Back seized up after hitting 225x5 Squat - can you tell why?

[Jeff LC]

It looks like this rack will allow you to put the hooks on the other pair of uprights.

Congrats on the two plate milestone, sorry you paid for it with a tweak. I'll bet you'll be fine.

My back feels very sore and stiff today, but not "injured".. i'll be squatting 230 tomorrow - time to eat

[danomite!]

Oh my god! I seriously did not notice that when i reviewed the set. Damn. I thought i had moved passed this mirror issue. I now see that i did it basically the entire time, in both of these sets! What the hell! Maybe now that it's getting heavy, I'm losing that focused attention I was paying towards avoiding the instinct to look in the mirror.

Anyway, if not for the neck issue, do you think my back is rounding a bit much here? I just feel like it looks kind of "hunched over" on the ascent, but maybe the craning the neck up is what's giving me that impression. Not to a large degree, but enough to give me pause. Especially on the final rep of the final set.. i really believe that's the rep (the 6th rep, funnily) that tweaked the back,.

In the 2nd set I can see why you were sneaking a peek in the mirror. I'd want to keep an eye on that dude behind you and whatever the hell it is that he's doing. lol

[Jeff LC]

In the 2nd set I can see why you were sneaking a peek in the mirror. I'd want to keep an eye on that dude behind you and whatever the hell it is that he's doing. lol

If it's who I think you are talking about (not the guy doing curls)... that is a 'she', and she was dancing, quite enthusiastically, between her bench sets.

[Balazs Egerszegi]

THanks - grip has been getting a bit narrower every week; getting as narrow as I can with the shoulder flexibility.. started with the widest grip that the rack would allow, will continue to improve.

Sets of "shoulder dislocations" with a dowel done as warm up might help you narrowing it even more. Keep at it.

[Jeff LC]

Here is 230

Squat
YouTube

[Justin Smale]

Here is 230

Squat
YouTube

That looks better for the most part. On your last rep you lose your neck position as you struggle with the weight (likely moving the bar with your back and getting out of your hips).

[Erik Y]

Here is 230

Squat
YouTube

Those knees are so much better than at the start... really solid. Make sure you brace with your abs before you start your rep, particularly now that you’ve got your belt. That will help with your back position. This is like doing 1% of a crunch, just enough to make your torso tight.

[Jeff LC]

Those knees are so much better than at the start... really solid. Make sure you brace with your abs before you start your rep, particularly now that you’ve got your belt. That will help with your back position. This is like doing 1% of a crunch, just enough to make your torso tight.

I actually don't have a belt yet, you can't tell in the image but i took my weighted chins/dips belt, with the chain, and tied it really tied by looping the chain back and forth and back and forth.. it wasn't comfortable. Belt should arrive in a few weeks.

Actually just did 235 (haven't posted yet, been to lazy, but i do have the video and will post), and a nice dude at the gym let me use his belt, it felt a lot better.

But still, the make shift belt is better than nothing.

[Erik Y]

I actually don't have a belt yet, you can't tell in the image but i took my weighted chins/dips belt, with the chain, and tied it really tied by looping the chain back and forth and back and forth.. it wasn't comfortable... But still, the make shift belt is better than nothing.

Haha, I love the workaround. It’s better than nothing for sure, but definitely see if you can improve on that situation before your belt arrives.