Squat form thread

[VulgarDisplay]

A view of your squat from behind would also greatly help us critique your form. Chances are that pushing your knees out more could be the solution to your form problems, but I we can't see how your feet and knees are working from the side angle.

 

[brikis98]

So I reviewed the chapter for Squats and did some of the suggested exercises. Fixing foot angle and keeping the femurs parallel with the feet felt easy enough. Then again, so did the "butt wink" issue. I took my camera in again a couple of days ago to see how my form had improved...and quickly realized I was still having issues with buttwink. I ended up just doing 5 rep squats and reviewing the video after each one to see if I had managed to get the form down.
I noticed that the first rep usually seemed fine but the I'd start winking by the second or third rep. Eventually, I think I got a set of 5 without any buttwink. It's not pretty, but I'd appreciate if you guys can look over my new video and tell me if I've conquered the buttwink. Other comments and critiques are welcome as well.

Not the best angle/quality video - a view that gets more of your front so I can see the knees would be better - but from what I can see:

* Your back looks ok and it does look like you are controlling the "butt wink"
* Your depth is a bit short on some reps
* You have a bad habit of pausing at the bottom of the squat, during which time you lose a bit of tension in both your lower and upper back. I often see people do this when they squat in front of a mirror because this slackening of the torso makes it look like they are getting more depth (from the front) even though the hip isn't actually getting any lower (from the side). At any rate, you should not be pausing: hit the bottom of the squat and bounce (using the stretch of the hamstrings) right back up (remember to drive your ass straight up). To get a feel for the timing of this, practice the "1 1/4 squat": squat down, hit the hole, come back up a quarter of the way, drop down again to really get a feel of the bounce and then come back to standing.

 

[brikis98]

It's been much more difficult than I though, since during each of the first 4 sets I thought my form was fine; watching the videos told me otherwise. I'm not good enough that I can check my form by the feel of it, I need visuals.

Proprioception takes a while to develop, so don't worry about it. The ideal is to get instant feedback from a friend/coach who can tell you if you are at parallel, your back is locked, knees out, etc. A camera is a good alternative if no one trustworthy is around, but immediate biofeedback cannot be beat.

 

[Terzo]

Thanks for the feedback so far. I spent more time working on it, and videotaped my last set. I don't think it's perfect, but it's getting there. I found The 1 1/4 exercise really helpful.

 

[brikis98]

Thanks for the feedback so far. I spent more time working on it, and videotaped my last set. I don't think it's perfect, but it's getting there. I found The 1 1/4 exercise really helpful.

Looks a bit better. A few more suggestions:

1. Might just be the camera angle, but the depth still looks questionable.
2. You're looking down with your eyes but your neck is still arched. To fix your neck position, imagine holding a tennis ball under your chin by squeezing it down to your chest (SS has a good illustration of this).
3. I'm not sure you are driving out of the hole correctly. It doesn't look like you are engaging your hip extensors (hamstrings, glutes, adductors) much and are doing a quad centric leg press type motion. To fix this, do the drill in this video: squat down, have a friend stand behind you and push straight down on your lower back, and then try to squat back up. If you can stay in balance while doing this, you'll find that you start driving out of the hole by driving your ass/hips straight up. In fact, driving your ass up is the only thing you should think about - your knees/quads/etc will take care of themselves.

You're getting closer. Keep working on it and you'll have a good squat soon.

 

[mizzou]

camera angle is bad, your legs go parallel which is just what you want, but it almost looks like your feet are angled outwards, which may be causing unnecessary or severe pressure on your joints (especially the knee)

I'm no pro though, just stuff I remember from high school gym class lol

 

[SociallyChallenged]

camera angle is bad, your legs go parallel which is just what you want, but it almost looks like your feet are angled outwards, which may be causing unnecessary or severe pressure on your joints (especially the knee)

I'm no pro though, just stuff I remember from high school gym class lol

Your feet are supposed to be angled outward to allow proper hip flexion. That's how a true squat works. Squats with toes forward (which causes muted hips) actually cause a lot more pressure on the knees.

 

[Terzo]

Looks a bit better. A few more suggestions:

1. Might just be the camera angle, but the depth still looks questionable.
2. You're looking down with your eyes but your neck is still arched. To fix your neck position, imagine holding a tennis ball under your chin by squeezing it down to your chest (SS has a good illustration of this).
3. I'm not sure you are driving out of the hole correctly. It doesn't look like you are engaging your hip extensors (hamstrings, glutes, adductors) much and are doing a quad centric leg press type motion. To fix this, do the drill in this video: squat down, have a friend stand behind you and push straight down on your lower back, and then try to squat back up. If you can stay in balance while doing this, you'll find that you start driving out of the hole by driving your ass/hips straight up. In fact, driving your ass up is the only thing you should think about - your knees/quads/etc will take care of themselves.

You're getting closer. Keep working on it and you'll have a good squat soon.

Thanks as always. I really appreciate the comments and advice you've given.