Squat - Form check for powerlifting meet

[dibernst]

I am a late novice lifter and I'm training for my first powerlifting meet at the end of October. Could someone let me know if my squats are deep enough to count? The federation running the meet is APA. Other form critiques are of course welcomed too, but what I am most interested in the depth question:

Video can be found here: YouTube

Thanks!

[Brian Sloan]

Welcome! It's very difficult to judge depth from this camera angle. You can get a tripod off amazon at a cheap price, and you'll want to film at hip height from a 45 degree angle behind you. From what I can see, you're either right at parallel or very slightly below it, so it'd be up to the judges; I'd prefer an extra inch. Aside from the depth, your torso is far to vertical, and you're losing hip drive as a result. You have to point your nipples to the floor and bend over more.

[dibernst]

Thank you for the tips! I have ordered a tripod stand now.

[JD Keip]

Thank you for the tips! I have ordered a tripod stand now.

I recommend a Gorillapod instead. You can attach it to something vertical and conveniently nearby. You can create a convenient vertical thing at the exact location you want by placing a 45 and another thick plate on the floor, then sticking a bar through them. It's probably better to use a lighter technique bar for this.

[Archidel]

Hey man! Good for you on signing up for your first meet! It's a fun time.

Notes on form:
Like others said, depth is hard to judge for sure due to the angle.

You are bending your knees way too much, and initiating the movement by bending your knees. You need to sit back and lean over a lot more on the way down.
Do you notice how every time you stand up out of the bottom, you shoot your hips back and lean over more? That is you correcting to a more powerful hip drive driven position. That is the position you want to already have established on the way down too. Hope that helps.

Lastly, your hand position on the bar is weird. Your wrists are bent and your hands are on top of the bar. You want to straighten your wrist out and try having the bar rest lower on the heel of your palm. You can find videos on the youtube channel to clarify this.

Fix those things and you'll be set!