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Thread: Squat Form Check

  1. #1
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    Default Squat Form Check

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    Hey all!

    First time poster here. Not sure what if any additional info you need.

    12/15/2020 - YouTube

  2. #2
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    Your stance needs to be an inch narrower. That'll help you hit depth and keep your thighs in line with your feet.
    Last edited by AndrewLewis; 12-16-2020 at 06:27 PM.
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  3. #3
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    Thank you for the feedback, Andrew.

    This is from my next session. I made a conscious effort to make my stance narrower and to hit depth. Did I succeed?

    12/17/2020 - Set 3 - YouTube

  4. #4
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    The stance is better, but now you just need to commit to depth. You’re just a touch high.

    I suspect if you slow the reps down just a little, you’ll hit depth without thinking about it much. It seems like you’re rushing which is why you’re unintentionally cutting off depth.
    Last edited by AndrewLewis; 12-19-2020 at 01:40 PM. Reason: Brevity

  5. #5
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    This is my last work set from yesterday. I focused on slowing down, but as for whether I'm hitting depth, I defer to you. I felt like I was going lower, and today my hamstrings are significantly more sore than they've been in weeks. I'm guessing that's more due to the reduced speed than to any additional depth.

    While to my mind the last rep doesn't look terrible, it felt like shit...hence the expletive.

    Also, I've been working on correcting my grip. I've been experiencing some pain - mostly in the elbow, but somewhat in the wrists. I viewed several SS videos on proper grip in the squat and read Nick's article on keeping the elbows down. These have helped, but I'm still getting some pain. Can you tell from my videos if I have a problem with my grip? Would a different angle or more footage of my setup help answer that question?

    12/22/2020 - Set 3 - YouTube

  6. #6
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    This is a huge improvement. Reps two and three are borderline. The others are good.

    It’s hard to say on grip from this low angle, but it looks like your left wrist is flexed and sitting on top of the bar. The right hand looks fine.

    Which elbow has been hurting?

  7. #7
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    Thanks! Your feedback has been very helpful.

    It's almost always the left elbow exclusively. What's weird is that I don't notice a difference in the wrist or elbow angle - both sides feel the same under the bar. A doctor told me a few years ago that my left shoulder was lower than my right. Makes me wonder if that's part of the issue.

    The thing is, I can deal with the elbow and wrist pain. It's mild enough that it goes away after a few minutes and rarely transfers to elbow pain in the press/bench press. What's more concerning to me is the relationship my elbows and wrists have with the position of the bar on my back. In the last few workouts the bar has been sliding up, to the point where it's resting on the bone of the scapula as I come out of the hole.

    I suspect that my wrist/elbow position has something to do with this, and I played with both in my most recent workout. The bar stayed in place and the sets felt pretty good overall. Did my depth or any other part of my form suffer?

    Squat - 12/25 - Set 3 - YouTube

  8. #8
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    Depth is fine. Your left wrist looks better, but keep an eye on it. That pain will get worse and worse until you don't want to lift anything - it needs to stay correct.

    Where are you looking? You should be looking about five feet in front of you.
    Looking too close to your feet can cause you to round your upper back and cause the bar to roll up your back. That's why I'm asking.
    That said, you could also just have the bar in the wrong position. It looks fine here, but without touching your scapula, I can't say for sure.
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  9. #9
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    Your suggested change in eye gaze has been helpful. I think a combination of looking too close - say 3 ft. instead of 5 ft. - and not thinking about keeping my chest up/upper back tight in the hole was causing that upward slide.

    As for the elbow: holy shit, you weren't kidding. The pain did increase. I've been able to manage it using chins per Jordan's article on elbow tendinitis. But damn, I'd like to get ahead of it. At first I thought I just wasn't keeping the weight on my back. Whenever I lifted my chest at the top, I would sometimes get too vertical and feel the weight on my shoulders and arms.

    Then I filmed myself from the back:

    Squat 12/30/2020 - YouTube

    The tilt of the bar startled me. For reference, the holes in the uprights are about two inches apart. The floor isn't perfect, but judging from the level I used at various points it's not so uneven that it would cause that much tilt. Is this a clear sign of a leg length discrepancy? Could this be why my left elbow is in pain but the right elbow is fine?

  10. #10
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    starting strength coach development program
    I don't mean this in a rude way, but we're starting to get into online coaching territory here with how frequent and numerous these form checks have been.

    The elbow pain may get better with the chins, but you have to stop causing the tendinitis as well.
    Last edited by AndrewLewis; 12-31-2020 at 03:12 PM.
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