TUBOW Squat Check

[Eric Schexnayder]

Hello SSCs,

Would you please review my attempt at squats using a few terribly useful blocks of wood?

TUBOW Squat - 220 lbs

I felt these in my low back far more than I ever have on a squat. I am not sure if that means I am doing something right or something wrong.

Thank you for your time.

[Adam Skillin]

Hello SSCs,

Would you please review my attempt at squats using a few terribly useful blocks of wood?

TUBOW Squat - 220 lbs

I felt these in my low back far more than I ever have on a squat. I am not sure if that means I am doing something right or something wrong.

Thank you for your time.

You're still initiating the descent with your hips ahead of your knees and touching the TUBOW later in the descent than you should be. It's possible that you're squatting with your knees too forward and your torso too vertical the rest of the time. Feeling these in your back may mean you're actually creating the conditions to shift as much load as possible onto your hips (since this creates a more horizontal back angle), a feature as opposed to a bug of the squat model advocated here. Keep working on breaking at the knees and hips together. Touch the TUBOW ASAP.

[Eric Schexnayder]

Thanks for the quick feedback Adam. So it sounds like my back, hip, and knee angles are probably good at the bottom, but I need to get the knees out sooner.

Is the timing of establishing my back angle correct? It seems like I establish that pretty early on and then keep it constant, but then complete the squat using both the knees and the hips, rather than just the hips. Am I understanding that correctly or am I way off?

[Adam Levine]

Thank you.

I also use TUBOW, and the advice to try and hit it soon is good to know. I've just been using it to make sure my knees aren't caving - if I catch my knees tracking inside TUBOW, I know I screwed up the rep.

-->Adam

[Adam Skillin]

Thanks for the quick feedback Adam. So it sounds like my back, hip, and knee angles are probably good at the bottom, but I need to get the knees out sooner.

Is the timing of establishing my back angle correct? It seems like I establish that pretty early on and then keep it constant, but then complete the squat using both the knees and the hips, rather than just the hips. Am I understanding that correctly or am I way off?

You're not way off. It's correct to get your knees out and hips back promptly in the descent and then maintain the back angle through the rest of the descent through the beginning of the ascent. Your knees are just getting to their spot less promptly than the model calls for. You're not far off, just get the knees to break with the hips and push them out to their spot stat.

Thank you.

I also use TUBOW, and the advice to try and hit it soon is good to know. I've just been using it to make sure my knees aren't caving - if I catch my knees tracking inside TUBOW, I know I screwed up the rep.

-->Adam

It can be helpful for that as well. It is, after all, a terribly useful block of wood.

[Eric Schexnayder]

Okay, here's today's last set. I tried to focus on getting the knees out to the TUBOW right away and bending over just enough to stay balanced as the knees move.

TUBOW Squat - 225 lbs

[Adam Skillin]

Okay, here's today's last set. I tried to focus on getting the knees out to the TUBOW right away and bending over just enough to stay balanced as the knees move.

TUBOW Squat - 225 lbs

You're starting the descent out slow, touching the block, then divebombing these. Maintain control of the descent.