Form Check- Squat, Press, Barbell Rows

[Akshay]

Hi everyone,

I am two months into the program. My form has started suffering as I am increasing weights. Will really appreciate if I can get some feedback.

155lb Squat: YouTube

95lb Press: YouTube

145lb Rows: YouTube

Male 24, 176lbs, 185cm. First time doing strength training.

PS: I have bought lifting shoes yesterday. So they are not in this video. Also, eating lots to lift more.

[BBB]

Going to keep this short and sweet without getting too technical...

Squat: you're not going deep enough. Have slight knee slide at the bottom but most importantly it feels like you're timid and mentally you think this weight is hard. Convince yourself it's light. Tighten up and own it. Honestly, sounds dumb, but that confidence will help you lift better. Someone can further dissect it technically.

Press: you have a moment arm in your wrist which isn't good. Straighten them out. Feels like you're doing a little bounce/using body English. I'd recommend being more strict and nail down your form.

Rows: do you actually complete the rep? I don't see them touching your body. Additionally, how does your lower back feel? Lumbar spine seems like it's in flexion.

[Nikki Burman]

Hi Akshey,

Squat- these are all high, take the weight down to a weight you can hit depth with

Press- You need to review your wrist/elbow set up- YouTube
And keep your knees tight on rep 1, you had a knee bend. If you are going to press like that, I would recommend getting a breath in at the top of rep 1 and at the top as needed so you can use that rebound at the bottom more efficiently. You won't have to pause at the bottom if you breathe that way.

Rows- these also look a little heavy, but it would help if you squeezed your chest up harder. Just like a deadlift. Get all the slack out.

What kind of jumps are you making in your lifts? Yay for lifting shoes and more food! Lots more food The shoes will make a big difference. Keep it up!

[Akshay]

Going to keep this short and sweet without getting too technical...

Squat: you're not going deep enough. Have slight knee slide at the bottom but most importantly it feels like you're timid and mentally you think this weight is hard. Convince yourself it's light. Tighten up and own it. Honestly, sounds dumb, but that confidence will help you lift better. Someone can further dissect it technically.

Press: you have a moment arm in your wrist which isn't good. Straighten them out. Feels like you're doing a little bounce/using body English. I'd recommend being more strict and nail down your form.

Rows: do you actually complete the rep? I don't see them touching your body. Additionally, how does your lower back feel? Lumbar spine seems like it's in flexion.

BBB, Thanks for the feedback!

Squat: I think you are right I was not going deep enough. I just posted another video here: . Do you think this is good depth? Also, tried to work on the knee slide.

Press: Noted.

Rows: I did touch it, except on rep 4. No issues with lower back so far. My deadlift is 225 and my lower back hasn't complained about that too. However, I seem to have stalled in my DLs. Most likely a form issue.

[Akshay]

BBB, Thanks for the feedback!

Squat: I think you are right I was not going deep enough. I just posted another video here: . Do you think this is good depth? Also, tried to work on the knee slide.

Press: Noted.

Rows: I did touch it, except on rep 4. No issues with lower back so far. My deadlift is 225 and my lower back hasn't complained about that too. However, I seem to have stalled in my DLs. Most likely a form issue.

Sorry, forgot to paste the video link. Here: YouTube

[Akshay]

Hi Akshey,

Squat- these are all high, take the weight down to a weight you can hit depth with

Press- You need to review your wrist/elbow set up- YouTube
And keep your knees tight on rep 1, you had a knee bend. If you are going to press like that, I would recommend getting a breath in at the top of rep 1 and at the top as needed so you can use that rebound at the bottom more efficiently. You won't have to pause at the bottom if you breathe that way.

Rows- these also look a little heavy, but it would help if you squeezed your chest up harder. Just like a deadlift. Get all the slack out.

What kind of jumps are you making in your lifts? Yay for lifting shoes and more food! Lots more food The shoes will make a big difference. Keep it up!

Hi Nikki. Thanks so much for the feedback. Tried to work on your feedback today in my new lifting shoesss. Let me know how this looks: YouTube

I will try to keep my knees stiff and wrist straight for presses. Thanks for the video link.

Will work on my rows. I have stalled at this weight. (The bar won't touch my body on all reps with higher weight). I have also stalled on both of my presses. Think I need to eat more.

I started with no weight on squats and made 10 lbs jumps for about a month and 5 lbs after that. I realised that the bar was not placed correctly on my back. So I deloaded to 125 lbs and started working on that and I am at 165 lbs now with low bar squat. My movement with low bar is still a bit wobbly. I tried to explain this issue in a different post: Beginner SQUAT Form Check and Bar Placement problems

[Nikki Burman]

Hi Akshay!

Those were better! You'll need to get used to the shoes a little more and finding your mid foot. Did it feel better with the shoes?
At the top, focus on getting your back tighter. Think "proud chest." Your hips are going to be able to more efficiently transfer force up a rigid back. Feel like you are squeezing into the hole. Get tighter as you go down. That will help you have a more controlled hip drive. And HIT DEPTH. Be relentless with reaching for depth. Your first rep looked better here but your reps still look high. You could try turning your toes out a little more and pushing your knees out to be over your toes.
A belt would help you tighten up too.

For the rows- then its time to change the rep scheme or change it up. You could try 5X3 instead of 3X5, are you doing chins? If the bar does not touch your chest, then it doesn't count.

Yeah keep eating food and gain some weight. Your gainzz will thank you.