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  1. #1
    Registered User chillz88's Avatar
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    Form check high bar squat

    Can someone advise me on my squat Form.
    I am doing fierce 5 novice. I am stuck at 70kg weight for squats . I do 65 kg in this video. I might be going for a deload for my back squat. My rdl is already 80 kg and seems easy to progress. My front squat is now 60kg *5. I am on a lean bulk but my body weight has only increased by 0.5 kg (just started lean bulk and was around maintenance cals two weeks).

    1)Is my squat for good enough. Anything to work on?

    2)I used to get stuck on 65kg before while on my cut(around 12% from being obese). Now just increased to 70 kg only being able to hit 4 reps for my last set whilegaining only 0.5 kg
    . Is that progress too low to expect at bulk or should I deload now and expect to progress more easier as my body weight increases?

    3) My rdl weight is now 80kg and seem easy to progress on. I do feel complete tension at the eccentric portion and feel it right. Is it normal of a beginner to progress more easier at rdls than at back squats?
    Thanks. Couldn't post direct links. Sorry. Any help is appreciated. Kindly change htps to https

    htps://youtu.be/tAgnyQ5YWXY
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  2. #2
    Registered User hardyboysare's Avatar
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    For ease, OP's video.
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    I prefer knees out to the side when squatting, not knees forward. You are breaking at the knees first, I would go hips back first. What you are doing just seems so quad and knee focused. Real power is generated from the hips.
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    Registered User BeginnerGainz's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by BromanianDL View Post
    I prefer knees out to the side when squatting, not knees forward. You are breaking at the knees first, I would go hips back first. What you are doing just seems so quad and knee focused. Real power is generated from the hips.
    All squats are quad focused unless they are stupid wide, toes waaaay out, mile high squats.
    The main muscles involved are the quads and glutes (the “hips”). The hamstrings only contribute what they must once the knees (quads) do what they do, knee extension, and then the glutes extend the hips from there. If the glutes need help towards the top part of the movement, that is when the hamstrings get involved. The hamstrings shorten at the knee and lengthen at the hip in the bottom but lengthen at the knee and shorten at the hip at the top so it doesn’t change length much, in other words....hamstrings don’t get much out of squats. And you don’t want to TRY and get them more involved because that just means the quads need to work hard to extend the knee to counteract the hamstrings knee flexion (because obviously one can’t extend AND flex the knee at the same time....)

    OP it looks like you’re dropping down instead of lowering the weight under more control, and on the way up your knees look like they are buckling inwards. Bar path and back angle is fine.
    Last edited by BeginnerGainz; 10-14-2020 at 07:51 PM.
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  5. #5
    Time is Muscle ECGordyn's Avatar
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    I agree with Bromanian that a wider stance would help you by involving more musculature. But I don't think you need to be so concerned with hips in HB squat. If you widen your stance, you'll feel your hips more, but that doesn't mean the hips are the key to a strong HB squat. HB involves "staying in the quads," and controlling the bar by driving your upper back into it to keep it moving in a straight line. Sure, you need to be aware of letting your hips open up so that femurs don't hit your pelvis, but the classic Starting Strength "hip drive" is less important in HB than LB.

    Your barpath is great, smooth up and down. Your torso angle is consistent. You could maybe cut depth a bit, widen stance, and get upper back tighter. (Can't see upper back so this is just a guess.)

    How's your diet and weight gain?
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  6. #6
    Registered User chillz88's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by hardyboysare View Post


    For ease, OP's video.
    Thanks a lot. You have been a lot of help for me.

    Originally Posted by BromanianDL View Post
    I prefer knees out to the side when squatting, not knees forward. You are breaking at the knees first, I would go hips back first. What you are doing just seems so quad and knee focused. Real power is generated from the hips.
    Originally Posted by BeginnerGainz View Post
    All squats are quad focused unless they are stupid wide, toes waaaay out, mile high squats.
    The main muscles involved are the quads and glutes (the “hips”). The hamstrings only contribute what they must once the knees (quads) do what they do, knee extension, and then the glutes extend the hips from there. If the glutes need help towards the top part of the movement, that is when the hamstrings get involved. The hamstrings shorten at the knee and lengthen at the hip in the bottom but lengthen at the knee and shorten at the hip at the top so it doesn’t change length much, in other words....hamstrings don’t get much out of squats. And you don’t want to TRY and get them more involved because that just means the quads need to work hard to extend the knee to counteract the hamstrings knee flexion (because obviously one can’t extend AND flex the knee at the same time....)

    OP it looks like you’re dropping down instead of lowering the weight under more control, and on the way up your knees look like they are buckling inwards. Bar path and back angle is fine.
    I used to put my hips back when i started squatting. I changed that cue cos but i feel my quads more now by trying to stay wide till atleast half of my ascent to engage more quads from the hole now. I should work more on controlling that weight on the descent as you said. I dont think i have a problem with buckling knees as of yet but instead i find it the most difficult after a few inches up from the ascent. I have attached an older video below all the quotes from the back camera angle.

    Originally Posted by ECGordyn View Post
    I agree with Bromanian that a wider stance would help you by involving more musculature. But I don't think you need to be so concerned with hips in HB squat. If you widen your stance, you'll feel your hips more, but that doesn't mean the hips are the key to a strong HB squat. HB involves "staying in the quads," and controlling the bar by driving your upper back into it to keep it moving in a straight line. Sure, you need to be aware of letting your hips open up so that femurs don't hit your pelvis, but the classic Starting Strength "hip drive" is less important in HB than LB.

    Your barpath is great, smooth up and down. Your torso angle is consistent. You could maybe cut depth a bit, widen stance, and get upper back tighter. (Can't see upper back so this is just a guess.)


    How's your diet and weight gain?
    Thanks mate. I really like watching olympic squats and might want to learn it in the future. So i guess i try to go below depth just for that eventhough i know its not necessary. Not needed? I have some questions about upper back tightness. Should i feel as if I am bending the bar down on my back throughout the ascent and descent of the squat?

    I was at home eating maintenance calories for isolation and my field of work. When i started going back to the gym, I started on f5 novice at much lower weights than before and was still on maintenance calories for a little more than a month. When my lifts started getting close to my previous lifts, i started increasing my calories up to around 200 calories from the start of this month. I have gained only 0.5 kg and my lifts have increased very slightly except not much on the back squats. I want to try to do my first bulk right.


    Below is an older video of me doing squats at 65kg. I know me taking the bar from the rack was weird here but have been working on it now. Should i keep trying to bend the bar on my back all throughout the squat to maintain upper back tightness. Thanks a lot.

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  7. #7
    Registered User WolfRose7's Avatar
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    The bar is slightly behind mid foot over your heels, you do need to unlock hips a little and allow a bit more lean.
    Don't try and emulate how upright most Olympic lifters are, most have very short femurs that mechanically allow them to be super upright.

    That said its not a huge difference.

    The rest is just getting tighter in general which we can all do, crank down upper back and get more air.
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  8. #8
    Registered User BeginnerGainz's Avatar
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    The buckling knees could be a result of your adductors trying time assist with hip extension due to quad weakness.

    A note on “feeling” in an exercise, it doesn’t really matter if you practice “hip drive” or whatever, the knees still have to extend at the bottom to get out of the whole and that is the job of the quads. Once the glutes and adductors take over, it is their job to extend the hips.
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  9. #9
    Registered User chillz88's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by WolfRose7 View Post
    The bar is slightly behind mid foot over your heels, you do need to unlock hips a little and allow a bit more lean.
    Don't try and emulate how upright most Olympic lifters are, most have very short femurs that mechanically allow them to be super upright.

    That said its not a huge difference.

    The rest is just getting tighter in general which we can all do, crank down upper back and get more air.
    Originally Posted by BeginnerGainz View Post
    The buckling knees could be a result of your adductors trying time assist with hip extension due to quad weakness.

    A note on “feeling” in an exercise, it doesn’t really matter if you practice “hip drive” or whatever, the knees still have to extend at the bottom to get out of the whole and that is the job of the quads. Once the glutes and adductors take over, it is their job to extend the hips.
    I dont have any problem with knee valgus as of yet mate. I struggle after a few inches after my ascent

    I did my squats with a bit more wider stance and a bit more lean forward and i feel better. I might go for an early back squat deload though. So I can progress more and gain more weight by the time i reach the same weight.

    Thanks for the tips guys.
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  10. #10
    Registered User chillz88's Avatar
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    Updated form

    OK guys. I deloaded my weight back to 85% from before. I tried to lean more forward and try to feel my big toes into the ground now. I feel more stable now and my quads feel like it's getting more into the exercise now. Don't know if it feels better due to lighter weight or due to form changes.


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  11. #11
    Registered User NomadNA's Avatar
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    What's your perceived point of failure (e.g. Quad strength, back stability, or leg stability)? have you failed any reps?

    I like programming for weaknesses. When my squat is balanced but I'm not making gains, I go hit the leg press for a couple weeks. Quads respond super well to volume. Usually adds jet packs to my squat but then I have to re-program to strengthen my stability again.

    Several coaches will say disagree completely with this suggested approach.
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  12. #12
    Registered User chillz88's Avatar
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    Question

    Originally Posted by NomadNA View Post
    What's your perceived point of failure (e.g. Quad strength, back stability, or leg stability)? have you failed any reps?

    I like programming for weaknesses. When my squat is balanced but I'm not making gains, I go hit the leg press for a couple weeks. Quads respond super well to volume. Usually adds jet packs to my squat but then I have to re-program to strengthen my stability again.

    Several coaches will say disagree completely with this suggested approach.
    I have failed to get the last rep of the last set of 70 kg I was leaning back to my heels. This way I feel my legs working harder in the squat if that's a way to describe it. So I am reloading according to F5 protocol and I am going back to going up.

    I think I am weak all over. Lol. So not trying to train for specific weaknesses rather than the basics and improve slowly. Just started bulking up after a big cut and bulking slowly. So will take time I believe. I am just gonna keep at it so that progress has no choice but to move up.

    Would love other comments on my new form and video. No idea how to change the title to updated form video
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