[Form Check] Squat, 3x5

[kanethecitizen]

Male, 23yo
6' / 215lbs

2.5 years of lifting experience. Now on a modified Texas Method program.

Here I am squatting 370lbs for 3x5 on Monday. Current 5rm is somewhere around 400lbs, for reference.

Set 1 YouTube
Set 2 YouTube
Set 3 YouTube

No complaints to speak of; I just want to make sure my form is dialed in. Any constructive feedback is appreciated.

Thank you everyone for providing such a useful community and resource.

Cheers.

[BBB]

Based on that knee valgus, I'd say your stance is a bit too wide. Besides that, any suggestions I'd make would be nit-picky.

[kanethecitizen]

Based on that knee valgus, I'd say your stance is a bit too wide.

You think so? Going narrower I feel like I'm losing tightness at the bottom. I'll try narrowing it up a touch on Friday. If the slight valgus doesn't cause pain or any discomfort, is it a problem?

For reference, here's my top set last Friday, 410lbs x 3
YouTube (please excuse the futzing around and grunting - it was a long work day and I was trying to psych up )

[BBB]

You think so? Going narrower I feel like I'm losing tightness at the bottom. I'll try narrowing it up a touch on Friday. If the slight valgus doesn't cause pain or any discomfort, is it a problem?

For reference, here's my top set last Friday, 410lbs x 3
YouTube (please excuse the futzing around and grunting - it was a long work day and I was trying to psych up )

How about just pointing your toes in just slightly if you can't go narrower? It's really hard to judge from a single angle, but they're definitely spinning/caving slightly. Check out your second rep.

Good question about whether it's a problem if it doesn't hurt. I'd say maybe, but I'm not an authority. If your knees just came in with the tibia staying vertical (i.e. just making up for the wide-stance) I'd think it's not a problem, but they come in and proceed to cave. The caving is really minor TBH, mostly your legs just want to get into proper alignment but the wide stance isn't allowing it.

I don't see many raw lifters who actually walk the weight out of the rack use that style (width) stance.

[kanethecitizen]

Here's my Friday workout, with a slightly narrower squat stance. My workout was 375x5 plus 415x3.

Last rep at 415 was rough, I'm not sure whether it was the stance, long work day, poor sleep, or some combination of all those.

375x5 YouTube
415x3 YouTube

[BBB]

Here's my Friday workout, with a slightly narrower squat stance. My workout was 375x5 plus 415x3.

Last rep at 415 was rough, I'm not sure whether it was the stance, long work day, poor sleep, or some combination of all those.

375x5 YouTube
415x3 YouTube

First rep of 375 looked good. The angle of 415 made it so I couldn't see, but changing anything and then attempted maxes will always make things difficult.

Indulge me, do the following:
Pretend you're about to do a jump shot. Take a running start and jump up to the rim. Except right as you bend your knees to jump, STOP. Whatever width your feet are at and however the toes are pointing, that's the stance you should assume in your squat. Then warm up to 315 for example and do that 315 with the same stance. Record it and make a not of how it feels. Do a few reps just to see how your form changes.

Only you'll know what feels right, but maybe this experiment will bear fruit.

By the way, unrelated question. If you're doing TM, why are you only doing 3x5 on a Monday? That's volume day, you should be doing 5x5.

[Satch12879]

That's volume day, you should be doing 5x5.

Not always.

[kanethecitizen]

First rep of 375 looked good. The angle of 415 made it so I couldn't see, but changing anything and then attempted maxes will always make things difficult.

Indulge me, do the following:
Pretend you're about to do a jump shot. Take a running start and jump up to the rim. Except right as you bend your knees to jump, STOP. Whatever width your feet are at and however the toes are pointing, that's the stance you should assume in your squat. Then warm up to 315 for example and do that 315 with the same stance. Record it and make a not of how it feels. Do a few reps just to see how your form changes.

I'll give that a try, but that stance just feels way too narrow for when I'm actually under the bar. Also, on Saturday after the Friday workout my patellar tendons were aching and inflamed again, which is a problem I haven't had in a long time.

By the way, unrelated question. If you're doing TM, why are you only doing 3x5 on a Monday? That's volume day, you should be doing 5x5.

I've done 5x5 on volume day, but it was just too much. My program is based on percentages of a weekly max, in this 4 week block that max is a set of 1-3 reps on Friday. So last week was:
Mon 3x5 @90% = 370

Wed 1x1 @90% = 375, 3x5 @70% = 290
Fri 1x5 @90% = 375, 1x3 @100% = 415
Mon 3x5 @90% = 375

So basically the whole week is just prepping for 3x5 with five more pounds on the Monday of the next week.

When I said Texas method, I probably should have said MLH I guess.

[SocalledStrength]

Here's my Friday workout, with a slightly narrower squat stance. My workout was 375x5 plus 415x3.

Last rep at 415 was rough, I'm not sure whether it was the stance, long work day, poor sleep, or some combination of all those.

375x5 YouTube
415x3 YouTube

My thoughts: Lifting shoes required, you are not flat on your feet so that would help. Also not sure your feet are at the same angle(seems on the video that the right one is turned out more. on that 375 video your left shin seems to be on an angle vertically inwards already on the way down which hints 1. of a too wide stance and/or 2. wrong feet angle. YOU HAVE TO KEEP THE KNEES OVER THE FOOT. HAVE TO.

[kanethecitizen]

My thoughts: Lifting shoes required, you are not flat on your feet so that would help.

I'm not sure what you mean by not flat on my feet...the weight of the bar is definitely over midfoot.

Also not sure your feet are at the same angle(seems on the video that the right one is turned out more. on that 375 video your left shin seems to be on an angle vertically inwards already on the way down which hints 1. of a too wide stance and/or 2. wrong feet angle. YOU HAVE TO KEEP THE KNEES OVER THE FOOT. HAVE TO.

You might be right about the foot angle...I'll pay attention to it the next time I squat. I think that I'm probably not turning the left foot out enough.