Squat Form Check

[jasonparker300]

Hey,

I just started doing Starting Strength and wanted to get a form check for my squat. Sorry if the angle isn't ideal. Thanks!

YouTube

[Devyn Stewart]

I see a few things in your squat. The most glaring one is that you're off balance forward quite a bit. There are a few indicators, the first beings simply that the bar is lined up over the toes at the bottom of the squat and your heels come off the ground. I think this might be caused by a few things. It looks like you have a tough time setting your lower back into extension and keeping it there. Think of brining your coccyx to the middle of your back. This can be a difficult thing to learn for males like ourselves, especially those who have not done it before. Another possible issue is with your knees. It's difficult to tell from the angle (a front oblique angle might work better), but it appears as though your knees are not pushed out far enough. Your knees should track in line with your toes. If they don't, you can easily lose balance forward, turning your squat into a good morning when the weight is heavy enough. The last little thing I saw is with your line of sight. This seems small, but it can make a big difference. It looks like you're looking down a little too much. You want your eyes to focus on a point on the ground about 6 feet in front of you. It looks like it might be tough for you because you squat in front of a mirror, but I think you'll be able to manage if you just try to look a bit more up than you currently are. Still be sure to look down, not straight forward, but just down to a spot a bit more forward in your line of sight than you currently are.

Depth looks good. Elbows look good; your upper back is probably nice and tight. And it looks like you're learning the breathing quite nicely. Keep it up, dude!

[jasonparker300]

Thanks for the tips! I can definitely confirm that I was feeling a little off balance forward, and as you pointed out, I just noticed that my heels were indeed coming off the ground. I'm a little unclear about what you mean when you say to bring my coccyx to the middle of my back; can you elaborate, or do you have any other cues for that?

Yeah, it's definitely possible that I'm not pushing my knees out enough. I'll try to focus on that next time.

And yeah, I was looking down at a spot just a few feet in front of me. I'll try looking a bit more up/forward next time.

I'll hopefully be seeing a SS coach in the next month or so, but for now these tips are definitely helpful. Thanks again!

[Devyn Stewart]

Your lower back rounds ever so slightly at the bottom. You want to keep your lower back extended throughout the movement. This is a movement notoriously difficult to cue, especially over the internet. I'm glad that you're seeing a SS coach because he or she will surely be able to help you more than I will. In the the meantime, here's an article by Rip on the subject. Maybe reading it will help you figure out how to perform this movement yourself.

The Most Important Thing You Will Ever Learn About Lifting Weights | Mark Rippetoe

[jasonparker300]

Great, thanks for the article. I'm still in the process of reading the book (specifically, the squat chapter), so hopefully that will help too. I also just read somewhere else that I might be losing balance in the forward direction because I'm not keeping my chest up enough (which might also explain why my back is rounding a little bit). Thanks again.

[Devyn Stewart]

Yep, reading the squat chapter should help. I would be careful, though, with the "chest up" cue. Often times, thinking about raising your chest too much can ruin your hip drive. If you have yet to read the squat chapter, you are probably not familiar with this important concept, but it's basically what separates those who squat a lot vs those who don't. Here's a video that might help you to understand it (and is also a good video for learning how to squat in general):

YouTube

[jasonparker300]

Yeah, I'll definitely be careful with that cue - I was more so thinking that I need to keep my chest up as I drive my hips up (so that the squat doesn't turn into a good morning), not that I should lift my chest up first or anything like that. I actually have seen that video before, but I'll definitely watch it again and pay closer attention to what he says about keeping the chest 'up'.

[Devyn Stewart]

Good luck with that. I hope the meeting with the SSC goes well.

[jasonparker300]

Thanks again!