My Squat Form is TERRIBLE!

[Kenyon Cason]

All,

I posted in the Ask Rippetoe thread requesting help on my squat. It suffers. I currently squat what I bench. I know that's not normal. More importantly, I know it is because my form is horrible.

Here is a video from today. YouTube

I don't particularly understand why I'm having such trouble. First, I know my wrists are all wrong. Second, I believe the bar is too high. Third, my elbows seem to be all wrong. That, in turn, is causing the bar to not move in a straight bar path over midfoot. In the first rep, I starting going down and felt my balance was off. can say my lower back and quads seem to give out before anything.

Any advice?

[Justin Smale]

Yeah there’s a few things here. For starters you NEED to take a better angle on the videos (look at the sticky at the top of the forum). It helps a lot in diagnosing problems. That’s said....

The bar is high, you’re not in low bar position, you’re definitely in high bar. Read the book again, look up the videos (Rip does a great one with the Art of Manliness), look up the stretches if your mobility sucks (Paul Horn stretch). Fix this NOW. Don’t keep puttering through with high bar like some asshole because low bar is hard to get into (FYI I was that asshole).

Your depth looks good, keep going down to that level.

Your gaze is off which is messing up your back angle (which doesn’t matter until you actually get in low bar position because you can’t/shouldn’t be leaning over in high bar). That said, when you find the position of the bar look 4 feet in front of you on the floor and keep your eyes there and your neck neutral. Do NOT look at yourself in the mirror.

Your wrists are way too extended. Your elbows look high. These are minor issues though until you sort out getting the bar where it belongs on your back. Fix that first, work on getting into and out of low bar position, then start working on your wrists and elbows since fixing those things now may not make a hoot of difference when you lower the bar (I.e. your grip/wrists/elbows will change in low bar compared to high bar).

It’s not a race though, don’t worry that your bench is going stronger than your squat. Fix your form and it won’t take long to even out.

[Justin Smale]

Going to a seminar or finding a coach would obviously be the best way to go here. Also since you never know who will comment on the “Technique” form (you might get good advice, you might get internet person advice), get your account verified and post in the SSC forum. It will take longer to get an answer but it’s all kinds of helpful. And look at other people’s technique videos (or the ones like “Rip Coaches the Squat”). Seeing other people correct the same mistakes I’ve been making had been super beneficial.

[Nockian]

Thanks! I know the bar needs to be jus tbelow the spine of the scapula. I don't know why I can't seem to get it there. I think I'm just going to start squatting everyday until I get it.

It all falls into place when the hand position is right and the upper back is tight. The bar literally settles onto the shelf created by that position and the hands keep it press onto the shelf and taking very little vertical weight. It's almost like the connection on a train - it clicks into place and then you stop considering it. It also hurts to get into the right position, but the discomfort seems to disappear as soon as the weight is out of the rack.