Steve's Squat Form Check #1

[Spelitere]

Got up to 315 5x5 and started having terrible elbow tendinitis. Something happened to my form somewhere along the way. Lowered the weight down to 265 5x5. Please help. Elbow tendinitis sucks.

Steven Squat Form Check #1 - YouTube

[Mark Rippetoe]

Look at your wrists and elbows.

[Spelitere]

Yeah, I don't know what to do. How do I improve?

[Mark Rippetoe]

There are about 10 videos about this on this website. And it's in the book. Do you have the book?

[Maybach]

Widen your grip by extending your elbows until the bar is actually sitting within your hands

[heinz83]

Widen your grip by extending your elbows until the bar is actually sitting within your hands

OK, now I'm confused. His shoulders are extended (elbows are back and up) and his wrists are in flexion (rolling over the top of the bar). This happens when your grip is wide, and you are using your arms to secure the bar instead of the bunched up muscles on your back. If you narrow your grip and keep your elbows down, your wrists will be more neutral (slightly extended) and your shoulders will be only slightly extended, your back muscles will be bunched up and you will be more able to secure the bar without using your arms. Right? What am I missing?

Preventing Elbow Pain in the Squat | Nick Delgadillo

[Mark Rippetoe]

Yeah, I don't know what to do. How do I improve?

Again, do you have the book?

[Spelitere]

Again, do you have the book?

Yes, I've read both the blue and grey book.

[Maybach]

OK, now I'm confused. His shoulders are extended (elbows are back and up) and his wrists are in flexion (rolling over the top of the bar). This happens when your grip is wide, and you are using your arms to secure the bar instead of the bunched up muscles on your back. If you narrow your grip and keep your elbows down, your wrists will be more neutral (slightly extended) and your shoulders will be only slightly extended, your back muscles will be bunched up and you will be more able to secure the bar without using your arms. Right? What am I missing?

Preventing Elbow Pain in the Squat | Nick Delgadillo

His arms and shoulders are packed in as tight as they can be, but he is further narrowing his grip to produce vertical forearms such that his hands are actually *above* the bar. This is the situation an artificially (i.e., one not dictated by flexibility) wide grip is incorrectly utilized to address: the wrists are held in flexion to "hold" the bar, and the grip is widened to keep the bar in the hands. If the grip were narrowed, the flexed wrists would be unable to "reach" the bar without being held neutrally, so the error is made to widen the grip. However, if the grip is narrowed past the point where the shoulders are capable of moving the humeri, the hands will lie "above" the bar, and the wrists will need to flex "down" to reach it.

No Floating Fingers On Your Squat Grip!

[BareSteel]

Hi Spelitere,

Your grip issue occurs from the get-go, as opposed to some lifers who start correctly, but erode into wrist flexion during the set from fatigue. See how these clean up if you get the meat of your palms on the bar during setup and try to keep them there.

Also, looks like you could afford to get a little more knee involved earlier in the descent to avoid them coming forward at the very bottom.