Guys I’ve been around Tnation for a year or so this is my first time posting.
Let me know what you think about my squat form.
Keep in mind: I’m a relatively new lifter, I’ve been paying a lot of attention on my form lately, my max 5-rep squat is (only) 195lbs and I’m 6’5’’ at about 200.
Constructive criticism would be highly appreciated. Cheers
Nothing guys?
Looks fine.
yes. ditch the mirror, though, if you can help it.
just a shade too shallow, but it looks OK.
Keep your elbows forward and under the bar. This will help you keep your chest up and your lower back tight in the arch.
little shallow, and your descent is awfully quick. Control down, explode up, not opposite 
impossible to ditch the mirror but thanks for the tip
i pause between reps to make sure the next rep will be exactly like the previous one i guess it helps me mentally
what do you guys think about where one should look while squatting? straight ahead ? a fixed point above eye level? also any good resource to read more on hip drive? thanks guys!
[quote]K1ng wrote:
impossible to ditch the mirror but thanks for the tip
i pause between reps to make sure the next rep will be exactly like the previous one i guess it helps me mentally
what do you guys think about where one should look while squatting? straight ahead ? a fixed point above eye level? also any good resource to read more on hip drive? thanks guys![/quote]
some racks let you set the pins up the other way so you can have your back to the mirror.
(gee wow your rack kinda looks like one of those)
otherwise nothing a sheet and some blu tac won’t fix.
[quote]alexus wrote:
[quote]K1ng wrote:
impossible to ditch the mirror but thanks for the tip
i pause between reps to make sure the next rep will be exactly like the previous one i guess it helps me mentally
what do you guys think about where one should look while squatting? straight ahead ? a fixed point above eye level? also any good resource to read more on hip drive? thanks guys![/quote]
some racks let you set the pins up the other way so you can have your back to the mirror.
(gee wow your rack kinda looks like one of those)
otherwise nothing a sheet and some blu tac won’t fix.
[/quote]
Apologies if this is a stupid question. But why cant one squat infront of a mirror. Infact I prefer to squat infront of a mirror to keep an eye on my form.
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I don’t see the big issue with a mirror…
Anyway, I noticed on a few of your reps, especially near the bottom, the weight seems to shift to your toes. Try and keep the weight further back in your heel. It’ll help prevent injury especially when your numbers get bigger.
see that thing i did there with putting the link in??
what can you see in the mirror to help your form? can you see your lumbar arch? no. are you checking out your knee cave? in that case you are looking down and doing it wrong.
i could tell dude in the vid was checking out the mirror even though the mirror was cut out of the vid.
(not meaning to pick on you OP the significant majority of dudes in the gym squat in front of the mirror).
people get that glazed over look in their eyes. disembodied. they can’t feel the movement at all because their attention is riveted on (irrelevant things like how swole they think they look. trust me. it is a bajillion times hotter to squat in such a way that shows you can feel the movement. hard to describe… i think you need to feel the mind-muscle connection. or something. it is a bit soulless otherwise…
[quote]alexus wrote:
see that thing i did there with putting the link in??
what can you see in the mirror to help your form? can you see your lumbar arch? no. are you checking out your knee cave? in that case you are looking down and doing it wrong.
i could tell dude in the vid was checking out the mirror even though the mirror was cut out of the vid.
(not meaning to pick on you OP the significant majority of dudes in the gym squat in front of the mirror).
people get that glazed over look in their eyes. disembodied. they can’t feel the movement at all because their attention is riveted on (irrelevant things like how swole they think they look. trust me. it is a bajillion times hotter to squat in such a way that shows you can feel the movement. hard to describe… i think you need to feel the mind-muscle connection. or something. it is a bit soulless otherwise…[/quote]
Well when I watch myself in front of the mirror, I watch to make sure I dont lean to one side. For example I am known to drop my right hip a bit lower than my left as I decline. When watching myself in the mirror I make sure that my torso stays vertical and I move directly down and then directly up.
Up, down, up, dowm.
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I don’t have any mirrors in my gym. there’s no reason for them other than to check out you best “most muscular” pose in between sets.
the visual cues you recieve from watching yourself squat are unreliable. As mentioned earlier, it’s better to learn to feel the lift and know when you are doing it right by feel, not by how it APPEARS in a mirror. if someone was worried that they are doing something wrong, have a knowledgeable person watch you and give suggests. This also goes for deadlifts. Ditch the mirror and once you are forced to feel the lift your form will improve.
yeah, that is the idea.
bird - can’t you feel when you squat lopsided?
i would think it would be especially important to people who care about sports. you don’t got mirrors when you play soccer. i think mirrors do have their uses with respect to learning the mind-muscle or mind-movement connection - but that video is probably better. it is better for the body to respond to tactile or proprioceptive cues rather than visual cues. i think it makes quite a difference in the quality of movement, too.
i will try turning the other way guys thanx for the tip
the other tip i found useful is the exploding on the way up which I find EXTREMELY difficult
im not sure why but i really have to squeeze everything on the way up 
hip drive?
Solid. Just go heavier.
Peace
-Michael
Also. EXPLODE HARD. Go crazy on the set. Chalk up, scream, curse, WHATEVER TO GET YOU AMPED.
I GUARANTEE 300% SURE THAT YOULL GET MORE EXPLOSIVE, FASTER AND STRONGER.
PEACE