Squat Form Check - Two Reps to Failure

[lspr_93]

Video: Squat Failure - 20250121 - YouTube

Height: 168cm/5'6".
Weight: 113kg/249lbs.

Sleeping: ~7-9 hours per night.
Eating: ~3500 kcals per day. ~240g of protein per day.
Resting: ~6 minutes between sets.

Weight on the bar: 104kg/229lbs.

I failed on the third rep of the first set. I have a particularly bad history of form mistakes and had a small injury while squatting previously.

I tried squatting yesterday but couldn't get a single rep to depth. This time it seems I got depth, but failed on the third rep. What does it look like? Any clear mistakes or I should just have tried harder? After this I tried another set but got zero reps.

[Maybach]

The bar is too high on your back, and your lower back is in hyperextension at the top.

Notice what happens at the bottom: the bar stops moving, while your hips move down and your knees move forward. This because, in the position to are holding the bar, this is the only way to achieve depth without the bar drifting forward. The same thing happens on the way up: your hips move up without moving the bar, as the moment arm moves from the knees to the hips, but because the bar is in the wrong spot on your back, this causes the bar to "roll" forward, lengthening the moment arm on the hips and making the lift harder. This artifical "sticking point" is probably what is preventing you from reaching depth

Adjust your grip: move the bar down your back about an inch. Keep your elbows down (pointed at your tailbone) and get your upper back in TIGHT. If the bar feels "too low", that means it's probably in the right spot.

Your back also looks like it may be somewhat overextended, which might be contributing to these problems. Move the belt up so it sits in the middle of your belly. There should be an equal about of gut above and below the belt. More below is better, if you have to choose. Think about pulling your pelvis "up and forward" with your brace. Don't think about sticking your butt out

[Daltonar]

It looks like you gave up.

[lspr_93]

The bar is too high on your back, and your lower back is in hyperextension at the top.

Notice what happens at the bottom: the bar stops moving, while your hips move down and your knees move forward. This because, in the position to are holding the bar, this is the only way to achieve depth without the bar drifting forward. The same thing happens on the way up: your hips move up without moving the bar, as the moment arm moves from the knees to the hips, but because the bar is in the wrong spot on your back, this causes the bar to "roll" forward, lengthening the moment arm on the hips and making the lift harder. This artifical "sticking point" is probably what is preventing you from reaching depth

Adjust your grip: move the bar down your back about an inch. Keep your elbows down (pointed at your tailbone) and get your upper back in TIGHT. If the bar feels "too low", that means it's probably in the right spot.

Your back also looks like it may be somewhat overextended, which might be contributing to these problems. Move the belt up so it sits in the middle of your belly. There should be an equal about of gut above and below the belt. More below is better, if you have to choose. Think about pulling your pelvis "up and forward" with your brace. Don't think about sticking your butt out

I end up having to lose a bit of tightness to hit depth. And I do have a problem with the bar rolling forward. The way I partially fixed these issues was by using a wider grip that allowed me to position the bar lower on my back as you said. But I have a problem finding the spot again and at 102kg the bar was sliding down, and I ended up moving the bar back up to the incorrect position for this attempt.

I watched Nick's video on finding the spine of the scapula, but I am quite fat as you can see and it is all fluffy on my back and quite hard to feel the bones. And about overextending my back, I wonder if that just looks like it, because I am not very flexible as I have two metal rods from close to the cervical down close to the tailbone due to severe scoliosis.

I squatted with the bar lower at 100kg and it felt way more efficient. I felt way less out of breath after each set. But I am having a hard time getting the bar to the same position again as I can't quite feel the place. Next increment had me with the bar almost rolling down my back and after that I had the bar as you can see in the video.

Now I have this hard task on unlearning an ingrained movement pattern. I will try to implement those changes next squat session on Monday and I will post another video here. Thanks for the useful input.

It looks like you gave up.

That is a fair assessment as it looks like it. I failed like this before and it is usually after losing tightness at the bottom of the squat. It is a love and hate relationship with the squat for me. Love because I can see how great of a lift it is, and hate because I suck at it so much.

[adamwilliford1173]

Watch your knees shoving forward and your back angle changing at the bottom.

Your weight is too far back in the heels to start out, you don't get leaned over enough on the way down so at the bottom your knees shove forward and your back bends over out of the hole.....this is because you didn't lean over enough and get the knees forward and out at the top.

From the top shift your weight forward to the middle of your foot. You might need to think to the toes to correct your heel propensity.

Get your chest down between your toes from the top, shove your knees forward and out and then reach your hips back, load your hips on the way down and then drive them straight up out of the bottom. Stay in your hips and keep your chest down on the way up.

[lspr_93]

I ended up failing again with four reps at 102kg. I won't even bother posting here as the squats look exactly the same. When I tried to bend over more and place the bar lower, I end up just getting folded into a good morning and can't get even close to hitting depth.

I will just reset to 90kg and try to fix my squats on the way up and if I can't get it past 104kg, I will just give up the program and skip squats. I guess it could be fixed with proper in person coaching, but there is no coach anywhere near me. Sorry if I wasted your time.

Watch your knees shoving forward and your back angle changing at the bottom.

Your weight is too far back in the heels to start out, you don't get leaned over enough on the way down so at the bottom your knees shove forward and your back bends over out of the hole.....this is because you didn't lean over enough and get the knees forward and out at the top.

From the top shift your weight forward to the middle of your foot. You might need to think to the toes to correct your heel propensity.

Get your chest down between your toes from the top, shove your knees forward and out and then reach your hips back, load your hips on the way down and then drive them straight up out of the bottom. Stay in your hips and keep your chest down on the way up.

I can't lean over more because I end up losing balance forward. It has happened before and I went forward with the bar and ended up hitting the rack.

[Daltonar]

Echo the comments on technique from other posters. Cut 1-2 inches off your depth. You're shifting into toes at the bottom and its throwing you off.

Why is it that on the rep where you 'failed', the bar immediately comes down? Push on it for a few seconds. You get to the bottom and basically just set it on the pins.

Your bottom position on that final rep looked better than the first two. It might not have been perfect, but it wasn't atrocious enough to justify that unless something got acutely hurt.

I will just reset to 90kg and try to fix my squats on the way up and if I can't get it past 104kg, I will just give up the program and skip squats. I guess it could be fixed with proper in person coaching, but there is no coach anywhere near me. Sorry if I wasted your time.

It isn't our time your wasting, its your own. What does your programming look like? Are you trying to LP the squat? Don't go up every time if you are to the point where you CAN'T.

[neilc1]

kinda hard to say from that angle, but, feet look too close together,
heels under armpits (?)

[Maybach]

Falling forward means the bar is drifting forward of mid-foot, which means the "leaning forward" part is not being paired with it's requisite partner, "hips back." It's as simple as that.

[lspr_93]

I took that reset to 90kg and added a light squat day.

This is my squat at 96kg: https://youtu.be/nnzhPezJm2M?feature=shared

I tried to pay attention to my back position, making sure it was rigid as I went down.

I will be trying to squat 104kg again in two weeks. If I do not fail before that.

kinda hard to say from that angle, but, feet look too close together,
heels under armpits (?)

I took a wider stance in the squats above and it seems to have helped. I was taking a bit narrower stance because it helped with a hip flexor pain I felt before.

Falling forward means the bar is drifting forward of mid-foot, which means the "leaning forward" part is not being paired with it's requisite partner, "hips back." It's as simple as that.

I tried to think more of getting my hips back. This is one of the issues pointed out when I was on SSOC. But I always end up with knees not forward enough when I focus on getting my hips back. So I always end up fixing one thing only fuck up something else, going from no balance to no depth and back.