Squat form check

[benjs]

Hi there,

Male, 25
180cm (5’11)
85Kg (187lbs)

Please critique my squat.
Squats in the video are @ ~80% of my 5RM, so ~210lbs. I feel like I overextend my low back and have a too vertical torso at the bottom, but any time I try and lean over more, I don’t feel as tight descending into the hole. This is especially the case when the weight was/is heavier.

Been doing SS for ~5 months and Squat has stalled twice at ~250 lbs (3 sets of 5) after a reset. Added a light day to no avail. Have been slowly gaining bodyweight (up from 76Kg), but having trouble gaining more. Recovery feels pretty good. Resting 5 mins between sets. I believe there is still room to grow in my NLP, hence why I’m questioning my form. Will probably consider intermediate programming if nobody tells me otherwise because I don’t know what else to do besides eat more.

Any help is appreciated.

Cheers,

Ben

[Hayden-William Courtland]

Ready the sticky again (ideally get your entire body in the video).

Your wrists are flexed (bent over the bar). Try and keep them straight. Your stance looks a touch too narrow as well. You aren't really leaning over enough at the start and your resist the lean even more by pulling your chest up as you go down (and thus arching your back). We want the back flat. In order to retain balance when you lean over, you must send your butt back (as if reaching for an object behind you). If you do this you will feel a bit tighter in the bottom and likely remove that extra inch of depth that appears in some reps. Side note: this weight is pretty light, so you may still need to assess what is going on at heavier weights, but try and fix these areas as a start. Also, make sure you are eating enough.

[benjs]

Ok, thanks for the feedback. I'll post a follow up for my next heavy set on Friday.

[benjs]

Ok, here is my last work set of the session.

As per previous advice, I tried to focus on:
1) wider stance
2) neutral wrists (not flexed)
3) bending over more.

I still don't think I'm bending over enough. When I think about sitting back, my weight just goes onto my heels and I still resist my torso coming forward.
Also, my left side drops down lower than my right-- you can see it relative to the pins at the bottom of some reps. Is this something to worry about?

[Hayden-William Courtland]

Stance is likely a touch too wide now, maybe an inch narrower. Wrists look good and your lean is much better overall, some reps aren't quite enough, but some are. Use the last rep as a guide for what you are shooting for in the future. It's all about matching the lean with the knees forward and the right amount of butt back, which this rep does. And then just be mindful of not pulling up with your chest/arching your back as that will counter the effect of the lean.

[benjs]

Ok, I'll keep all that in mind. Thanks very much, Hayden.