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Thread: Squat Check for Masters Lifter

  1. #1
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    Feb 2023
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    Default Squat Check for Masters Lifter

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    Hello,

    Age 55, 5'-8" 220lbs. I found Starting Strength last year, read the books and watched most of the videos. Also had a 1 hour training session at the West Newton SS. The squat has been the biggest challenge for me. It took several weeks of stretches before I could achieve the low bar position, and even then I've had issues with left arm pain in particular. As the weight approached ~250lbs, the pain in my upper left arm reached a point where I couldn't continue the workout, so I switched to high bar for several months. Recently, I decided to give low bar another go and I'm doing a little better with arm pain (you'll see my left wrist in a poor position, but I can't get it straight), so I'm requesting a general critique of my squat from the pros on this board. If I'm violating the "depth rule" with these videos it's because I'm a poor judge of depth, but hopefully these break parallel. Another question I have is back angle, which looks more vertical than most, but I feel like if I lean over more the weight would be past mid-foot. Any other observations would be much appreciated.

    1st Set - 265lbs:


    3rd Set - 250lbs:

  2. #2
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    Several of these are borderline depth, and some of them are high. Knees out at the bottom gets depth.

  3. #3
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    Gerry, be sure to get your feet under the bar when you unrack it. Pause the second video at 7 seconds. If you imagine a horizontal line on the floor representing the bar above, it would be over your toes or even slightly more forward. In other words, get under there so the bar is over midfoot when you take it out. I think you'll find that a tighter setup is possible when you make this adjustment.

  4. #4
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  5. #5
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    Thank you both. A random CrossFit trainer at my gym said my depth looked good, but I know who to listen to! I’ll try again.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    Rip, understood. You’re saying that, while mid foot is a good cue in many instances, it’s not currently holding Gerry back. Maybe when the load gets heavier, unracking the bar plumb with the mid foot will be more crucial.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2021
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    Quote Originally Posted by BareSteel View Post
    Rip, understood. You’re saying that, while mid foot is a good cue in many instances, it’s not currently holding Gerry back. Maybe when the load gets heavier, unracking the bar plumb with the mid foot will be more crucial.
    The feet are always the side view of the support, hence mid-foot always being the side view of the center of that support base.

    The combined center of mass (CCOM) of whole system (the bar + the lifter) always needs to be over the center of support. The heavier the bar gets by comparison to the body weight of the lifter, the closer the CCOM gets to the plumb line from the bar.

    Put another way, the heavier the bar gets, the more the bar itself serves as the observable proxy for the CCOM of the bar/lifter system.

  8. #8
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    Feb 2023
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    Here is my follow-up for another form check. Pretty slow tempo as I'm trying to fix some bad habits, but hopefully I'm hitting depth.

    3rd set at 245

  9. #9
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    starting strength coach development program
    Depth is good now. Descend a little faster to generate a better rebound.

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