***Gym Exercise Guide, and Form Discussion/Feedback***

As long as the negative is controlled in a RDL fashion it doesn't matter - too many people loosen their core on the negative - it's good to see Tom using some control on the way down. :)
 
fen739 said:
Good news, they'd found the bands (red and green).
Blasted 2 sets of the glute exercises out before squats and 2 sets after as well as the mwod from the mobility thread:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gwgm3s2EQ0

After all this I was able for pretty much the first time ever to break parallel by quite some way with bodyweight squats. My upper body did come forward horrendously but normally I would fall over even with this.

Definitely going the right way :D

Right the reason I uploaded this was to see whether I'm positioning the bar correctly for low-bar squats. To me they feel much less natural than high bar. It also felt like it was putting more pressure on my back to hyperextend when standing up and not in the actual squat. Wondering if I'm doing something wrong.
The 2nd video I threw in at the end just to see whether the bar position was correct - I was already knackered so form's not great.
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Those look like lovely squats from the side, but from the back we can see how unstable you are in your hips and knees.

Keep doing what you're doing and aim to slow things down slightly for a couple of sessions. Aim to be completely stable.
 
icecold said:
Those look like lovely squats from the side, but from the back we can see how unstable you are in your hips and knees.

Keep doing what you're doing and aim to slow things down slightly for a couple of sessions. Aim to be completely stable.
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Will do. The last set was noticeably worse even to me but I'll still drop the weight a bit and aim for stability.
 
Not been in the gym properly for a couple of weeks but somehow managed to squat the highest I ever have! I tried 60kg a month or so ago and it felt wrong so I made sure I filmed it today because I felt super strong (well, relatively :p). Started off at 45 after warming up and kept adding until it got heavy.

<snip>


I think I have the bar too high on my shoulders. I think I can go lower too, looking forward to working on that. Need to improve my mobility as well because I think bum tucking is an issue. Might be going down a tad too quickly as well?

How do the knees look?
 
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I was just about to ask if you had a rear view one just before I watched the third video :p

Knees in the coming in sense look good I would say, they don't cave in much if at all, well done mate :)

As you say, your bum does tuck in at the bottom of the reps, how is it all feeling though? I presume there is no pain?

Good work though! Feels nice having some big plates on doesn't it?! :D Love to be able to get in to squatting again, time will tell
 
No pain, well we'll see what tomorrow brings regarding pain but all felt comfortable at the time. I think my posture is poor too so that points to Psoas, I believe. I need to start stretching and stuff.

Yeah, it's nice having man-size plates on there :cool: previous gym had large 15s, 20s and even 25s but this one only has 10s -> 20s.
 
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The only problem with those is your lower back rounding, which is the same problem you have with your deads (sorry I forgot to reply to your email!).

I'd actually say you shouldn't go that low, at least until you fix your bum tuck.

With the deads, make sure you are setting up with a straight back that is braced and locked in place.
 
So a weak core is to blame for the rounding?

I think I'm not going to bother changing routine or anything yet, I'll stick with the current routine and throw in a lot more core stuff.

Should core stuff be at the end of the session? The only problem I forsee with that is that my core will be fried by then? Perhaps a separate core + hiit session is needed?
 
sigma said:
So a weak core is to blame for the rounding?

I think I'm not going to bother changing routine or anything yet, I'll stick with the current routine and throw in a lot more core stuff.

Should core stuff be at the end of the session? The only problem I forsee with that is that my core will be fried by then? Perhaps a separate core + hiit session is needed?
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“Since the basic nature of correct ab function is isometric, the exercises in which the abs perform this function will provide exercises for the abs as well. This may seem childishly apparent, yet virtually every strength coach adds extra concentric/eccentric ab work to the program anyway. The thinking must be that just squatting, deadlifting, pressing, cleaning, snatching, chins, and barbell curls – all of which involve trunk stabilization as a critical performance component – do not provide sufficient ab work by themselves. I disagree.” -Rippetoe
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I'm a noob but from what I've read it's more about hip mobility when it comes to getting your arse in the right place.
 
Looking good sigma, as has been said work on your bum tuck.

Also as you point out bar position on your back, i wouldmsay it could do with coming about 1-2 inchs lower. If you feel your wrists hurt then move your grip iut a little wider.

Have you considered taking a slightly wider stance? This will help you retain more power as you get heavier as well, watch a vid of doms and ice's and you will see what I mean by a wider stance. My stance is currently 2/3 of the way between yours and dom's I would say, and I find this really helps me keeping my knees out.

Oh and about the 60 feeling much stronger now then a couple of weeks ago, you'll be seeing 100 soon at this rate :-)
 
I actually wouldn't change the bar position yet. Going low bar will make him lean forwards more which is going to exacerbate his back rounding. Once he has loosened up his hips, and is able to generate spinal stiffness with his core and is feel when it's moving he'll be find it much easier to move to low bar.
 
Djdom56 said:
bum tuck = lower back rounding
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I see. I thought the back rounding comment was the same as the deadlift rounding where my core is weak (unless that too is related to hips?). Anyway, I need to sort the problem - what is the best way about doing this?

Judging by how heavy 60 was, I think 100 is a fair bit away, for reps at least! I could probably do a 1rm 100 but I'd rather sort my body out before doing anything like that.


Thanks for the feedback :)
 
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Weak core = poor trunk/spinal stiffness
+
Tight hips = more load transferred to back
=
Bum tuck


Stretch glutes and hams, do core work, do work on your lats and back in general. During core work, don't arch your back (the opposite of what's going on in your videos) as that's no good either, all that does is teach your core that it doesn't need to turn on fully. During ab work keep your spine neutral, with a slight bias towards doing a crunch.
 
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