Form Check - Squat and Deadlift

[cirix]

I'm working with a mobility coach to get my ankles to loosen up a little (or even just... at all), but I'd love to hear other notes.

Squat side: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hRG1_NSs5F6xyP2XAz__dIqW2Hsj_3b_/view?usp=sharing

Squat front: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11X3jM0DxGgfXhzNiLXtd-FbdVTn9CozG/view?usp=sharing

DL side: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TDgLCLb9m5DVH0NpsjyP19WqCR3eB7xd/view?usp=sharing

DL front: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Uao1PrQv96xUX2PNjiAL-4s7IspHMs_K/view?usp=sharing

 

[gesile]

@cirix For you squat, looks pretty good. Depth is something that will come with mobility. Try to keep a little more weight in your heels. Right before you squat, take a big breath in & brace your core.

I have nothing else to add to the comments regarding your deadlift.

Keep up the good work girl!

 

[jjhyt7]

@cirix Squat - Looks a bit high at the bottom, either a flexibility issue or you're prematurely stopping yourself at or slightly above parallel. You should get some 'spring' coming out of the hole from your posterior chain before the quads take over. Without that the lift actually becomes harder than it needs to be.

Deadlift - Keep in mind that pull comes from your legs and butt and back, not your arms. Your arms and elbows should be straight and locked from the time your start the lift until you lock out solid at the top. (On your reps you're doing a little exhale curl up thing with your elbows.) It's important to remember this esp. with mixed grip in order to avoid a nasty bicep tear.

Your initial setup looks pretty good (hips could be a smidge lower, but that's also a personal choice much like stance; some people pull from a higher position than others), but between reps starts to breakdown. Generally, you want to let the weight come to a completely 'dead' stop before starting the next rep, but even if you're doing touch-and-go you want to start each rep in the position you started. In the video it almost looks like 1 sumo deadlift followed by a few reps of straight legged sumo deadlifts.

 

[alexhunting]

@cirix Your squat looks pretty shaky. You don’t seem to be bracing, just dropping down into the squat, which is causing some torso lean. I also don’t think you’re hitting depth, but I can’t quite tell. Crease of hip should drop below knee.

For your deadlift, your hips are rising first. Make sure to really load your hamstrings and pull the slack out of the bar first. Think of it as a hip hinge movement.

Good work! Keep it up.

 

[poenah]

@cirix Squat:

It looks good! The only thing I might say (which I forget a lot too) is try to tighten your back more. You can do this by bringing your grip closer to your shoulders and then squeezing your elbows into your body - it will contract your back muscles as well as draw your arms directly underneath the bar. Chad Wesley Smith has some great "Pillars of Lifting" videos for form, and the squat ones were particularly helpful for me. I can link the playlist when I'm not on mobile if you want.

Also, it's kind of hard to tell, but at the top of your squat you seem to be leaning back a bit into your heel. That could just be because of your shoe (if it's not completely flat on the bottom it'll make you wobble a lot), but try to keep your weight on the middle of your foot, over your center of gravity. It'll keep you from losing your balance, as well as tightness in your back.

Deadlift:

Your initial setup looks great - you're sitting back, lowering your hips, bringing your shoulders away from your ears. But I noticed as the reps continued, you started to forget the setup. Remember, every time you pull, to sit back so your hips are below your knees, keep your back straight, and set your shoulders back and down. It might help to not peek at yourself in the mirror - when I do that I end up twisting my body and messing up my setup. Try to feel your hips go down, to the point that there's tension in your hamstrings before you even start to pull on the bar. And make sure you're driving through your feet - as if you're trying to push the floor apart underneath you. Your arms are just there to hold it, not lift it up. Let your legs do the work.

You look great other than those things though. Keep with it! Ankle mobility is a clutch for me too unfortunately. Once you get that sorted you can try going deeper in your squat, especially if you're thinking of competing sometime (which you obviously don't have to, just wondering what your goals are!).

 

[hisoneandonly]

@cirix Re: deadlift. Don't bounce the weight. Put it down, pause, then lift again. The hardest part of the lift is the initial pull to get the weight off the floor. If you bounce the weight when you put it down, you're doing far less than you think you are on the subsequent rep.

Also, when you lower the weight - hinge at the hips until the bar is at knee height, then bend at the knees. You're letting your back do too much of the work.

Also, that foot shuffle you did? Don't do that. Choose a stance width that's comfortable both at the bottom and at the top.

 

[dawn16]

@cirix Squat

The angle between your torso and legs is 180 degrees at the top of the movement, that is not necessary and can cause elbow/shoulder pain because the bar will be less secure on your back, especially with higher weights. You already have plenty of ankle mobility. Unless you have a very good reason for staying as upright as possible (in that case use olympic lifting shoes), I'd just sit back more.

Deadlift

Don't step around when you hold the weight at the top. I see you switching your grip, if you're worried about imbalances: [welcome to the hookgrip. Can't say anything else about it as I pull conventional.

 

[ccxerein]

@cirix Okay, so on the DL front I see that when your going down your back is lowered instead of your legs. So basically your back is moving the weight. Try and bend your knees more and don’t lean so much to the front. Squat looks good.