Squat, OHP & Deadlift Form Check

[nomercy89]

This is way way overdue. I figured I would rather post all the videos in one post as opposed to spamming the board with 3 different posts (right?). I tried to get the best angles by myself, until the last video someone offered to take a video of me and I was quite grateful for it.

First off with the squat at 70kg/154lbs.
Angled front view

From the back, I like the way my glutes look


OHP at 37.5kg/83lbs




Deadlift at 80kg/176lbs
Side View


Someone graciously videoing me


I'm suspicious about my OHP form because I feel like I'm not progressing on that as I should. The deadlift, I'm wondering if my buttocks are too high up?
Any and all advice, and comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to view and telling me what you think.

[WhiteGorilla]

It looks like your arms are going to break off on the OHP
Deadlift- look at the deadlift technique article Mehdi wrote, or go to youtube and find Rippetoe's video on how to set up for a deadlift because you are sticking your ass too high and pulling with your bcak too much

[nomercy89]

It looks like your arms are going to break off on the OHP
Deadlift- look at the deadlift technique article Mehdi wrote, or go to youtube and find Rippetoe's video on how to set up for a deadlift because you are sticking your ass too high and pulling with your bcak too much

Thanks for the quick reply WhiteGorilla! I have that feeling with the OHP, it's always as if they're leaning back too much, any tips on how to adjust that?
I'll read Mehdi's article again and look for Rippetoe's video. Do you think my squat looks good?

[5x5Lifter]

I'm not very experienced so take my advice with a grain of salt. What I noticed was;

Squat: your stance might be a bit too wide.
OHP: You should start every rep with your elbows in front of the bar if Im understanding correctly what Mehdi was trying to say in that article.
Deadlift:Your hips are starting a bit too high but I've had to deload this exercise 2x because of form issues, so I woulod wait for someone more knowledgeable to comment.

Good Luck and Happy Lifting.

[WhiteGorilla]

On squats you are just getting to parallel, try going a tad deeper. Also, incorporate hip drive more. My stance is about that wide also, so I think it's fine

[ricepower]

From looking at him, I dont think he can go deeper. His squat form is very similar to mine, some of them do go slightly below parallel. I think the depth is fine if that is the maximum he can manage (which im guessing is the case)

With the OHP, agree with everyone else that your elbows need to be properly in front of the bar. It will help you have a better posture during the lift too. Gaining the flexibilty to rotate elbows forward is also useful for front squats etc.

[nomercy89]

Thanks for the comments guys. Sorry, I didn't reply earlier, just had a busy day.

I just watched the OHP, and I realized now that my elbows are out to the side. I find though, the difficulty I have in brining my elbows in front of me is that I feel too much weight on my wrists and consequently they end up receiving a lot of stress and hurt. Would that just be poor wrist flexibility that I need to work on to improve my form?

[quote=ricepower]With the OHP, agree with everyone else that your elbows need to be properly in front of the bar. It will help you have a better posture during the lift too. Gaining the flexibilty to rotate elbows forward is also useful for front squats etc.[/quote]

Improving my posture by ensuring I keep my glutes squeezed? That's the only thing I can think of. What other tips would you add to that ricepower?

For the squat, I feel if I go lower then my back starts to round, which again might be a mobility issue. I'll try to go deeper and see what my back looks like.

I reckon my high butt position on the deadlift is the reason I've been having some lower back strains recently. I'll monitor that while I improve my form.

Thanks a bunch guys. I'm going to deload a bit and work on my form and post videos again. It's funny how you think your form is fine until you stall or feel discomfort.

[LudwigVan]

Squat looks fine to me. Press looks pretty good, too -- it seems like you might be going too far in pressing the bar back behind your head. Think "up" not "back," and continue getting under the bar as you have been.

Deadlift looks iffy. Are your shins touching the bar at the start of the lift? Remember that the back angle shouldn't change until the bar passes your knees -- the first part of the lift involves using the quads to extend the knees while the hamstrings and spinal erectors maintain a consistent back angle. Once the bar passes the knees, the back angle should open up.

[DeadStrength]

Thanks for the comments guys. Sorry, I didn't reply earlier, just had a busy day.

I just watched the OHP, and I realized now that my elbows are out to the side. I find though, the difficulty I have in brining my elbows in front of me is that I feel too much weight on my wrists and consequently they end up receiving a lot of stress and hurt. Would that just be poor wrist flexibility that I need to work on to improve my form?

Improving my posture by ensuring I keep my glutes squeezed? That's the only thing I can think of. What other tips would you add to that ricepower?

With regards to the wrists, you want to have your elbows in front of the bar, as opposed to underneath it. Make a "big chest" and the bar should actually be resting on the meat of your delts (or the top of your chest depending on your muscle growth to this point) when your elbows are successfully forward. This way there is no strain on your wrists because your wrists are not supporting the weight. With your wrists underneath the bar and hands bent back like they are now, your wrists are supporting all the weight, that's why it hurts.

The best thing to do is look at some vids/pics to see the elbows in front of the bar, then leave the bar in the rack and step up to it. Wrap your hands around the bar in the proper position (base of palm, near thumb) and get your upper chest/clavicle area touching the bar. Now, move your elbows in front of the bar slightly, and try to focus on pushing them forward until your delts rise up. You can generally tell if they're up properly because you feel the bar with your muscle, not your clavicle (collarbone). Once they are successfully underneath/supporting the weight, inhale into your belly, chest up, and unrack the weight.

For stability on the OHP, yes, squeeze your glutes hard, lock your knees, and also try the Valsalva maneuver. I would read up on this, but for starters, basically take a deep breath into your belly (not your lungs) and hold, and try to harden your belly by pushing hard but not letting the air out. Complete the rep and don't release the air until you have lowered the bar back to your delts.

[wrenchhands]

Yeah, Deadlift looks waaaaaaay too much back pulling. Understandable, because that's what it appears the lift is.

In fact, you need to push through the ground with your heels, tighten your abs and glutes, and "hump" the weight forwards and therefore up.

Read the article, its better at explaining it than me.

[Pseudonym]

+1 to what everyone else said about the press (elbows in front, get the bar on your clavicles/delts after each rep before driving up again). Squat seemed pretty good except depth could be an inch or two deeper.
The deadlift is the really nasty one. Looks to me like your lower back is rounding and your legs aren't doing much at all. You might just be proportioned to have your hips that high, regardless you must try and start each rep with a nice natural 'arch' in your lower back (you wont be able to keep arched like that when the weight is heavy but at least it'll keep rounding from happening) with as tight a midsection as possible. Actually looking at your side view video it looks like if you straightened out your lower back your hips would be in a better position anyway.

Also, what's up with those plates you're deadlifting? 80kg but it looks like 140

[nomercy89]

Thanks a lot for the feedback guys! I'm sorry I haven't replied any earlier but I've just been so busy with school (midterm exams).

So the consensus seems to be that:

1) my squat is ok but I should try to go a tad deeper.
2) OHP elbows need fixing, and bar on delts properly by making a big chest and squeezing everything hard.
3) Deadlift is pretty much the worst one, I should look at the videos again, focus properly and I'll get it

I used to think my deadlift was ok, but now with this feedback it explains the recent back pains I've been having. I reckon, I correct my form and that pain will vanish. It's funny because I was so focused on making sure my back didn't round during squats and thought deads were easy!

Deadstrength, your post was very insightful, thank you very much. I was at the gym earlier this week and I really focused on your description and the other guys tips and I felt I had a much much better OHP and wrist pain was minimal! Needless to say it felt great!

I'll take some videos again and I'll post again until I get it right! I need to nail down the form because I don't wan to stall my progress and ruin 10weeks of hard work.

Also, what's up with those plates you're deadlifting? 80kg but it looks like 140

Haha, the 20kg plates are pretty thick and the 10kg and the 15k are all the same height but less thick, which is nice because it's easier to adjust for the deadlift at lower weights. And it looks badass :D

Again, I can't thank you guys enough.


p.s. should I post my next videos here or in a new thread?

[Faraz]

Squat looks good..

OHP - try to keep elbows in front of your wrists

Deadlits - You need to bring the hips a bit lower and lift with your legs (hammies) pushing through your heels

[nomercy89]

Thanks for your input Faraz. As I mentioned, I'll be taking some videos this week and post them up, probably by Friday.

btw, I like the Baruch Spinoza quote

[pavyoncu]

the primary problem with your press is not your elbows imho, you are pressing the bar back. press the bar straigth up, and please buy starting strength or at least download it. read it watch it multiple times. your deadlift and squat looks fine to me but they look light so I can't tell. Initiate the deadlift with your legs. when squatting sit back when lowering and and use hip drive on the way up.