Form Check (Squat, Deadlift, Row, OHP)

[Savant21]

Hey guys I've been on the StrongLifts 5x5 for about a year now & I honestly thought I was making progress and lifting with proper form (for a time I was squatting around 280 lol) however around December I had a lifter at my gym who I was working in with call me out on my form (wasn't hitting parallel) and ever since I've been very cautious with ensuring I'm lifting with proper form (hitting parallel, deadlifting with a straight back, etc).

However for a while now I've been having on & off again lower back pain from squats & deadlifts. I've read with squats you have to squeeze your abdomen & hold your breath when you squat down & exhale when you come back up & with deadlifts you have to have a neutral (straight I believe) back however I still feel lower back tension from deadlifts & occasionally from squats (I last lifted last Saturday & I still feel some tension in my lower back). I also feel some pain in my hips sometimes when I squat. I've been squatting with a wide stance ever since I discovered I wasn't performing it with proper form.

Any critique & advice is appreciated *Note I performed the Squats on different days, wanted to get another video in for that lift since with Stronglifts I perform the squat every workout.

Edit: From my last workout (which is when I recorded the second squat & the other lifts) the weights were the following: Squat 5x5 135 (this is as of my last lift, I dropped in weight significantly due to lower back soreness) Deadlift 1x5 185, OH Press 75, Bench 5x5 125, Row 5x5 135. I know the numbers look fucked up but I've had to make some serious adjustments mostly due to form.

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

1. Tell your homeboy to stop fidgeting around while recording, because it's hard to judge the depth of the squat when the viewing angle is constantly changing.

And from the looks of it, it's not low enough. Go lower.

2. Deads are fine.

3. Rows are fine.

4. OHP with Beats Headphones on? Really, man?

Really?

 

[MatterOverMind]

If you're rowing with the same weight you're deadlifting, something is terribly wrong.

It's important to get form checks at near-maximal weights because that allows us to see where your form breaks down.

 

[btwrestler119]

I'm sure you'll get plenty of feedback but just a few things that stood out to me.

-Squats look pretty good, but maybe slow the descent a little bit

-Deadlifts look great except the lockout, you need to squeeze your glutes like you are humping the bar. The way you lockout now leaves your back in a weird position, it probably doesn't bother you now but when you get stronger, holding a heavy weight in that position is not going to feel good.

-Overhead Press, you need to bring your elbows forward at the bottom so they are under the bar. Also, your back is arching a lot. You need to lock down your abs to prevent this but it looks like you could work to improve the ROM of your shoulders as well.

-Just a general note, I would stay beltless for now. While you are working with lighter weights get used to creating tightness with just your core muscles. It will make a belt more effective in the future and reduce the risk of injury.

 

[Savant21]

1. Tell your homeboy to stop fidgeting around while recording, because it's hard to judge the depth of the squat when the viewing angle is constantly changing.

And from the looks of it, it's not low enough. Go lower.

2. Deads are fine.

3. Rows are fine.

4. OHP with Beats Headphones on? Really, man?

Really?

If you're rowing with the same weight you're deadlifting, something is terribly wrong.

It's important to get form checks at near-maximal weights because that allows us to see where your form breaks down.

Ouch! I thought you guys would go easy on me. I don't know any of the dudes who took the videos for me, I don't have any comrades who would/could lift with me at the moment so I lift by myself. And I'd rather wear the "Beats" headphones than the earbuds that fuck up my ears & hearing.

Also I was rowing with the same weight as my deadlift for the purpose of the form check only. I'm still fairly new to this & trying to bulk up & get stronger overall. Wanna ensure I'm doing this right.

 

[JimRussel]

Ouch! I thought you guys would go easy on me. I don't know any of the dudes who took the videos for me, I don't have any comrades who would/could lift with me at the moment so I lift by myself. And I'd rather wear the "Beats" headphones than the earbuds that fuck up my ears & hearing.

Also I was rowing with the same weight as my deadlift for the purpose of the form check only. I'm still fairly new to this & trying to bulk up & get stronger overall. Wanna ensure I'm doing this right.

MatterOverMind's point was simply that, in order to give a fair assessment of your deadlift form, we need to see you deadlifting a weight that is at least mildly taxing.

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

Ouch! I thought you guys would go easy on me. I don't know any of the dudes who took the videos for me, I don't have any comrades who would/could lift with me at the moment so I lift by myself. And I'd rather wear the "Beats" headphones than the earbuds that fuck up my ears & hearing.

Also I was rowing with the same weight as my deadlift for the purpose of the form check only. I'm still fairly new to this & trying to bulk up & get stronger overall. Wanna ensure I'm doing this right.

Don't take anything personally here, homie. It's just the Interwebz. Nothing really matters in this virtual fantasyland.

In b4 "internet is serious bizniz, lol."

The reason I mentioned the Beats Headphones is because you're supposed to touch the bar on your upper chest, just right underneath the collarbone. Obviously, with the headphones wrapped around your neck like that, you won't be able to descend properly with the bar.

Also, put a little more arch on that stance. It'll give you more support from your lats.

 

[magick]

Ouch! I thought you guys would go easy on me. I don't know any of the dudes who took the videos for me, I don't have any comrades who would/could lift with me at the moment so I lift by myself. And I'd rather wear the "Beats" headphones than the earbuds that fuck up my ears & hearing.

Also I was rowing with the same weight as my deadlift for the purpose of the form check only. I'm still fairly new to this & trying to bulk up & get stronger overall. Wanna ensure I'm doing this right.

Most anyone can make their form look beautiful when they're moving well below max, only to have giant weaknesses revealed when they move quite close to their max.

And, ya, if you're actually concerned about squat depth then you can probably go deeper.

 

[Sano]

As btwrestler mentioned, remember to squeeze your glutes at the top of the deadlift and extend your hips. Don't overextend and lean back, but you need to use your glutes more.

Seems like you have a little anterior pelvic tilt going on, which will only get worse if you don't extend your hips and work your hamstrings/glutes.

Otherwise it looked alright. It's hard to fit everyone into the same mold, especially in your case with the squat. You have less than optimal proportions for the squat, so just go as low as is comfortable for now. I mean, the depth you were at in the video is perfectly reasonable. Really, it depends on how you feel, but granted the standard is 90 degrees.

Remember learning the lifts is just as much about skill and practice, as it is strenght. It takes time.

 

[Parzival]

I think that it will be terribly awkward to try and squat any lower when your stance is so wide... unless you have super flexible hips.

In other words, you might find that keeping your feet a little closer together when you squat may immediately enable you to squat lower.

 

[DrBdan]

Try bringing your feet in closer together and sitting back a bit more. It looks like you are trying to drop your hips straight down which will limit how deep you can go comfortably.

For the deadlifts focus on squeezing your glutes at lockout. Thinking about pushing your hips through instead of leaning back (not saying you are doing this but often beginners do). Kinda like Duffman does...

 

[FUm6duck]

You might not need it now, but it's good practice; use the Valsalva maneuver. Look up Alan Thrall on youtube "how not to breathe." Basically, by sucking up all the air into your stomach as you lift, you stabilize the trunk to prevent injury. The whole point of a lifting belt is to breathe in and press your stomach against the bet. However, like someone said above, don't start using the belt till you get to heavier weights.

 

[Savant21]

As btwrestler mentioned, remember to squeeze your glutes at the top of the deadlift and extend your hips. Don't overextend and lean back, but you need to use your glutes more.

Seems like you have a little anterior pelvic tilt going on, which will only get worse if you don't extend your hips and work your hamstrings/glutes.

Otherwise it looked alright. It's hard to fit everyone into the same mold, especially in your case with the squat. You have less than optimal proportions for the squat, so just go as low as is comfortable for now. I mean, the depth you were at in the video is perfectly reasonable. Really, it depends on how you feel, but granted the standard is 90 degrees.

Remember learning the lifts is just as much about skill and practice, as it is strenght. It takes time.

I think that it will be terribly awkward to try and squat any lower when your stance is so wide... unless you have super flexible hips.

In other words, you might find that keeping your feet a little closer together when you squat may immediately enable you to squat lower.

Try bringing your feet in closer together and sitting back a bit more. It looks like you are trying to drop your hips straight down which will limit how deep you can go comfortably.

For the deadlifts focus on squeezing your glutes at lockout. Thinking about pushing your hips through instead of leaning back (not saying you are doing this but often beginners do). Kinda like Duffman does...

Well thanks for the responses! I took you guy's advice regarding narrowing my stance (& not wearing a belt for now). It was a little awkward but it felt easier to hit parallel than before. You can't really see my stance but here's the squat from my last workout anyway:



I didn't perform the Deadlift that day (just Squats, Bench & Rows). Any further critique would be much appreciated. Btw I'm doing the StrongLifts 5x5 program if I didn't mention it before.

 

[Sano]

Well thanks for the responses! I took you guy's advice regarding narrowing my stance (& not wearing a belt for now). It was a little awkward but it felt easier to hit parallel than before. You can't really see my stance but here's the squat from my last workout anyway:



I didn't perform the Deadlift that day (just Squats, Bench & Rows). Any further critique would be much appreciated. Btw I'm doing the StrongLifts 5x5 program if I didn't mention it before.

Looks pretty good actually!

 

[Ruckus]

Your squatting and deadlifting both look good! Biggest issue I saw is not driving your hips though at the top of the deadlift like others said. Another point is learning to brace better, both for squat and deadlift. I strongly advise watching this video, as it will give lots of good ques for squat which can be applied to other lifts too:

I do disagree with lifting beltless, as I believe the negatives outweigh any potential benefits. If you want to do reading on what has convinced me of this, here's a shorter article that touches on the main points and a longer article that goes more into detail:

http://strengtheory.com/should-you-wear-a-belt-or-not-study-write-up/ (short)
http://strengtheory.com/the-belt-bible/ (long)

 

[deadshot138]

Your form on the lifts looks good if you can maintain it during working sets. Lock out the deadlift by squeezing your glutes, like everyone has already stated. Your rows are good, getting a full stretch at the bottom and pulling all the way up. A lot of people use momentum and shortstroke these in order to use more weight. Not worth it. Your squat looks good. Your stance looked a little wide and your feet appeared to be turned out a bit much but that could just be the camera angle.

 

[Savant21]

Thanks for all the advice guys. Here's my form check for the OHP & Deadlift. I honestly feel the OHP is my weakest lift since even though I try to keep my back straight, it still tends to arch unfortunately. Anyone have any advice? Also I tried to squeeze my glutes at the lockout of the deadlift & push my hips out as well: *Posting two deadlift vids btw, the second one is just the warmup set, the first deadlift video here is the actual work set

 

[jakei]

it looks like you have slight anterior pelvic tilt which will be loading your lower back in the squat video.

Working from the bottom up.

1. You want to allow your feet to pronate.

2. This will make your knees point inward which is worrying as you've probably been told to stick your knees out and this isn't wrong but gets miss interpreted.

3. You want to push your hips forward (pelvic thrust) at this point and you will find as if by magic your knees come back out. Your ankles and hips dictate what your knees do.



4. This will position your subtalor joint in the correct position for weight bearing as the pelvic tilt will also correct the pronation. It will also correct your posture and reduce chances of back pain. You may also find you can lift heavier.

5. just pushing your knees out 'conventionally' causes lateral rotation of the femur and tibia, makes you load bare toward the outside of your foot and moves your subtalor joint into a poor position for load bearing.

 

[DrBdan]

Deadlifts look good.

For the OHP, you need to start with your elbows forward more and your chest up. That will give you a more stable "shelf" to press from and make it easier to keep a vertical bar path. You might find it easier to do this if you use a thumbless grip. You also need to push your head through more at lockout. I think this video is a pretty good example though he maybe slightly exagerates pushing his head through.

 

[JauntyAngle]

it looks like you have slight anterior pelvic tilt which will be loading your lower back in the squat video.

Working from the bottom up.

1. You want to allow your feet to pronate

Out of curiosity, is it possible to diagnose APT when someone is wearing a loose t-shirt like that, and without seeing their normal posture, movement etc? How do you know a lifter isn't consciously tilting the pelvis as part of arching his back?

On the topic of foot angle/position, I thought there was no consensus on this. At least that there are plenty of elite squatters who point them straight forward, and some who pronate.

Don't claim to be an expert at all.