Squat Form Check

[Steven Z]

It's Monday...first week of month 3 in the Novice Program. I've added 47 lbs to my 5RM.

This was my 3rd set at 297 lbs. It felt....ridiculously heavy. I see my hips going back instead of up on the last few reps. What else? Tear me apart please.

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[Sawyer]

I don’t get it. After millions of form checks on this forum, why would anyone squat without squat shoes?

[Pete Troupos]

Hey Steven
Get some lifting shoes. Or at least flats. But preferably lifting shoes.

You need to adjust the grip so the heels of the palms aren't under the bar and the wrists aren't bent back as much. When you eventually lean over correctly, you're going to start shoving the bar up your back and won't want to lean over or keep the hip drive going. Get a little piece of tape around the middle as a makeshift center knurl.
You need to lean over more from the start and send the hips back. Then, resist the urge to lift the chest so soon. Again, you'll need to fix the way you hold the bar in the long run to get confident in doing this.

[Steven Z]

Pete, thank you so much for taking the time to have a look and for your feedback. I've been trying to implement the corrections you suggested with mixed results. Trying to get the hips back more at the start, keep my chest down and prevent my palms from sliding under the bar. Seems like all I've really accomplished so far is putting my shoes on. Here are lifts from the following workouts. I am TRYING, but I don't know that I am making much progress. I finally stalled at 206 on Friday. That was a debacle. Wondering if I should reset the weight since I can't seem to really fix the problem?

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Just curious, what would the purpose be for the makeshift knurl?