Squat check--low back pain

[Abolst]

Squat Check 225 - YouTube

Been having minor soreness in my lower back the last two weeks of squatting.

Recovery has not been optimal but I suspect my problem is form related. If not I will re double my efforts.

Please let me know if there's an obvious issue with my squat. Thanks!

[Dalton Clark]

This occurred with me the first time that I got around that weight. I looked at your video and (while I am not a coach) it doesn't really look bad at all. Watch where your eyes are, look more down. Focus just a touch more on your lower back tightness and push your hips back further. Get your hands more on top of the bar (your wrists are extended, not straight), and lower your elbows a bit. Back soreness can feel a bit strange but if it is a dull ache it is likely not an issue.

[Jeff Illingworth]

A better video would help a lot. That being said, you are too vetical, your knees travel too far firward, and you need to look further down. Remember, your knees stop at or just a little bit in front of your toes and they get there by the time you are halfway down. Break from the hips and knees at the same time at the start and get your chest pointed at the ground.

[Abolst]

Thank you for the responses. I'll give your tips a shot on Monday and post the results.

[AndrewLewis]

I can't tell what you're thinking, but you don't seem to be trying to extend your back at all. It may not be a huge issue; your pelvis isn't rotating much. The minor soreness might just be "Deal with it. Squats make you sore."

Other than that,
1) Get your knees to their final horizontal position earlier (knees should be in their final position about halfway down). Think "knee forward earlier, then sit ass back"
2) Keep your knees pushed out hard. They're caving in. Think "knees out" after you rebound out of the bottom.
3) Slow down into the descent a little, and then rebound out faster.
4) Buy squat shoes and a non-tapered belt.

Your knees aren't too far forward. Do 1-4, learn how to control your back, and you'll be fine. Don't try to fix all this shit at once. Start with number 1 and keep video taping your sets. Once that's solid, move to number 2, etc. Buy shoes and a belt immediately though.

Eat peanut butter and drink your milk. You're thin.

[Abolst]

Thanks for the feedback. What you said makes a lot of sense.

What do you mean about extending my back? Are you referring to my lower back?

In the video I posted I'm focused on trying to keep a neutral back without going into flexion and having mixed results rep to rep. In general it has been easy for me to hyper extend it but that's improved dramatically after I refrained it more neutral.

[l33sco]

Thanks for the feedback. What you said makes a lot of sense.

What do you mean about extending my back? Are you referring to my lower back?

In the video I posted I'm focused on trying to keep a neutral back without going into flexion and having mixed results rep to rep. In general it has been easy for me to hyper extend it but that's improved dramatically after I refrained it more neutral.

This video really hammered home for me the meaning of keeping tight in the low back, I had been doing it very wrong! Not saying you are but perhaps it's worth a watch, especially if you sit at a desk a lot...

Lower Back Position Control

[AndrewLewis]

In the video I posted I'm focused on trying to keep a neutral back without going into flexion and having mixed results rep to rep. In general it has been easy for me to hyper extend it but that's improved dramatically after I refrained it more neutral.

Just keep doing what you're doing then. That's fine. Fix the other stuff though.

[Abolst]

230 Squat Check - YouTube

My attempts to set the knees earlier and keep them from caving in. I did notice that Im on my heels a lot, which I'm trying to correct, and I'm trying to keep the bar in the groove more.

I got up to a 260 DL before my squats started getting "heavy". After I moved past squatting about 190 my other lifts started to suffer due to my low back feeling weak. When I attempted DLing today I stopped after pulling 265 for one as I felt like I was asking for a strain if I grinded out my reps.

[Jeff Illingworth]

It was kind of hard to watch the first part of that video. I appreciate the effort to get different angles of your squat, but it's easier to check form from a video if you just have a whole set at a given angle as opposed to having someone run around with the camera.

Watching the second half of the video, see how your wrists are slipped under the bar and how you keep lifting your head a bit? That's a sign that you don't have the bar fixed to your upper back correctly and that you could use some work on fixing your thoracic extension (read the article on here about it). You're also squatting into your knees as opposed to getting any hip drive. While you need to break at the hips and knees simultaneously at the beginning, you need to start pushing your hips back by bending over from the hip as you descend. Your knees should stop moving forward by the time you're halfway down (which they are not doing). Your knees should then stay at that position until you're about halfway back up.

I would suggest trying a different belt and you really would benefit from a pair of lifting shoes. As far as your head moving, try squatting without the hat a few times. I think that the brim may actually be making you think you're looking down more than you are.