Squat form check

[Jared Hunt]

I'm 43, 6'0, 194 lbs. Second time through the LP. First time through was 2017, and I got from 170-ish to 205 and then quit training.
Got back on it a few months ago. I'm starting to hit a wall on deadlift and squats, and I think part of that is due to poor technique, so I'm trying to fix that so I don't stop before I have to.

This was Wednesday, with the bar on my traps. I've always squatted this way because I "couldn't" get into the low-bar position. I don't think the depth is good on most of these, and once I got to 300 I started having knee pain.
8-30-23 Squat 310x5 - YouTube


This was this morning, and I forced the bar lower even though I had to flex my wrists to do it. The squat felt better on my knees, and though it did cause pain in my wrists, the pain didn't last, so I assume it will be ok.
9-1-23 Squat 315x5 - YouTube

If I fixed the depth in video 1, would that be better going forward than allowing my wrists to bend as I did in video 2?

I appreciate any feedback.

[Mark Rippetoe]

All of these squats are high.

[Jared Hunt]

All of these squats are high.

Thanks for the response. I wasn't sure about the depth in the second video.

Do I also need to bend over more, or was that ok in the second video?

[Nicholas Laureys]

Do I also need to bend over more, or was that ok in the second video?

You won't be able to bend over more until the bar placement is lower on your back, in the low-bar position: it's how the bar stays over midfoot even though you are leaning over so much. To my untrained eyes you bent over more in video two but even my untrained eyes could see that it wasn't enough. You'll just have to fix your shoulder flexibility to get the bar into the correct position on your back. There are a bunch of free resources out there on how to fix this and here are the first few OK ones (not from Reddit!) that Google offered up:
Tight Shoulders during the Starting Strength Low Bar Squat? Try THIS Stretch! - YouTube
Recommended strengthening/stretching exercises to improve shoulder mobility
Low Bar Squat : Rack Position / Shoulder Warm-Up - YouTube

[Satch12879]

Thanks for the response. I wasn't sure about the depth in the second video.

Do I also need to bend over more, or was that ok in the second video?

You never stand up straight, so your “lean over” is the same as you hunched over at the top.

[Jared Hunt]

Ok, trying to fix multiple problems at once here, I backed off to 275.
At the end of the video is a pic showing where it was on my back.

Trying again @ 275 - YouTube

[Mark Rippetoe]

Depth is now correct. Much more hip drive, please.