So I finally got a little tripod for my phone and set it up to check my form. Of course, first thing I notice is I'm not quite hitting parallel, so I deloaded to 135 (scheduled SS increase was supposed to be at 155 that day... but previous 150 didn't 'feel right', so I was glad I saw the video)
So, anyway, any other thoughts/issues besides trying harder for parallel? I don't really think its a flexibility issue as I can ATG squat heels flat without the bar, but I had a prior injured adductor that has allowed my hammies to get super weak. Working on that with Glute Ham Raise, squats and deads. Other suggestions?
Also, linking my bar warmup set so you can see my right wrist... how do I get it to not do that? It hurts. Lefty doesn't do that or hurt.
@jada11 Even in your 45 lb squats you aren't getting to depth by at least 6" so definitely continue to work on that. It looks like you could angle your toes out a bit more and really shove your knees out wide to help you get more depth. Here's a good example.
At 135 you are tipping forward out of the hole, which as Meatros mentioned is usually because you aren't staying tight enough throughout your upper back and core. Really focus on pushing through your heels and keeping your shoulder blades pinched together throughout the entire movement.
As you mentioned, your wrists should be straight. I can't see the position of your thumbs, but it helps to put them over the bar, then just rotate the bar forward until your wrists are straight, like this.
@jada11 Adding on to grae313's great advice, taking a deep breath at the beginning of the squat movement can help keep your core tight and help prevent some of the forward leaning at the bottom of the squat.
@jada11 You're not hitting parallel even with the bar, let alone with 135 - if you can get all the way down without the bar, work on getting that depth with the bar on your back, and just sitting in the bottom during your bar warm up.
With regards to your wrist, you can either take a wider grip so that your wrist isn't so bent over, or you can do a thumbless grip (so, hands over the bar without your thumb wrapped around it) to keep the joint straight. Some of the choice here may be determined by what type of squat you're intending to do - if you're intention is low bar (which is what this looks like, except for the hand positioning) you should be better off with a thumbless grip. If your intent is high bar, you probably want the bar to sit a little bit higher to start, and that may make it easier to get your thumbs around the bar without breaking so much at the wrist.
@roger1234 Yeah... I noticed that when I viewed the warmup set. I tried harder to get down as I progressed up. Should I deload further or should I be able to get it at 135?
@jada11 Frankly, I think you would want to deload to the bar, get video of what it looks and feels like when you're actually hitting depth, and work back up. It's telling that you're consistently above parallel regardless of the weight, and based on these videos you don't have a good proprioceptive sense of when you're at or below parallel.
It looks like your upper back might not be tight. Depending on if you are doing high bar or low bar will depend on whether you should break at the hips or knees first.
Personally I angle my feet out more, it enables me to spread my thighs more and hit better depth.
@jada11 Sit back more into the squat with your weight rested on your heels. Spread your feet a bit more - it's not worrisome if your toes point out a bit. Start with just the bar and descend in a controlled manner. Doing these should help you sit a bit lower in the squat for full ROM.
A good quick checklist to go through is: weight on heels, ass out, chest up, sit back, control down, explode up
One thing you can try is to pause at the bottom. Take a lot of the weight off and go down to the hole, pause there for 2-5 seconds. Do 5-10 reps. I do this every few weeks, I find it helps with getting depth.
