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Thread: Form check: Squat, Bench, Deadlift. SS for pain relief.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
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    17

    Default Form check: Squat, Bench, Deadlift. SS for pain relief.

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    Hi there,

    I'm 32 years old, 6'0, 185lb, weak.

    Getting back to strength training, mainly with the hope of managing pain more than anything.
    Overdid weight training earlier in the year and have been managing hip, knee and shoulder injuries since.

    At that point, my SS got to
    - 130kg (280lb) squat
    - 140kg (305lb) deadlift (I suspect this was with terrible form, see below)
    - 80kg (175lb) bench
    - 57.5kg (126lb) press, for 5 sets of 3

    Trying to get back into it, going slowly, with good form and no ego, but I do worry sometimes that I'm injuring myself more with weight training than without.
    Post injuries, I moved to swimming and made excellent progress whilst managing most pain except for continuing hip problems, which are now being investigated further.

    Was hoping to get a form check, to try and align my ideas about my form with what other people think.

    Squat: Form Check - Squat - 30 Nov 2020 - YouTube
    Details: 50kg (110lb), final working set.
    My impression: I think the form is pretty good, although I may be slightly shallow.

    Bench (side-on): Form check - Bench - 30 Nov 2020 - YouTube (second working set)
    Bench (angle): Form Check - Bench (angle) - 30 Nov 2020 - YouTube (third working set)
    Details: 40kg, second and third working sets.
    My impression: The form looks fine, but perhaps not balanced over the shoulder that well. However, it irritates my left shoulder at the bottom of the movement. Physiotherapists have previously thought this was a tendonitis, due a muscle trying to stabilise the joint in that position. Shoulder presses cause me no shoulder problems.

    Deadlift (conventional): Form check - Deadlift (conventional) - 30 Nov 2020 - YouTube
    Deadlift (sumo): Form check - Deadlift (sumo) - 30 Nov 2020 - YouTube
    Details: 40kg.
    My impression: I was hesitant to put anymore weight on the bar because it didn't feel good. Looking at the footage, I don't think I'm tight enough, but I don't really know how to get tighter? I posted a comparison in sumo, which feels easier to fix the lumbar position, but it's still not great. I sometimes wonder if that little bump in my lumbar area is actually a pretty normal phenomena, but it's emphasised because I'm pretty skinny?

    Any advice on form would be greatly appreciated,
    thanks very much,
    Rory

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    New York, NY
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    Default

    The videos you uploaded aren't in the best position (see the sticky), so we can only see so much. Also, the weights are super light, so if there are issues that crop up with heavier weight we won't be seeing them here.

    SQ: Ribs down/tight abs when you take your breaths so that your back isn't arched. As you lean over at your hips, let your knees move forward at the same time (hips and knees together).
    BP: Begin each rep with elbows leading forward (not out to the sides). This might be enough to give you vertical forearms in the bottom. If not, widen your grip a finger to achieve it.
    DL: Again, the video is not making feedback easy. But your hips are too high in the setup. Drop them so your knees are flush with the front of your arms. Also keep your head down - don't crane it up as you lift.
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
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    Thanks for the feedback given the poor positioning, much appreciated. I'll make the recommended changes (both video and your suggestions to the form) and post again in due time with a higher weight.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Posts
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    Updated viewing position, weight and form for the deadlift and bench

    Deadlift: Form check - Deadlift - 2 Dec 2020 - YouTube
    70kg (154lb), have tried to keep the front of the knees flush with the front of my arms and keeping head down (although I believe it comes up in the last rep). However, i'm still concerned about the rounding of the lower back, which is evident in this video I believe.

    Squat: Form check - Squat - 2 Dec 2020 - YouTube
    60kg (135lb), have tried to coordinate the bending of the hips and knees at the same time, still some work to go. I'm unsure about the "ribs down" advice: is this referring to ribs pointing towards the ground (i.e. have a more parallel back) or ribs moving inferiorly into the abdominal cavity?

    Thanks again,
    Rory

  5. #5
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    Dec 2014
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    DL: These look good. Just stand all the way up (open your hips at the top). There is no rounding of the lower back.

    SQ: Hips and knees are much better. Ribs down means don't raise your chest up to the ceiling. If you bear down on your abs as if about to be punched in the gut, you will get the same effect of keeping your ribs down.
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  6. #6
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    Oct 2019
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    Thanks again,

    A follow up for the bench press: - YouTube

    I'm not sure I entirely understand your advice for elbows leading forward.
    It feels like there's about 90 degrees of motion where your elbows could go: ranging from arms parallel to the body, to arms perpendicular to the body. Presumably the elbows should go somewhere between these two extremes, but I interpret as leading elbows to be putting them close to parallel with the body. If I wanted to maintain vertical forearm in that position, that would leave the bar below my ribcage, which makes for a very strange lift indeed. Is the advice therefore, to let the elbows lead where they would fall naturally, rather than putting them in an exaggerated position (either too close or far away from the body)?
    Also, just to check. I assume vertical forearms means: forearms in 90 degrees flexion? Sometimes I think it might mean "don't internally or externally rotate your forearms", which would occur with too narrow or wide a grip.

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