Took a few videos last night. My trainer that I was using said my form was good, but I think my shoulder area is falling over too much…
End of my work out no hoodie. Different angle.
Is there a reason you’re not breaking parallel?
What do you mean by breaking parallel.
You’re not going low enough.
I’m not worried about going low enough. I’m worried about my back being straight. Getting lower then that and I fall forward. Guess that means my hips are tight. Even on light weight I don’t get way down. Might be more parallel then my heavier sets.
You fall forward when going lower than that because your upper back / shoulders are not strong enough to support the weight, i.e. it is too heavy.
You asked for a form critique – the way to improve form is to lower the weight and get it right, which means going lower and using a full range of motion, to strengthen all the muscles used in the movement. Once form is good, you increase the weight.
Assuming you’re doing front squats because you want to better develop your lower quads and hit your abs and upper erectors a lot harder, I would recommend to work on hitting depth. Work on the ROM progression over time. I agree with your trainer that you should prioritize keeping tight before hitting depth. I wouldn’t recommend to increase the weight since that would prevent you from progressing on depth. With lighter weight, you can focus on getting lower each week while still maintaining tightness. Record yourself frequently to check progress. Stretch out your hip flexors often, especially before training, to improve mobility.
Alright. I’m doing the power look program. That’s why I’m doing front squats. But even with the bar qhenningo lower I fall. Standing straight I do the same thing. Shoulders fall forward. I have to force them back and it gets pretty uncomfortable. Afraid that I have over developed my mid back or something
Also the trainer told me i was going low enough for me and that my back was straight. My deadlift does similar on my shoulders. I have had a couple shoulder injury both sides so wasn’t sure if that could be the reason as well.
Thanks. I’ll see what I can do.
Get those knees out! Really try to rotate your hips “open” push your knees out, and sit down between them.
Goblet squats, with a dumbbell held up in front of you can help with this. Squat down, deep. Use your elbows to push out, against your thighs, and get comfortable in the bottom position.
The crossed arm, or body-builder, or genie style rack my help you keep your elbows up and help keep your back upright. Maybe give it a try.
Does your gym have a cambered bar? These are great for teaching you to drive your shoulders back into the bar. And if you have shoulder issues, it can be easier to get tension in your back with your arms down lower.
[quote]emd513 wrote:
Also the trainer told me i was going low enough for me and that my back was straight. My deadlift does similar on my shoulders. I have had a couple shoulder injury both sides so wasn’t sure if that could be the reason as well. [/quote]
What is your goal for this program and what is your trainer’s goal for you? If your goal is only to get stronger then that will happen as long as you add muscle regardless of ROM. If you have a specific ROM in which you want to increase strength, like hitting X amount of weight for a back squat to competition depth, then you would benefit from what everyone has suggested. You have to figure out what you want out of training first.
Get your feet closer together and your feet angled out. The thing with a front squat is that it is conducive to an upright posture which favors depth. It looks like you are trying to use a back squat form for this lift, which will make you lean forward. Your back is straight but you are leaning forward and if you continued to go deeper you would fall forward. You might need to lower the weight and work on your flexibility.
My goal with this program is to get stronger. I’m done with my trainer. My hips are pretty tight so that might be why I’m using such a wide stance. On my 1 sec hold front squats I bring my stance in and go lower most the time. How do I get my hips to loosen. Probably be a big benefit to my motorcycle riding to so I’m not putting so much pressure on my knees.
[quote]emd513 wrote:
How do I get my hips to loosen. [/quote]
If you find the time, watch this.
The front squat isn?t a back squat with the bar on front. With a front squat you need to sit down, not back. In the bottom, your torso should basically be vertical. Go google any good oly lifter in the bottom of a clean or front squat.
And while it’s hard to tell, you are probably going to need to narrow your stance unless you have some crazy mobility in your hips.
I stopped reading at cant front squat because your upper back is to developed. lol. Your trainer is a moron putting it nicely. Leave your ego at the door and squat lower. Start with just a bar and sit down its not that hard.