T Nation

Video: Fix My Squat.

Powerlifting
#1

I brought my camera down to the gym this morning to get a video of my squat to make sure depth was ok, having reviewed it when i got home i realised my depth was great but I found a new problem.

I’m losing the bar forward every time I go for near maximal weights.

Any suggestions on how I could possbibly fix this?

Video 1: 100kg warm up set (form loooked good)

Video 2: 145kg. 1st set of 3 (form looked pretty bad)

Video 3: 145kg. 3rd set, thinking of driving through my heals and getting my head back usually helps keep my hips and shoulders moving at the same rate. obviously it didn’t work this time! (form is reminds me of DW… ie an injury waiting to happen)

So… Help??

#2

Just on first glance, the biggest problem is the spandex bicycle shorts!

#3

Have you changed your style since clara. Anyway your arse is lifting up first and with a real heavy weight it looks like you will do a good morning squat. You need to strengthen your quads. 1 and 1/4 squats with feet shoulder width apart olympic style, knees forward upperbody as vertical as possible for a few weeks might help. Good mornings to help you lockout at the top with ease.

#4

I agree, too much weight. You’re not really squatting through the upper half of that movement - it’s more like a good morning. You looked much better in your warmup set; drop the weight a bit until you stop GMing the weight up.

#5

I would say your hams are weak plain and simple. Coming out of the hole your knees are driving BACK under your hips when really your hips should move above your knees. I would say your quads are trying to compensate. Try to keep your shin absolutely vertical next time and drive your hips up and through. It helps to accomplish this by driving on the outsides of your feet on the way up. Take more videso so we can help more :slight_smile:

#6

Work to get your elbows more underneath the bar. Go over to Elite and read “Falling forward in the squat” by Tate; it’s under Powerlifting Articles.

Bear

#7

I think some here are a little overly critical. The technique looks pretty good, even on the work sets. I’d work on getting your chest up more from the start (where you start is where you’ll finish), and just getting your legs stronger in general. The torso is caving over partially because of the set-up, but also because your legs aren’t strong enough to take the weight - therefore your back is trying to good morning the weight up.

Nice work and keep training hard!

Stay strong
MR

#8

Focus on getting your shoulders to go up first. As others have pointed out you’re butt is going first. Lower the weight a tad and make a conscious effort to get the shoulders to lead the body out of the hole. Keeping your back tight and letting the shoulders lead should tighten up your form.

Or just use the leg press machine exclusively and you dont have to worry about posture :slight_smile:

#9

I also don’t think your form is too bad. I think what would immediately help is when you step back into position take a second to pull your shoulder blades together, take in a breath and then tighten up your mid section by pushing out against the belt. This should immediately improve your truck position. It is still a week point for you but the setup items will help.

For the longer term you need to work on strengthening the upper back from rounding. I’ve found one of the best tools is to squat with the safety squat bar if you have one available. The yoke force the weight more forward and requires you upper back to work harder. If you have not safety squat bar available then working on your front squat would probably be the next best thing.

Keep up the good work.

#10

Your form in the warm up set is good.

I used to do the same thing as you with heavy sets. This is how I fixed it (coach advise and it worked for me):

Before you start the rep, fill your chest and abdomen cavity with air, and hold it tight. Keep your shoulders pulled back as if you are trying to touch both the shoulder blades on the back. This will also push your chest out.

Now as you descend down, have your chin up (try looking up) throughout the lift. At the bottom, push up with your glutes explosively and keep your weight between the heel and balls of the foot through the push.

#11

also, from the video, one foot looks further forward than the other.

#12

when I have a problem with squats this is exactly what always happens to me.

First follow the advice of just working on leg strength.

and two things that always help me:

1- Try to get your elbows more under the bar. may have to mess with grip width to find whats comfortable.

2- Pullthroughs really help me feel how to drive the hips forward. Also great to strengthen glutes/hams

#13

[quote]Magnar wrote:
Just on first glance, the biggest problem is the spandex bicycle shorts![/quote]

I agree and might also add you spend far to much time screaming and rattling the squat rack damn near looked like you were gonna tip it over, then you rapidly get into position without properly setting your self for the squat.

Too much weight
Terrible shorts
to much bravado

#14

Doing some front squats and overhead squats might be a good idea. As Dan John says,“You can’t fake an overhead squat.”

Front squats might help with keeping the chest up and the caving over.

#15

[quote]Mike Robertson wrote:
I think some here are a little overly critical. The technique looks pretty good, even on the work sets. I’d work on getting your chest up more from the start (where you start is where you’ll finish), and just getting your legs stronger in general. The torso is caving over partially because of the set-up, but also because your legs aren’t strong enough to take the weight - therefore your back is trying to good morning the weight up.

Nice work and keep training hard!

Stay strong
MR[/quote]

I agree with Mike, with one other possibility in that you may simply not be firing your glutes to push them forward. If consciously trying to push them through doesn’t fix it after a couple tries, definately the legs.

Have a good one,

Dan

#16

[quote]Mike Robertson wrote:
I think some here are a little overly critical. The technique looks pretty good, even on the work sets. I’d work on getting your chest up more from the start (where you start is where you’ll finish), and just getting your legs stronger in general. The torso is caving over partially because of the set-up, but also because your legs aren’t strong enough to take the weight - therefore your back is trying to good morning the weight up.

Nice work and keep training hard!

Stay strong
MR[/quote]

As Mike stated, it looks pretty good. I mean you definitely have a pretty good squat, but if you want to take it to the next level, which is why I believe you are asking for help, work on getting those legs stronger so your back can stabilize your position instead of doing all the work when the going gets tough.

P.S- how tight are your hip flexors? Having good flexibility in that group may make it easier for your legs to fire throughout the motion.

#17

Honestly your form doesn’t look that bad. I’d probably try to push the hips back more right from the beginning since your inital motion is down not back but since you’re not squatting very wide you won’t be able to keep those shins vertical.

Really. . . just get stronger and push the hips back.

STU

#18

[quote]Bodyguard wrote:
Magnar wrote:
Just on first glance, the biggest problem is the spandex bicycle shorts!

I agree and might also add you spend far to much time screaming and rattling the squat rack damn near looked like you were gonna tip it over, then you rapidly get into position without properly setting your self for the squat.

Too much weight
Terrible shorts
to much bravado[/quote]

Wow… Way to be mean. The shorts are Underarmour, therefor they are cool :stuck_out_tongue:

#19

Thanks so much to everyone for their opinions and advice.

I honestly think it’s more of a technique issue as opposed to strength at the moment because I squatted 165kg for an easy enough single at the start of April.

Other than strength the main point people seem to be making is about my set up… I think the advice below, along with keeping my elbows under the bar should probably help.

[quote]bald_eagle wrote:

Before you start the rep, fill your chest and abdomen cavity with air, and hold it tight. Keep your shoulders pulled back as if you are trying to touch both the shoulder blades on the back. This will also push your chest out.

Now as you descend down, have your chin up (try looking up) throughout the lift. At the bottom, push up with your glutes explosively and keep your weight between the heel and balls of the foot through the push. [/quote]

I might widen my stance out a bit too, i would imagine it would be eaiser to stay more up right with a wider stance no?

(ps as for dropping the weight I’ve got a comp coming up on th 1st of July so I can’t reall afford to, ain’t that right Kieran!!)

#20

And hah jsut saw today’s “Cool Tip”. Could that possibly be any more applicable to me??