[quote]mathineer wrote:
maraudermeat wrote:
i just watched your vids. is it the left elbow that you can’t straighten out? competing or not is an individual decision. you definitely don’t have to compete to enjoy lifting heavy shit.
Yes, the left one. Phil recommended I keep it warm while lifting with a wrap.
i don’t want to overwhelm you with a ton of stuff so i’m going to give you the most glaring issues on the three lifts.
deadlift- you are making the most common mistake that i see with people deadlifting. you are bending over and picking the weight up. to make the deadlift efficient and safe, you need to use the most muscle groups as possible. not just the lower back. think of the deadlift as a pull then a push. the pull comes from pulling the weight into you to start the lift. that will put you back onto your hells and keeps the weight near you. a good way to practice this is to lift your toes and keep them up the entire time.
the push happens when the weight gets to your knees, you then push your hips forward to the bar.
I’d guessed most of this stuff from reading your responses to other folks, and from watching the video. I’ll work on getting my legs into it more at the bottom, and “makin’ sweet luv” to the bar at the top!
on the squats. i would suggest seting the pins at a comfortable level and then squat to them. you are putting a lot of stress on you knees by trying to sit on that little chair. a good squat that is powerful, using good leverage and protects the knees is one that has the lower leg as perpendicular to the floor as possible. watch how your lower legs turn out at an angle when you squat down. the way to fix this is to take a wider stance, point your toes out some, force your knees out and sit back more. i know that this seems like a lot but just pick one thing and work on it. once you think you have it, pick another.
Just to be clear - I wasn’t putting any weight on the chair, only just touching it as a depth indicator. Regarding the pins, do you mean deloading the weight onto the pins at the bottom, or just touching them? Either way, I’ll definitely work on widening the stance. Since I’ll be backing of in weight while the pulled muscle heals, I’ll have some time to really work on form before I get back the the heavier (for me) weight.
on the bench, the lower arms should be perpendicular to the bar. you have much better leverage that way and it will protect the joints. i would take your grip out a little more to get that position. i would also suggest getting your feet back more so you can drive your heels into the ground as you perform the lift. i know you have some knee issues so just get them back as far as you can. leg drive is a big part of benching. leg drive is attained by driving the heels down throughout the entire lift. the best way to achieve this is to get your feet as far under you as you can. this also helps to maintain a good arch and stay tight.
I’ll definitely widen my grip to make my arms perpendicular to the bar (at the bottom, right?). As for getting my legs under me, I can’t keep my feet flat and get them much further back. Should I go ahead and get up on my toes if that gets them back further?
Thanks very much for taking the time to critique my lifts. I’ll work on this stuff for 2-3 weeks and then take new videos.
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at this point, i wouldn’t deload on the pins. just come down and tap them. this will be a good guide for you to figure out a good depth for you. later, once you get your form down you can then start deloading on them.
as for the feet, i get my feet back as far as i can and stay up on my toes. i’m still forcing my heels down but because they are so far back, they aren’t moving much. i like this style because it really puts me into a declined position and keeps me very tight.
sounds good bro. keep the videos coming.
