Am I rounding my back on squat? Help!

[jeremy9710]

Okay so I have been trying to get squat down. I've been taking videos and checking my form and I noticed that it looks sorta like my back is rounding out im not sure. Any help? Thanks guys. Also How is the rest of my form? I did a lighter one at 80lbs and a heavier one at 140. 140 is what im squating atm for reps on SS 80 was the warm up.
Light

Heavy


Thanks again guys!

[71Avido]

Not rounding per-se, but you've definitely got some buttwink going on:
The guy on the right is the example of buttwink.

You're going to need to work on mobility.
It's a pretty common issue actually.

[jeremy9710]

Okay Thanks for the quick response! What is a buttwink caused from? Is it not keeping the arch in your back? Thanks

[sambshep]

On the 80Ibs you had a bounce at the bottom of the lift, I'd recommend using a more controlled movement such as the one in the 140Ibs clip. Looking up can straighten the spine and contracting your abdominal muscles can help maintain a straighter posture during the lift.

[jeremy9710]

On the 80Ibs you had a bounce at the bottom of the lift, I'd recommend using a more controlled movement such as the one in the 140Ibs clip. Looking up can straighten the spine and contracting your abdominal muscles can help maintain a straighter posture during the lift.

Okay I thought the bounce was good for stretch reflex? Also I thought looking up was bad? I was reading starting strength and they say to look 4 to 5 feet in front of you at the ground. Thanks

[71Avido]

Okay I thought the bounce was good for stretch reflex? Also I thought looking up was bad? I was reading starting strength and they say to look 4 to 5 feet in front of you at the ground. Thanks

The bounce is not good, it can lead to injury when you start increasing weight. Stay tight as a drum through the movement.
Looking up is a method of preventing your spine from rounding, looking at the ground leaves you open to the opposite.

[jeremy9710]

The bounce is not good, it can lead to injury when you start increasing weight. Stay tight as a drum through the movement.
Looking up is a method of preventing your spine from rounding, looking at the ground leaves you open to the opposite.

Ok I didn't realize that lol, Did I go to depth in those squats the second one looked sorta iffy to me? Thanks!

[Cabletie]

Tiny bit of buttwink at the bottom, wouldn't need too much work to fix I don't think. Buttwink is basically the beginning of back-rounding; your pelvis drops under the rest of your body. Fix it by stretching the hammies, or just drop into a deep squat (without buttwink) and hold it for a while a few times a day. Like I say, I don't think anything particularly extensive will be needed as it is only right at the bottom of your below-parallel squat.

Oh, and as ^ said, go a bit slower and more controlled on the way down, even when using light weight! You can use the stretch without dropping so fast

[71Avido]

Ok I didn't realize that lol, Did I go to depth in those squats the second one looked sorta iffy to me? Thanks!

Depth is fine, you're just trying to get the crease of your hip below the top of your knee.
One thing to work on (in addition to the wink) is the weight traveling forward.
In your heavy vid, you can see the weight transfer to your toes a little, try to prevent that.

[jeremy9710]

Tiny bit of buttwink at the bottom, wouldn't need too much work to fix I don't think. Buttwink is basically the beginning of back-rounding; your pelvis drops under the rest of your body. Fix it by stretching the hammies, or just drop into a deep squat (without buttwink) and hold it for a while a few times a day. Like I say, I don't think anything particularly extensive will be needed as it is only right at the bottom of your below-parallel squat.

Oh, and as ^ said, go a bit slower and more controlled on the way down, even when using light weight! You can use the stretch without dropping so fast

Oh okay ya I've been trying to work on my flexibility. Anyother person told me I had tight hammies so that will prolly fix that I'll definanlty try that! Okay I'll go slower I could never seem to get it when I went slow. However when the weight is heavy I can't go down that fast lol so it is more controlled. Thanks!

[sambshep]

Okay I thought the bounce was good for stretch reflex? Also I thought looking up was bad? I was reading starting strength and they say to look 4 to 5 feet in front of you at the ground. Thanks

Bouncing is not good, especially when you get to heavier weight. I'd recommend either looking straight ahead or looking up, looking down is a definite no-no.

Ok I didn't realize that lol, Did I go to depth in those squats the second one looked sorta iffy to me? Thanks!

If by depth you mean getting low enough then I would say yes, but you don't want to go too low as that can be hard on your knees. Once your thigh and calf create a 90 degree angle that's generally where you want to stop.

With squats, at least in my experience, you want to maintain a strong and unwavering posture, especially if you're using heavy weights, and maintain a controlled and consistent movement to prevent injury and promote good form. Furthermore, make sure your breathing doesn't consist of short quick breaths as that can cause dizziness, which is the last thing you want to be experiencing when performing squats.

Edit: I forgot to mention what Avido pointed out, make sure the weight is evenly dispersed on your feet. For example, if you're leaning forward a little as Avido pointed out, you want to shift enough weight to your heels till you're evenly balanced (think of each end of your feet as one of those old balance scales).

[jeremy9710]

Depth is fine, you're just trying to get the crease of your hip below the top of your knee.
One thing to work on (in addition to the wink) is the weight traveling forward.
In your heavy vid, you can see the weight transfer to your toes a little, try to prevent that.

Okay ya I see it doing that, how do you stop the weight from traveling forward? Thanks

[71Avido]

Okay ya I see it doing that, how do you stop the weight from traveling forward? Thanks

By keeping yourself TIGHT through the movement.
Looking up does help with this a bit.

It really wasn't that bad but this is a form check thread so I wanted to point it out.

[sfalcon1]

Okay Thanks for the quick response! What is a buttwink caused from? Is it not keeping the arch in your back? Thanks

One cause is tight hamstrings. It will cause lumbar flexion and eventually injury.

Another way to keep from rounding your back is to keep your grip narrow as possible, it helps keep your shoulder blades back.

[jeremy9710]

Bouncing is not good, especially when you get to heavier weight. I'd recommend either looking straight ahead or looking up, looking down is a definite no-no.

If by depth you mean getting low enough then I would say yes, but you don't want to go too low as that can be hard on your knees. Once your thigh and calf create a 90 degree angle that's generally where you want to stop.

With squats, at least in my experience, you want to maintain a strong and unwavering posture, especially if you're using heavy weights, and maintain a controlled and consistent movement to prevent injury and promote good form. Furthermore, make sure your breathing doesn't consist of short quick breaths as that can cause dizziness, which is the last thing you want to be experiencing when performing squats.

Edit: I forgot to mention what Avido pointed out, make sure the weight is evenly dispersed on your feet. For example, if you're leaning forward a little as Avido pointed out, you want to shift enough weight to your heels till you're evenly balanced (think of each end of your feet as one of those old balance scales).

Okay, No I breath in when going down then breath out when going up. Well I try to sometimes I forget to breath at all! That really wears you out. lol okay that makes sense so i'll try to put more weight on my heels! THanks

[jeremy9710]

By keeping yourself TIGHT through the movement.
Looking up does help with this a bit.

It really wasn't that bad but this is a form check thread so I wanted to point it out.

Okay I'll try that, Ya I would way rather get it all figured out now than later when im squating heavy with bad form! THanks

[jeremy9710]

One cause is tight hamstrings. It will cause lumbar flexion and eventually injury.

Another way to keep from rounding your back is to keep your grip narrow as possible, it helps keep your shoulder blades back.

Okay that might help I was trying to keep them pretty tight but i'll try harder! Thanks

[tidnab]

Okay Thanks for the quick response! What is a buttwink caused from? Is it not keeping the arch in your back? Thanks

Yes. It's not a mobility issue, rather it's a form issue. Brace your abs, keep your chest up and arch your back hard as you sit back into the squat. This will keep your back very straight, which is what you want.

"Buttwink" otoh is caused by allowing the back to relax as you start to get down low.

[jeremy9710]

Yes. It's not a mobility issue, rather it's a form issue. Brace your abs, keep your chest up and arch your back hard as you sit back into the squat. This will keep your back very straight, which is what you want.

"Buttwink" otoh is caused by allowing the back to relax as you start to get down low.

Ok Thank you, I'll work on arching my back more I seem to lose it as I go down. lol

[tidnab]

Ok Thank you, I'll work on arching my back more I seem to lose it as I go down. lol

Don't just arch the back but also brace the abs. If you just arch the back by itself your back will bend too much in the other direction.