Squat form check - lower back issue

[Jr_Geezer]

60 y.o., 5' 10", 218 lbs

I've been having issues with lower back stiffness and soreness and was told by Coach Santana to work on my knee slide. I deloaded from 355 down to 315 for this set of 5 to take some strain off my back and to concentrate on knee position. I have not yet figured out how to make myself lean over more and also really coordinate knee and hip flexion at the start of a rep.

315 x 5

Thanks!

[Pete Troupos]

Not a great angle, so can't tell for sure, but doesn't look like your upper back isn't in extension and your elbows look higher than they should be. Need to fix that before each rep if you have any hope of getting yourself to lean over more. If the body senses that the bar is going to roll up because your upper back is soft, it's not going to let you lean over. It's funny like that.
Once you fix that, think about reaching your ass back and getting your junk behind your heels. Another one that I've found helpful recently is get the thighs apart and point your belly button between your feet.
But get the upper back sorted and you'll fix things downstream.

[Jr_Geezer]

Thanks for the advice, Pete.

Here's my third set from last night. I don't' think I can get my elbows down any further and I very consciously thought about upper back extension but I don't know how successful I was in improving it. I tried not looking down quite so much and I think that helped slightly. I felt a bit more leaned over, especially the last two reps. My lower back was uncomfortably pumped and tight for 5-10 minutes after this set. There's no pain today but it's easy to produce a tight feeling there by leaning over or picking something up. No shooting or sharp pain, just tightness, very annoying.

Third set of five @ 315

[Pete Troupos]

Meant to say upper back looks like it isn't in extension on my first reply. Sorry for the confusion.

Are you certain the bar is in the right place and low enough? Check out Nick D's bar position video. Where to Put the Bar for the Squat with Nick Delgadillo - YouTube

A couple of these are high, so please make sure you're posting sets to depth. Also, you're not driving your hips at all. You're lifting your chest and head as soon as you come out of the bottom.
Gonna have to sort out the upper back. Make sure the bar is in the right place, then lift your chest up and bring the elbows down. You'll have to practice holding that while getting leaned over at the hip to set the back angle. A cue I've stolen from another Nick D. is to think about rolling the bar down your back as you start. Don't actually do that though.

Do you live near a coach?

[Jr_Geezer]

Meant to say upper back looks like it isn't in extension on my first reply. Sorry for the confusion.

Are you certain the bar is in the right place and low enough? Check out Nick D's bar position video. Where to Put the Bar for the Squat with Nick Delgadillo - YouTube

A couple of these are high, so please make sure you're posting sets to depth. Also, you're not driving your hips at all. You're lifting your chest and head as soon as you come out of the bottom.
Gonna have to sort out the upper back. Make sure the bar is in the right place, then lift your chest up and bring the elbows down. You'll have to practice holding that while getting leaned over at the hip to set the back angle. A cue I've stolen from another Nick D. is to think about rolling the bar down your back as you start. Don't actually do that though.

Do you live near a coach?

Thanks again, Pete.

I actually train at Santana's gym in Phoenix on a regular basis. I've had several formal coaching sessions with him but mostly I'm there for the occasional quick look and some advice. He's been at me for years to lean over more, but it just hasn't stuck.

I thought I was using hip drive, at least somewhat, but now that you've pointed it out, I see that I'm not. I'll take a look at Nick's video and also have an in-depth discussion with Robert about my horrible form, see if I can finally get his advice to work.

[Jr_Geezer]

And a quick follow-up question. Would my lack of hip drive contribute to the soreness in my lower back? It would seem to me that it would, as those are the muscles that are opening up the hips.

[Pete Troupos]

So the low back muscles aren't opening up the hips, but should be staying rigid so the spine is a better force transmitter. But yes, if your back is changing positions throughout the squat, it could cause some soreness.

[Jr_Geezer]

So the low back muscles aren't opening up the hips, but should be staying rigid so the spine is a better force transmitter. But yes, if your back is changing positions throughout the squat, it could cause some soreness.

Yeah, I didn't think too deeply about the anatomy of the lower back before posting that.

Anyway, I spent some time with Santana yesterday evening and we got things closer to being sorted out. Ever so slightly lower bar position, elbows more in and tighter, lean over more, really brace the back, reach depth. Lower back was still a bit pumped and stiff, but I'm hoping that will improve with better form.

Again, thanks so much for your input.

[Pete Troupos]

Did Santana's hair look good? Haven't seen him in a while.

May have to really focus on getting braced properly before each rep. Sometime people take it for granted.

[Jr_Geezer]

Did Santana's hair look good? Haven't seen him in a while.

May have to really focus on getting braced properly before each rep. Sometime people take it for granted.

His hair was fabulous, as always.

And yeah, Robert told me repeatedly, "Brace the back, just like in the deadlift". Seems easier in the deadlift, though, with the pull of the bar to brace against. But that thought is firmly in my mind now.