrength.com/resource...022#post271022

In terms of the deadlift, you don't really have that sequence right, either.

1) Set your stance, with the bar over the middle of your foot. Not the middle of the foot from what you see, but the actual middle of the foot. This may be hard to verify yourself - have somebody tell you if the bar bisects your foot from the side. Take a snapshot in your brain of what that position looks like.

2) Bend over and take your grip, without lowering your hips. The bar should stay in place, still over the middle of your foot.

3) Push the shins forward into the bar, without pushing the bar forward. Again, the bar should still be over the middle of the foot.

4) Lastly, and most importantly, think about squeezing your chest all the way up, NOT lowering your hips, while keeping the bar in place. It should feel challenging to do this, and you should feel very "tight." Take a deep breath in this position (and, one more time, the bar should STILL be over the middle of your foot), and simply pull the bar up while maintaining contact with your legs.

5) Repeat the above instructions for every rep.

Much like the squat, if your baseline setup is off, your form is going to be off, so you need to standardize the setup, i.e. go back to baseline.

[AaronMell]

Thanks for the advice. I broke out the broomstick and the book and took a look at the chapter on squatting. I see exactly what you mean about your setup needs to be correct. I notice that my form looked a lot better when my setup was better. It made me realize that my form was much worse than I realized, and digesting the book is going to go a long way towards improving.

I didn't have a way to practice the setup on the deadlift since I don't have a home gym, but I will be sure to work on my setup when I do them at the gym tomorrow night.