Squat lean

[Sergeant]

Even when I squat with just the bar I lean over too much. I have tried to squat slow but the lean always comes. My shins are straight so that is not the problem. I go into a lean as soon as I go under the bar. Any way I can fix this?

 

[spatts]

Lean how? Forward too far?

 

[solidj55]

Arching your back helps, locking shoulder blades together seemed to help me, wider stance also helped me. Thats about all I can think of.

 

[Hannibal]

Even when I squat with just the bar I lean over too much.

Without seeing it...how do you define "too much"?!

 

[Twitched]

It's all about combined center of gravity. in order to keep your shins parrallel and not fall over, you must also keep the ccog directly above your feet. your ass, hams, and back weigh a lot, so you need to be bent signifigantly forward your knees to balance. Once you add more weight to the bar, then the bar need only be a fraction of the distance "over the knees" to compensate for the back end of your body. If that made sense...

 

[Sergeant]

Will I look nothing like the young black girl that went elite on the latest cover of PWUSA. I wish I could keep my upper body up like that. For those of you with the Jan. 2002 issue of PLUSA, turn to page 12 and look at the picture on the bottom of Joe Dougherty squatting. I lean as much as he does but I squat with a closer stance so it is more pronounced. Any thoughts?

 

[Deciever]

seargent, where in NJ are you

 

[Honey Roasted]

I'm interested in this discussion because I have the same problem. If I keep my shins strictly vertical and lower the weight by backing my hips up, then I end up leaning very far forward. I feel like I'm doing a very low bent-legged good morning! I find that if I let my shins tilt so that my knees are above my toes then I can keep my torso decently upright. Is this okay?

 

[Sergeant]

If I let my knees go forward I can keep more upright but with decent weight I have knee pain.

 

[Sergeant]

And Deciever I am in North Jersey.

 

[Deciever]

sergent, i sent you a PM

 

[spatts]

The girl on the cover may have a completey different fulcrum than you. For example, I have a LONG torso, so if I carry the bar too high, I fall forward. I can get around this by leaning over more & carrying the bar lower. If I had a short torso, and strong quads, I'd carry higher, narrow my stance, and sit more upright. Go with the safest way to hit the highest numbers. Everyone has a different set of variables to play with.

 

[Skizac]

I lean as much as he does but I squat with a closer stance so it is more pronounced.

That may be your problem. 99% of powerlifters squat with a very wide stance. Get your stance out wide and see what happens. Make sure you also push your knees out to the side to avoid the bow-legged syndrome.

A wider stance will effectively reduce the length of the lever between your knees and your hips. This will bring your hips in closer to being under the bar, and will allow to squat down without leaning forward as far. I hope I explained that correctly; it's hard to say how it works without drawing pictures.