starting strength gym
Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: Squat, Press, Deadlift - Form Check

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Posts
    4

    Default Squat, Press, Deadlift - Form Check

    • starting strength seminar april 2024
    • starting strength seminar jume 2024
    • starting strength seminar august 2024
    28 male, 5'10", 170lbs

    Please ignore my observations below each movement if they aren't relevant for the purposes of a form check, I only included them in case they are. Thank you in advance for your time.

    Squat - 315lbs (listed in order done. Probably should have filmed a quarter last instead of a side)
    Set #1 - Rear quarter:
    YouTube
    Set #2 - Front quarter:
    YouTube
    Set #3 - Side:
    YouTube
    (Sorry for vertical video)

    My observations
    * I'm concerned I'm going too deep. I'm not making a conscious effort to squat more than just breaking parallel. When I've tried to address this in the past, I've had trouble squatting less deep because I didn't feel the proprioceptive feedback that I'm deep enough before I'm (possibly) too deep. I tried setting the pins at a height just below parallel to stop me from going too deep, but this resulted in either bouncing off the pins or feeling like I was pulling up early without a stretch reflex.

    * When I'm tired, it looks like my chest doesn't rise as fast. I always try to cue myself on reps 4 and 5 to keep tightness. I think I've actually improved this and will continue to focus on it.

    * Front quarter (set #2) looks like I'm not keeping my head neutral on the concentric portion. Interestingly it looks like my eyes are remaining fixed (as per the cue) but I'm extending my neck which probably isn't good. Maybe a cue of keeping the chin tucked would fix this.


    Press - 107lbs
    Set #3
    YouTube

    My observations:
    * I just starting working on the Press 2.0 vs original press and I'm still trying to get the hang of it.

    * My press progress is lagging because I now realize I was cheating with the form I was using so I deloaded and am working back up with fractional plates. My last bench 200lbs x 5 and felt easy so depending on the expected ratio between bench and overhead press, I should probably be pressing more.

    Deadlift - 345lbs
    Set #1
    YouTube

    My observations:

    * Is my back rounding? It didn't feel like it did, but I'm not exactly sure what to look for in this front quarter view.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    2,882

    Default

    Hey Max,

    Squat: Narrow the stance a bit and point your toes out a little more. About 35 degrees. Concentrate harder on shoving your knees out and keeping them out. Slow down the descent. You are losing tightness at the bottom. Depth is probably fine but you can probably get away with squatting an inch or two higher and still be below parallel. Its possible the stance and descent speed adjustments will fix it. You may need to take some weight off the bar to accomplish this.

    Press: Straighten your wrists. Don't worry about any ratios between your lifts. Everyone will be different with these.

    Deadlift: Think about getting more of a slow squeeze. They are a little jerky. You want to squeeze the chest up, arch the low back, and then drag it up your legs. Low back does unlock a bit after the squeeze - sometimes the 4in belt is a detriment. You could experiment with no belt or a 3in belt

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Posts
    4

    Default

    Thank you for the review and advice!

    Squat:
    Stance - I haven't gotten a stance that feels right yet, so this is really helpful.
    Speed - I think the dive-bombing comes from being afraid of missing reps because I don't think I do it on warmup sets. I will cue to descend slow and not try to rely on "saving energy" on the eccentric portion at the expense of losing tightness and thus killing the efficiency of the concentric portion.
    Depth - Your intuition that the speed correction will fix the depth feels right. On warmup sets that I've filmed (where I don't divebomb since the weight is lower) the depth seemed better.


    Press:
    Wrists - Will make sure wrists are straight and weight centered over wrist bones.
    Ratios - Acknowledged. Will just focus on progression instead of ratios.

    Deadlift:
    Setup jerk - I normally do a slow buildup of tension. I think I was nervey and fatigued here and did this weird jerk as a result. I'm doing SSNLP and this was a 2x DL week with 10lb jumps each and I started flagging by the end of the session. I'm also not eating enough but that's another issue.
    Back setup - I can definitely see why people say the 4in belt can hide or even prevent a correct low back set. I think I can see the unlock you're referring to but you're obviously much better at spotting it. I need to improve the filming setup so I can spot it myself. Part of the back unlock may have been fatigue on this set as I mentioned above. I will experiment with adjustments of my current belt (raising or loosening) and move to a 3inch belt if that doesn't work. My understanding is unless it's interfering with setting the back, a wider belt will be better, so I'm curious if it's worth trying to make it work with a correct back.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Cologne, Germany
    Posts
    105

    Default

    Maybe don’t exhale at the top of the deadlift. Use the air for stability and breathe at the bottom.

    Nice form!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2019
    Posts
    177

    Default

    On the press it looks to me like you aren’t waiting long enough for the bounce when doing the 2.0 press. When you push hips forward it looks to me like you are pressing before that rebound when they come back thus producing the bounce. My understanding is this bounce helps transmit force up through ultimately the press upward. Kinda like (but not exactly) a rope or hose when you grab and whip it the force transmits a wave which runs up the rope.

    Coaches could clarify I’m sure

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    2,882

    Default

    I usually think of it more like shooting a bow and arrow, where you build up tension before a release. He is waiting long enough, it just happens quickly(pulling the arrow back quickly rather than slowly)

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Posts
    4

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Ryan Arnold View Post
    Hey Max,

    Squat: Narrow the stance a bit and point your toes out a little more. About 35 degrees. Concentrate harder on shoving your knees out and keeping them out. Slow down the descent. You are losing tightness at the bottom. Depth is probably fine but you can probably get away with squatting an inch or two higher and still be below parallel. Its possible the stance and descent speed adjustments will fix it. You may need to take some weight off the bar to accomplish this.
    Dropped weight since I was in need of a reset and I've been working on these things.

    Third Set:
    YouTube

    The narrower stance and wider toe angle "felt" a lot better and more controlled and combined with the descent speed adjustment does look like it fixed the depth issue and tightness issue.

    Any additional feedback would be much appreciated.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Cologne, Germany
    Posts
    105

    Default

    Looks good.

    Maybe a little hyperextension in the back on the way down? Could also be the camera angle. Please post another video with the same technique from the side where we can see your back angle.

    Don’t look up on the way up. Find a spot on the floor about 6-8 feet in front of you and keep the eyes on that spot. This keeps your neck in line with your spine and helps to do more weight.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Posts
    4

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Sawyer View Post
    Looks good.

    Maybe a little hyperextension in the back on the way down? Could also be the camera angle. Please post another video with the same technique from the side where we can see your back angle.

    Don’t look up on the way up. Find a spot on the floor about 6-8 feet in front of you and keep the eyes on that spot. This keeps your neck in line with your spine and helps to do more weight.

    Thanks for the feedback!

    Head angle - You can't see it super well from this angle, but I've confirmed from previous side recordings that I am actually keeping my eyes fixed on the same spot, they're just rotating downward as my neck is extending. So my brain is like "oh yeah we're keeping the focal point fixed, no problem." I had too many cues to keep in mind with speed, knees, and tightness to also try a different cue like keeping my chin down. But since it looks like the speed has improved I will work on this next.

    Back hyperextension - I could see this being a weird overcompensation for wanting to sit my hips back especially since I think I used to lift up my toes slightly with an exaggerated hip break prior to knee break. I will record a new side video with the current technique to confirm.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Cologne, Germany
    Posts
    105

    Default

    starting strength coach development program
    You‘re doing fine. Just film as much as possible and learn from every set and good technique will be inevitable.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •