Check: Squat, Press, Power Clean, DL

[David1917]

Good evening,

I'm 37, 5'8 ~220lb with a decent history of "exercising" but not proper SS training. Generally, I'd do a few weeks of strength stuff and then be like "I should lose weight!" and try to do that, feel soft and weak and go back to trying strength...and so on. I sought to fix that starting in March and just completely trust this process and so here we are.

Squat, 270 lbs, top set of 5: Squat 270x5 top set 06-02-23 - YouTube

Press, 112 lbs, top set of 5: Press 112x5 06-02-23 - YouTube

Power Clean, 157 lbs, top set of 3: Power Clean 157x3 06-02-23 - YouTube

DL, 335 lbs, set of 5: Deadlift 335lb 5-31-23 - YouTube
DL, 340 lbs, set of 5: Deadlift 340 6-5-23 - YouTube

The first video of 335 last week I recorded from the wrong angle, so when I went in to do 340 yesterday, I got the proper front-facing angle.

Thank you for your time.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Do not post above-parallel squats on this board.

[heinz83]

Deadlift: take your time setting your back properly at the bottom - so that you don't have to at the top.

[Matt James]

It's not easy to see due to video quality but I think your press grip may be too wide.

With the same caveat as above, you may be setting up too close on the deadlift.

[David1917]

Deadlift: take your time setting your back properly at the bottom - so that you don't have to at the top.

Thank you. I just watched a video of Nick advising someone on a second cue to set the low back that I will try. I guess chest-up didn't lock everything out properly.

you may be setting up too close on the deadlift.

OK, I will work on this. I know I used to set up too far away, probably compensating now. For step 1 I try to, from standing, bend my knee and see if it's 1" to the bar.

It's not easy to see due to video quality but I think your press grip may be too wide.

That might be true. After the reality check on my squat I have rewatched several videos, inclusive of instruction on the Press, and consulted the blue book. "Luckily" the gym has mirrors so what I can do is work on holding the empty bar until my arms are actually straight up & down at the bottom, and not perceived straight up & down.

Apologies for the video quality. It's an extremely crowded gym, so it takes some creativity to set up my phone on something where it's less likely to get knocked over. This is also why there is no bench video. I appreciate the helpful comments in spite of this. Onward & upward.

[Maybach]

Press grip is absolutely too wide. Judging by your power clean rack position you should have no problem setting the bar on your delts, and even people with very long forearms are usually able to get the bar below their chin in the bottom position. There's no reason for it to start above your chin. Move your elbows down and back: they are starting at like a 45 degree angle, when they should be closer to completely flexed.

[Steven Kalin]

Willing to be corrected here, but on the cleans I would say keep your hands on the bar and don’t step away from it on the “drop”.

[IlPrincipeBrutto]

This is at best incidental, but dropping the bar like that after cleaning it is just bad manners.
There also seems to be a bit of an arm pull, especially visible on the third rep.
Also, you seem to rack the bar leaning just a bit backwards, especially the first rep, but I might be wrong on this.

IPB

[David1917]

Squat 255x5 6-16-23 - YouTube

Hello again. I hope this video is a better view and showcases some better squats. This is a top set of 5 at 255. I had just over a week out of the gym and thus took some weight off the bar coming back in yesterday.

I noticed on set 2 that I was moving forward at the bottom. Really tried to emphasize hips on this last set though I still detect the slightest knee slide?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Check: Squat, Press, Power Clean, DL