--squat: 13 sets of 5, some empty bar, some 25lb (practice) bar
--cardio: running outdoors, 2 miles
--stretching: 1 yoga class
I am still trying to learn correct form for squats, and today's attempt went much better than yesterday's! (I didn't give up and leave.) Once I got over the geekiness of having a webcam at the gym, it was excellent to be able to review each rep in slow motion. I took "Starting Strength" with me and tried to follow those instructions word-for-word.
There must be some mistake in my form, though, because tonight I am lying down with a bunch of lower back pain. Fortunately, icing my back, ice cream, and good music on the internet can distract me from this.
Here are the last 3 reps with the empty bar:
Tips, anybody?
My next task is to brainstorm about which style to learn, and whether to go back to a trainer who I met in April (she's kind of pricey & far away but a great teacher).
Saturday, August 22, 2009
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I can't tell a whole lot from only this angle (I'd have to walk around to check the squat as a whole), but it looks pretty good. You're definitely going deep enough, you're keeping your back well arched, and you're keeping your weight toward your heels.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I can say that strikes me as immediately strange is that you are leaning forward a whole lot, and in the last rep it seems like you're actually leading with your chest instead of your hips or knees. Part of this could be how your body is shaped, but it could also be because you're keeping your feet too close together while trying to keep your shins too perpendicular. That much forward lean is going to put a lot of stress on your lower back.
Other than that, it looks pretty good. It's certainly a prettier squat than mine is. Any other comments I could only provide if I see the squat in person or if I can get a different angle, though I'd also be curious to see what others say.
Looks good, but I think you should start adding weight. Having good form on lower weights helps with form on heavier weights, but weak spots often don't show up until you're pushing yourself.
ReplyDelete-- I'm not sure if you should stick to a single squat technique. Close stance, wide stance, high bar, low bar, regular bar, special bar, ... there are many possible configurations, each one is useful for some purpose.
ReplyDelete-- I can't notice huge technical mistakes from this angle, except for:
1. Slight crashing down, which is not good for most lifters.
2. Lack of tension (watch for: tiny movements here and there).
-- Lower back pain doesn't necessarily mean that your form is bad.
Frank, Gordon, & Danny, thanks a bunch for the tips. T'is appreciated. I will try some different configurations, and also look for lack of tension / crashing / leading with chest in the next video.
ReplyDelete@Gordon, good point about weight increase.