what's wrong with my squat (video)

[ShortBrah3030]

I have 10 lb plates under my heels since I don't have oly shoes yet. I'm still getting used to it. Just tell me everything I'm doing wrong so I can correct it.

[Mr.Serpent]

I think I can offer you a bit of advice before the more knowledgeable posters turn up.

-I can't see the plates so they may be thin, but I think 10lbs is a little too big to be standing on. Before I got my shoes I was using 1.25kg (~2.5lb) plates.
-The angle makes it hard to tell but I think your hands are too far apart. Pendlay says that your hands should be as close together as possible for you, so that you create a nice shelf for the bar.
-Your knees come forward a bit too far, remember to push them outwards more so than forwards. Sit down between them.

You have a little bit of rounding at the bottom too, but IMO it's not horrific. Just keep working on your hip, hamstring and ankle flexibility and I think you'll be fine. It doesn't look like a bad squat, quite controlled, but remember not to train too slow. Olympic lifting is all about speed (especially out of the bottom).

[Greco-Roman]

I think I can offer you a bit of advice before the more knowledgeable posters turn up.

-I can't see the plates so they may be thin, but I think 10lbs is a little too big to be standing on. Before I got my shoes I was using 1.25kg (~2.5lb) plates.
-The angle makes it hard to tell but I think your hands are too far apart. Pendlay says that your hands should be as close together as possible for you, so that you create a nice shelf for the bar.
-Your knees come forward a bit too far, remember to push them outwards more so than forwards. Sit down between them.

You have a little bit of rounding at the bottom too, but IMO it's not horrific. Just keep working on your hip, hamstring and ankle flexibility and I think you'll be fine. It doesn't look like a bad squat, quite controlled, but remember not to train too slow. Olympic lifting is all about speed (especially out of the bottom).

I agree with most of this.

Also, make your elbows point down, nice and relaxed under the bar.


Don't worry about training too slow right now though. Train right. Eventually you'll learn how to be faster. But you need to first know how to do the right things fast.

[ShortBrah3030]

I agree with most of this.

Also, make your elbows point down, nice and relaxed under the bar.


Don't worry about training too slow right now though. Train right. Eventually you'll learn how to be faster. But you need to first know how to do the right things fast.

Yeah for the first couple of weeks I'm going to be just going slow not caring at all about the weight on the bar, just making sure I'm stable and using correct form. I've been trying to learn how to squat correctly for a while and I really didn't think choosing between high bar and low bar mattered but it really does. For six months I've been using a high bar bar positioning and trying to squat like a low bar squatter and it was just mind ****ing me because I didn't know what I was doing wrong.

But now that I know I need a heeled shoe and how high bar should look I think it should be improving well over a few weeks. And yeah, the 10lb plates are pretty big. I'm going to gradually go down to 2.5s once I get the hang of it.

[olyw8lifter]

I agree with most of this.

Also, make your elbows point down, nice and relaxed under the bar.


Don't worry about training too slow right now though. Train right. Eventually you'll learn how to be faster. But you need to first know how to do the right things fast.

I agree with most of it too. Only thing I disagree with is knees going forward. Knees have to go forward if you're to keep your torso/trunk upright. OP, just keep squatting, you're doing great!!

[kerltee]

knees look fine, lower back needs to be more tight aka need more flexibility as mentioned above.

[Mr.Serpent]

I agree with most of it too. Only thing I disagree with is knees going forward. Knees have to go forward if you're to keep your torso/trunk upright. OP, just keep squatting, you're doing great!!

I disagree, oly shoes will make the knees come forward a bit due to the elevated heel, but it isn't necessary (or even correct) to let them go past the toes. Knees should go outward rather than forward to create up an upright torso and the shins should stay reasonably vertical.

Op's knees are likely a result of the fairly extreme heel elevation he has. It will probably diminish as he comes lower.

[MikeParty1]

I don't think you need to elevate your heels so much. Yeah oly shoes have an elevated heel but so do your running shoes. The difference is one is rubbery and one is solid. I'm not sure what kind of 10 pound plates you have but for me shoes+ 10 lb plate = a good 3 inches off the ground. Additionally, you look very stiff going down into the squat. Maybe that is a lack of flexibility or you're just not used to the movement. Keep up the good work.

[GoJu]

I disagree, oly shoes will make the knees come forward a bit due to the elevated heel, but it isn't necessary (or even correct) to let them go past the toes. Knees should go outward rather than forward to create up an upright torso and the shins should stay reasonably vertical.

Op's knees are likely a result of the fairly extreme heel elevation he has. It will probably diminish as he comes lower.

For an oly squat shins should not be vertical and it is correct to let the knees go past the toes. Different coaches use different cues, not every coach agrees that the hips should be the first thing to move or even that the knees should be pointed out even. The most common piece of advice among oly circles would be to let the hips move back and then let the knees move forward as they will so as to let you keep upright. Others would say to the knees come forward and the decent and let the hips move back as you descend. Others say the hips should break and knees should bend at the same time. I've not found the moving my knees out helps with keeping my upright, just my depth, what keeps my back upright is keeping my core and upper back tight.

[Mr.Serpent]

For an oly squat shins should not be vertical and it is correct to let the knees go past the toes. Different coaches use different cues, not every coach agrees that the hips should be the first thing to move or even that the knees should be pointed out even. The most common piece of advice among oly circles would be to let the hips move back and then let the knees move forward as they will so as to let you keep upright. Others would say to the knees come forward and the decent and let the hips move back as you descend. Others say the hips should break and knees should bend at the same time. I've not found the moving my knees out helps with keeping my upright, just my depth, what keeps my back upright is keeping my core and upper back tight.

I squat as described in this video.


Personally, my squat form and strength have improved tremendously since I started forcing my knees out, rather than just stopping them from coming in. My glutes and my hips especially are much more involved in the movement.

I think the knees going past the toes is more dependant on your build, if you have long femurs/small feet, a correct squat will almost definitely involve your knees going over them. But if you don't have a build like that, then IMO you're probably not engaging your glutes/hips enough.

[GoJu]

I squat as described in this video.


Personally, my squat form and strength have improved tremendously since I started forcing my knees out, rather than just stopping them from coming in. My glutes and my hips especially are much more involved in the movement.

I think the knees going past the toes is more dependant on your build, if you have long femurs/small feet, a correct squat will almost definitely involve your knees going over them. But if you don't have a build like that, then IMO you're probably not engaging your glutes/hips enough.

I've experimented with squatting the way Cantito suggests in my warmups.

For my heavy sets I push my hips back and force my knees out and let them bend as they will.

You might be right, I have relatively long femurs so I don't have a choice on the matter of my knees going past my toes.

[Partyrocking]

You shift your feet a lot when you start like you don't know if you're in the right place and when you descend, you wobble a little bit. Smooth cadence will help and that just comes from practice. Keep squatting and build confidence in your technique. I realize that this isn't specific as to what you should do, but a lot of squatting is mental. You have to have the mentality that you own it or it will own you.