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Critique my Squat -- Vid inside!! Oh boy! Click here!

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Protobuilder

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There's the link:

http://media.putfile.com/March-06-Squat-5x155

Basically, my squat is weak as hell (max single = 210-15 at BW of 170-ish). This is my 4th set of 5x5 at 155. I've struggled & struggled to find a good squat groove over the past year. It's just a tough lift for me. I don't know if it's a biomechanical issue, a flexibility issue, or just plain weak legs. I'm 5'11", relatively lanky and not naturally strong or muscular--a perfect combination! Anyway, I've tried to do a close stance OLY style squat but I can't balance for some reason. I have to tilt way forward to get ass-to-grass. So I've opened my stance up -- my feet are probably 30" apart give or take. This lets me get down past parallel but I can't get "ass to ankles" w/out my lower back rounding pretty badly. So I go as deep as I can w/out losing too much of my arch. You can see in the video that I lose my arch some at the bottom and that I'm going below parallel but it isn't an "ass to grass" squat really. But it's as deep as I can get right now. Not sure what to do or if it can even be fixed given my body dimensions, etc. If it can, I'm all ears.

Anyway, let me know what you see and what you don't. Forgive the crappy videography. The guy running the digital camera is a complete moron.
 
Looked very tight. I watched it only once, so my eyes may be playing tricks, but I think you started to fold/round on the last rep on your way up. Feel looked planted nice (didn't pull a G5), lower back had a nice dip in it, ass was back (this makes me feel a bit flamboyant, having to say that), and your upper back looked like it was holding the bar well. Bra-vah, my friend.

I'm sure others will critique you better than I, but I don't see a problem.
 
nice deep squat :) I agree that your stance is kinda wide so your hittin more glutes you can always do front squats for quads if you feel like your getting an imbalance.

Also- what shoes? or are those socks. they didnt look like they were helping you be steady on the lift. just a thought. maybe look into some lifting shoes.

Good work!
 
The depth looks good, but i think from looking at that your knees are coming out past your ankles. I too had a balance/flexability issue with my oly squat when i first learned it. one thing i do is keep my hands on the bar for a second, and then just squat down (like on the balls of your toes). hold onto the bar for balance. then lean back until your feet are flat. this is how low you could in theory go. It's just hella hard on the abs and back to keep you from falling backward.

it's hard to explain. i'll try and get a video of how i do it. it helped me a lot.
 
Out past his ankles? Do you mean laterally?

Forgot to comment on depth - very nice, deep squat. No problem on the ass-checking, brah.

Stance wasn't too wide really. Most people have enough quad development anyway, and any sort of back squat is still going to overly develop the quads compared to the hamstrings as you get stronger (think 1.5x bodyweight squat) - so by that point, add in some direct hamstring work. Nothing major - a few sets of leg curls 2x a week. But forget I said that, I don't want to confuse you or make you worry.

Of course, if you do feel the need to get more quad growth, do as Ms. Bev said - front squat.
 
Looked a little wide, knees MAY have gone a bit to far past the toes, kinda hard to tell, other than that it was good
 
it looked pretty good. i think you would improve faster if you threw some good mornings in the mix. I see you drifting forward, when your back fatigues and your legs drive you up. gm's will prevent any injury from getting out of your groove and also tighten up your lower back thoughout the movement.

the main thing with an oly squat is to stand straight up. ie. shoot your head up through an imaginary ring above you. this keeps you from drifting forward and having your ass drift back. basically you sit straight down and shoot straight up. try it without weight and you'll probably feel a bit different. under weight its compensation that gets you to stand up, especially if you are quad dominant and not strong in the hips. thats why your hips will continue to rise but your torso stalls out a bit (doesn't move at the same rate).

your foot positioning is fine, i think you need it to sit down like that. you have long legs and a shorter torso so you'll expect to have to sit a bit between your legs.
 
looked very good to me. That is how I do mine pretty much. It looks as though you have found that groove. Just remember to increase the internal pressure by restricting your breath on the way down and exhale power breathing style on the way up. Doing that will stablize your low back and prevent the forward lean. It takes some practice but really helps on the heavy lifts.

You will know that it is working because on the heavier lifts your low back does not even come into play and your abs are tired/sore by the end of your work out.
 
Looks pretty damn good to me. You've got stilts so don't sweat the wide stance. I think you're plenty deep too.

I paused the vid when you're at the bottom and I'd say you might try to stay more upright, but it may be biomechanics. Just make sure you're driving throught the heels primarily at the start of the ascent. This is the tip that got my squat to take off. Saying 'sit back more' might be the right cue, but I'd like to see you more upright in the hole.

Overall, very good form IMO.
 
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Only thing I noticed was you rolling back a bit on your heels, I could see your toes lift off the ground when you hit the top. Not sure what youre aiming for, but if you want maximum poundage you need to drop the bar down a bit on your back. Looked like you had the bar sitting pretty high.
 
If he's going for a high-bar oly squat (I wasn't sure if he was, but I'm getting the "yes" impression now), then moving the bar lower would be a bad thing.

Stance should be where it's comfortable. Outside shoulder-width just a bit feels perfect to me, and much wider won't be too conducive for an oly squat. Knees SHOULD be coming out past the toes, that's normal. You break at them first, not the hips like with a generic power squat.

I'll say it now - more upright if your goal is an oly squat. Definitely looked closer to a power squat to me, what with that forward lean and all.
 
From a PL stand point:

you are going too deep. you are not sitting back far enough (your knees are going past your toes). you are not tucking your elbows under the bar. get your feet out wider when you squat, and open your groin up as you are descending. work on spreading the floor when you squat by pushing down and out with your feet. you need to learn to get the bar lower on your back, this will help you to get a better center of gravity.
 
Definately need to let everyone whether your oly squatting or power squatting.

As nate said, Good Mornings will definately help with that little bit of rolling your back does when your half way out of the hole, looks like your lower back is a little weak.

If you just want a good squat, go with the power squat, widen out them legs, work on lower back, hip and glute strength, do some heavy ab work and see how things progress...

Also shoes would help, again though, need more info....
 
Thanks for all the constructive comments. The feedback is appreciated.

I am shooting for an Oly squat, although I've determined that I really can't do a close-stance, upright torso, ass-to-grass, proper oly squat. When I try, I fall backwards. The only way I can do it is by leaning forward a ton, which defeats the purpose. Limb length, body proportion? Don't know. So, I guess I'm doing some kind of combination, which may be called an "athletic back squat"? (I've seen that language used to describe a combo-type squat). I'm basically trying to get maximum ROM, and I seem to be able to do that w/ a slightly wider than shoulder-width stance and high bar placement. I do try and spread the floor. And I try to keep upright so I try and sit straight down rather than back. Some good advice I got was, "Try and sit on your nuts."

I consciously try to pull my toes up to help keep the pressure on my heels, and sometimes at the top I'm driving w/ my heels enough that the balls of my feet will actually lift up a bit. Got that tip from Guinness, I believe.

As for knees coming forward, I think it's acceptable to some degree (I limit it by pushing through my heels) and the nature of the beast w/out doing a pure PL style squat.

Not falling forward is a chronic problem as the weights get heavier. I'll work on the power breathing method (thanks kingkrs!) and I currently do GMs to try & strengthen my back/hams. I'll keep doing 'em, and working on staying upright in the hole best I can.

Any more thoughts? Comments so far have been very helpful. I honestly thought my squat sucked so it's nice to hear it's not that bad. Now, any tips for adding 100-150 pounds to it? LoL
 
with an oly squat I try to keep the weight centered over the arch of my foot. lifting your toes just isnt pheasable if your knees are shifting forward. it becomes a ridiculous balancing act and under weight, thats not what you want. your feet should be planted and weight should be distributed over the back portion of your foot but there is pressure on your toes as well. no wonder you fall backwards.
 
On the heels thing, you wanna transition from heel drive to 'total foot drive'. That's what madcow said, though he phrased it better :D
 
Guinness5.0 said:
On the heels thing, you wanna transition from heel drive to 'total foot drive'. That's what madcow said, though he phrased it better :D
Click to expand...

And I was having a good morning. :(
 
Try doing a heavy set of squats for about 3 reps and see what happens if you lift up your toes. I would bet a good chance you end up falling backward! Should keep your entire foot planted on the ground at all times and not move them at all.
 
Illuminati said:
From a PL stand point:

you are going too deep. you are not sitting back far enough (your knees are going past your toes). you are not tucking your elbows under the bar. get your feet out wider when you squat, and open your groin up as you are descending. work on spreading the floor when you squat by pushing down and out with your feet. you need to learn to get the bar lower on your back, this will help you to get a better center of gravity.
Click to expand...
i second this opinion
 
I have the same problem as you in that the motion up isn't quite as fluid as I'd like it to be. We both get about halfway up and the back kind of starts to take over and it's noticable. I'd like to have one smooth motion, which is something I need to work on.
 
looking at that, i just get the feeling your not able to absorb some of the weight in your hips... maybe your a little too forward. a little more arch of the back would do good too IMO. maybe this is what is hurting your squat.
 
I thought that it looked good man. You just need time under the bar...
 
Thanks for the comments. Very instructive. I probably should've figured out how to work my camera a long time ago. LoL

And just to save face a bit -- that set at 155 is not my limit set. LoL
 
this thread inspired me to video my squats tomorrow, and get my form critiqued...

the main thing i saw in this is you need to strengthen your abs, as you were falling forward on the up motion...

nice depth...

also, sit back more on the start of the rep... it'll keep your knees from shooting out over your toes...
 
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