squat check

[astanto2]

hey all, submitted this to rip's q&a, but thought i'd also get your feedback. this is my second set at 300lb. i'm doing the novice progression and have been making 10lb jumps; this felt like a challenge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hdbcLfSoKk

[mcsquared]

Some of those reps look high. From the angle, it doesn't look like you're shoving your knees out that much, which has an effect on depth.

[astanto2]

Some of those reps look high. From the angle, it doesn't look like you're shoving your knees out that much, which has an effect on depth.

am focusing very much on knees out, but may not be getting them out enough. thanks for the feedback. would you rec staying at this poundage or keep moving next w.o.?

[mcsquared]

I'd recommend moving up in weight just cause it didn't seem like you were overly struggling with the bar. I might add five pounds, focus on keeping the knees out further, and see how it goes. I can't really tell how wide your stance is either, but make sure you're not going for it with a high-bar squat stance like I've been known to do.

[TomC]

You squats look pretty good and I think you are getting proper depth. I cannot tell if your femurs are just long or if you may want to let your knees come forward more, but you are getting pretty close to horizontal at the bottom of the squat. I would be interested to see what a pair of lifting shoes would do for you. I would bet that your knees would come forward a bit more and you would stay slightly more upright.

I cannot really tell from the video, but do you feel like your knees collapse inward when you ascend from the bottom of the squat? There's a hint of that in the video, but it is too close to a side view to tell if that is actually happening.

I also agree that you should keep moving up in weight.

[astanto2]

You squats look pretty good and I think you are getting proper depth. I cannot tell if your femurs are just long or if you may want to let your knees come forward more, but you are getting pretty close to horizontal at the bottom of the squat. I would be interested to see what a pair of lifting shoes would do for you. I would bet that your knees would come forward a bit more and you would stay slightly more upright.

I cannot really tell from the video, but do you feel like your knees collapse inward when you ascend from the bottom of the squat? There's a hint of that in the video, but it is too close to a side view to tell if that is actually happening.

I also agree that you should keep moving up in weight.

thanks - my femurs are long, I don't know if they're abnormally long, but they are long. I have long arms too, so deadlifting is easy for me relative to squatting. I do struggle to keep knees out; I think I'm doing a pretty decent job of it but I definitely fight an inward collapse on the way up. It usually is the worst at about the halfway up point. I plan to get some shoes soon; have been researching to find the best pair for a good price. input on that welcome as well.

[Gottatri2lift]

I concur with the knees coming in while coming up, but you do try to correct it as you drive up.

Question for the board:
Because of the quickness coming out of the hole would that limit the stretch potential on the hamstrings and cause compensation with knees in?

[nisora33]

I concur with the knees coming in while coming up, but you do try to correct it as you drive up.

Question for the board:
Because of the quickness coming out of the hole would that limit the stretch potential on the hamstrings and cause compensation with knees in?


I don't think it likely.

-S.

[murrie]

Do you think he leans forward too much? I say that because his form is very similar to mine and I had someone tell me I was leaning over way too much. Just curious......

[KONG]

Looks good from the hips down except needs more knees out.

From the hips up, I can't see that well...but something is telling me that the upper back is losing some extension...all speculation though. It would be interesting to see this from an angle where we could see what's going on with the back.

[astanto2]

dwayne, I think I did lose some upper back extension, which I think I should correct by driving my elbows up, right?

[KONG]

Well, not necessarily, but it could work for you.

Its really a matter of squeezing the shoulder blades together and puffing your chest out and just trying really hard to keep it like that throughout the movement regardless of your back angle. I can't give you the cue that would work because I'm not a coach. But I think you know what you have to work on.

Here are some things I think you could play with:
1. Eye gaze: For me, bringing my gaze to a point a little closer to me on the floor actually helped. Other people, looking directly out helps. I don't know which will work for you but play around with it.
2. Elbow position: Some people swear by bringing the elbows down to keep the chest up, other people swear by elbows up to keep the chest up. I think this is something you have to play with. personally, I like to think more about my upper back tightness more than my elbows....(which I think has helped to alleviate some of the elbow issues I've had in the past).
3. Chest out: For some people this is all they need to hear and it works for them.

Also, how big is your belt width in the back? I can't really tell if your belt is tapered or if it even width around. Sometimes those tapered belts are way too wide in the back and can mess with your ability to get good extension. If it is tapered, put it away and get a better belt. 4 inches all the way around, and about 10mm thick.

[astanto2]

thanks, this is helpful. i have found that elbows up seems to help me keep a tight upper back, and i will experiment with the other stuff you've pointed out. appreciate it.

the belt is one that's available at the gym - i'm shopping for my own. it's about right in the front and, as you say, way too wide in back. it pretty much stinks, so yeah, i need to get one that doesn't.