Reply With QuoteI haven't gotten any replies yet, so I'll be humble and assume that either nobody had the time or that my form is just that fucking terrible. If it's the latter, tell me to lock myself up in my room and read the book again, and I will.
Thanks again.
Member
M / 23 / 5'3 / 148lbs, squat, bench and deadlift
(I include the bar's in every number here. Also, annoying gym music warning, because my editing software screws up the quality for some reason so I sticked with the audio.)
Give me the the most harshest constructive criticism you can up with, please. I'm here not to screw up, not avoid getting yelled at.
Squat - 70kg / 154lbs
Feels like I should try bending over a little bit more. Also, are my knees okay when I go up? I don't know the right word, but something about it feels off. My knees feel okay and I only noticed it when I looked at the recording. I've also started taking a bit more time to unrack the weight in order to make sure it is steady at the beginning.
Bench - 47.5kg / 104.5lbs
Not sure if there's anything to comment about this. I hope the angle is good.
Deadlift - 80kg / 176lbs
Now this one I'm not too proud of. My fingers slipped and I'll need to do something about it, should prolly get some chalk. Also, for some reason I raised my feet on the second rep.
Thanks for your time.
Member
I haven't gotten any replies yet, so I'll be humble and assume that either nobody had the time or that my form is just that fucking terrible. If it's the latter, tell me to lock myself up in my room and read the book again, and I will.
Thanks again.
Starting Strength Coach
I'll just take the squat for now. The good thing is that you are holding extension well and are driving with your hips. These are some of the most common issues we deal with.
The major problems arise before you even start the descent. Specifically:
(1) You're not standing upright before each lift...your knees are bent and you are bent over a little. Your knees should be locked and you should be standing upright before each rep begins. Force yourself to stand straight up.
(2) Your stance is way too wide. Bring it in a few inches.
(3) You're unlocking your hips before your knees. You see that little hip kick you give before each rep? That's causing your hips to get an early jump on your knees, and it will cause form problems especially as you go up in weight. To fix it, unlock the hips and knees at the same time, and do it in a controlled manner. You may want to do a very slow unlock until you get the hang of it (that helped me with the same issue). Remember...we're tight all the way from start to finish on the lifts.
✓ Member
Squat: Your bar position looks too high, and your stance is too wide. Drop your elbows a little bit, and straighten your wrists out. More appropriate shoes would help.
Bench: Get tighter. Dig in with your heels and try to slide yourself off the top of the bench.
Deadlift: You lose a little bit of extension in your back as you begin to pull. Work on keeping that. Finish the rep at the top. Get some chalk. When you set the bar down you're having to go around your knees. Unlock hips first then knees as you set it down. More appropriate shoes would help your deadlift as well.
Member
Thanks for the feedback.
The bar position doesn't just look, it really is too high. I've put it above the spine of the scapula rather than below. Will also solve the issue with my wrists/elbows/stance. I'm taking the bench/deadlift comment to heart, too.
One last thing: should I lower the weight in any of the exercises? Asking from a safety perspective.
✓ Member
I wouldn't. If you make adjustments and find that you don't have the same strength in new positions, you can back off a bit. Otherwise make adjustments as you make progress.
Member
Agree with 2 and 3.Originally Posted by Brodie Butland
1 is not needed or even not the goal. In a LBBS, you cant and shouldnt perfectly extend your knees and hips at the start position due to the combined center of gravity.
✓ Member
Locking your knees is necessary. It marks, in essence, the beginning and end of a squat rep. In fact, it is also required in competition for this very reason. It is also much more difficult to get the rest of the kinetic chain set if the knees are not locked.
Starting Strength Coach
I guess it's a good thing I didn't say "perfectly extend" anything...candidly, I don't even know what that means. Instead I said to lock knees and stand upright. It's a cue that I'm using to obtain a proper starting squat position.
The COM issue in a lifter-barbell system is amply covered in The Book and is entirely consistent with what I'm cueing, and so I'd refer OP to that if there are any questions.
Member
Squat: Identifying and Correcting Thoracic Spinal Flexion in the Squat | Bill Hannon, The Elbow Problem | Jordan Feigenbaum read these
get more bent over early. Focus on pushing through the middle of your foot the whole time. fixing the back should make you more comfortable bending over more and getting more in the hips. the goal is to have a more closed hip and a more open knee.
Bench: There's a lot here. I would reread the chapter on the bench press if you have The Book. I'd say see a SSC if you can even just for one session or sign up for some training at SSOC. To summarize: You are not tight at all. you need to pull you shoulders back and down, activate the lats by trying to bend the bar to your chest, pull your chest up to meet the bar as you come down, and reinforce this tightness by pushing your ass toward your shoulderblades with your feet braced on the ground. Try pushing your but totally off the bench with your legs, then bringing it down till it just barely touches the bench, and leaving it there in tension.
Deadlift: Chest up harder, stand up all the way at lockout, don't forget the valsalva, and squeeze the bar off the ground.
Posting Permissions