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

[Delvis]

I'd personally walk in facing the rack, most others do as well, no idea if its frowned upon

Slack off the bar, grip it, get ready for the lift so you're practically at the point of lifting the weight off the floor, then lift it. Yanking it, ie starting in a relaxed state then going at it 100% with no middle ground will just hurt eventually.

 

[Pigeon_Killer]

I'm struggling to come up with a single reason why walking backwards after squatting would be a good idea

http://stronglifts.com/squatting-newbie-mistakes-technique-exercise/

2. Walking The Weight Out By Stepping Forward. Do this and you'll have to walk backwards after your heavy set of Squats to rack the weight. You're going to have to twist your neck in order to check if the bar is in the uprights. It's much easier and safer to rack the bar back in the uprights by stepping forward. That's why you should always walk the weight out by stepping back.

You appear to be confused Drew.

 

[Gimli]

I'm struggling to come up with a single reason why walking backwards after squatting would be a good idea

http://stronglifts.com/squatting-newbie-mistakes-technique-exercise/

You appear to be confused Drew.

Seems you're right! That's me told. Will be stepping back from now on. Maybe I just mixed the two up?

 

[BennyC]

Lawd have mercy! DrewSecrets that snatch grip deadlift (video won't play but can tell already from the preview). Feet slighlty narrower than shoulder width, feet facing forward.

 

[mrthingyx]

Lawd have mercy! DrewSecrets that snatch grip deadlift (video won't play but can tell already from the preview). Feet slighlty narrower than shoulder width, feet facing forward.

Also, is there a particular reason you have such a wide grip?

 

[Barks]

Been a couple of weeks since I last asked for feedback. Would be interested to read any comments on how I'm progressing. Is it perfect? No but I'd like to think I'm making progress. I certainly feel much stronger and more stable around the core than I was a month ago. Didn't have any gym buddies with me so just balanced it on the floor, appreciate more angles would help.

That's 90kg x 5 full training log is available in the sub forum.

That is about as deep as I can go given my flexibility constraints.

Cheers

 

[mrthingyx]

That looks pretty good, actually.

Can't tell what your knees are doing, but it looks a lot more stable/comfortable than before. I also can't see your lumbar, so have no idea what that is doing.

 

[icecold]

Okay so I'm on the fourth week of Stronglift 5x5 right now and thought I'd best post here (especially consdiering I was recommended to). Yesterday was Squats, Overhead Press and Deads, I'm bound to be doing a fair bit wrong so please help me out.

So, let's see how bad I'm doing.

/should be up in 5

Would it be worth recording tomorrows? (Squat, Bench Press and Barbell Rows)

Firstly, that music is just awful.

Your squat and deadlift stance is crazy wide.

Please watch the videos in the OP and try again.

Been a couple of weeks since I last asked for feedback. Would be interested to read any comments on how I'm progressing. Is it perfect? No but I'd like to think I'm making progress. I certainly feel much stronger and more stable around the core than I was a month ago. Didn't have any gym buddies with me so just balanced it on the floor, appreciate more angles would help.

That's 90kg x 5 full training log is available in the sub forum.

That is about as deep as I can go given my flexibility constraints.

Cheers

Better, but you're over extending your spine in your set up, losing that position as you approach depth, and then reversing the process on the way up.

You also don't seem to have much torque going through your hips. Externally rotate femurs and spread the floor.

 

[Barks]

So is this a case of correcting technique or working on flexibility?

I've been doing tons of stuff to try and improve my flexibility and core strength.

Cheers

 

[LiE]

It's mainly about learning how to have a neutral spine, and bracing this position. Supple Leopard book covers this well if you have access.

 

[Barks]

Surely that can be corrected just be leaning forward a bit more. I see my back is hyper-extending yet when I did it with the bar looking in the mirror I could correct it just by leaning forward a bit more.

I'll try and hunt down that book, looks very expensive to buy though.

 

[Gimli]

Firstly, that music is just awful.

Your squat and deadlift stance is crazy wide.

Please watch the videos in the OP and try again.

Haha! I thought I'd get a comment, wasn't too keen on it myself but I hated the silence. Just grabbed first free to use music I found.

I tried a narrower stance on the squats today, lost my balance quite a few times and I'm not sure if I was leading backwards with my hips correctly (if that makes sense?). Shall take another look at the videos like you recommend.

Lawd have mercy! DrewSecrets that snatch grip deadlift (video won't play but can tell already from the preview). Feet slighlty narrower than shoulder width, feet facing forward.

Also, is there a particular reason you have such a wide grip?

I'm not sure really, I think the reason I have been using a wide stance is for balance, but as for the wide grip I'm not sure, could be because it's what I'm used to?

Is a snatch grip deadlift not a good thing then?

 

[mrthingyx]

@Barks: your proposed solution is actually causing the problem in that you are changing the attitude of your spine instead of keeping it rigid. The same originally applied when you first started: you'd hyperextend your lumbar to stop it rounding out at the bottom of the squat, and that is not a sign of a neutral, locked and stable spine.

Just keep working on your core strength and hip mobility... This is where things like MWOD hip openers and snatch prep (some useful YouTube cues for you there! ) come in useful.

@DrewSecrets: there is nothing particularly wrong with snatch grip deadlifts at all. However, they are a lot more stressful on your upper back and core than regular ones, as well as your grip, and your glutes/legs will miss out on the stimulus provided by a bigger weight lifted normally.

Most people will never have cause to learn to snatch, clean or jerk, but that doesn't make them pointless by any stretch of the imagination.

As such, I would take your stance back to in line with your shoulders, and grip just outside your knees. If you're losing your balance when squatting in narrower position, then the rest of your motor pattern needs to adjust, too. And get your knees out!

And that music was awesome: a bit 70s, a bit 70s pr0n, a bit Doobie Brothers... What's not to like?

 

[BennyC]

Barks, on top of what others have said, and when your spinal position issue is addressed to echo Icecold your hips could be loaded more in the latter portion of the rep.

Have you tried bench squats with a very light weight to allow you to actually sit down, maintain/ensure you brace your core properly and push from this optimal position?

 

[Syla5]

@drewsecrets you already have plenty to be reviewing but from a safety point of view, you want to be walking the weight out of the squat rack backwards. If you need to rerack in a hurry its insane trying to do it backwards

 

[BennyC]

Looking good from the half I can see before the plate blocks the view entirely

 

[icecold]

Better!

Head neutral chest up as you pull.

 

[Delvis]

............He said head neutral and CHEST up, not the other way around

Head in line with your spine, keep your chest up and full. Play with the way you engage your back and lats as I think that can help determine how your chest is going to sit.

 

[Delvis]

Presumed so.

The chest will stay up if you stop the hips from rising to some degree.

 

[icecold]

I don't actually mean that you should be bending your spine (it looks nice and neutral), I'm talking about your chest dropping due to your hips rising a bit too early.

For you this is kind of a good sign though, as you're posterior chain now seems to be working better. You now need to balance it out with a big drive from your quads. Think about pushing the floor away with your feet. Oh, and you probably don't need your toes up any more.