Hi, i’ve been training for about 1.5 years now and throughout this my squat has always been off. I am about 3 weeks out from a powerlifting comp and failed 127.5kg today, i’m mostly concerned because i dont want to bomb out on my first lift of the day and ruin the entire day for me. My current pr is 150kg for a double with wraps (i did this earlier in this year when i was messing around) but i have always struggled at 3 digits, sometimes even 70/80kg. i’m not sure what the problem is as i dont really know much about perfecting squat form so if anyone has any tips, variations i can use or just any advice to help my squat performance that’d be amazing and i’d be ever so thankful.
here’s a video of me doing 115kg for a double a few weeks back: (it would only let me upload it as a short)
I’d like to see a couple videos, actually. From that couple reps, it looks to me like you’re not super comfortable under the bar. You rush a little, aren’t overly tight, and the two reps are very different from one another. I’d imagine we might see that set to set. If that’s the case, I’d probably take a weight you know you can hit (75kg or whatever) and just do a lot of sets of a couple reps, trying to make every rep look the same. The goal would be to build some consistency and a lot of confidence. I’d ask you to slow down, have a deliberate walkout, brace hard for each rep, and pause for a good 2-count at the top to really own it.
I’ve also never competed in a powerlifting competition so most of what I say is meaningless. Tag @T3hPwnisher@RT_Nomad@simo74
The video angle is not the best i would prefer it directly from the front but here is what I can see.
Firstly you rush the unrack and the walk out. You need to slow everything down. Get under the bar set it on your back get your hands in position, get your upper back really tight and then unrack.
Slow step back with each foot and then set your feet in position. Every part of this needs to be deliberate and almost robotic so you can repeat it exactly the same every time.
Now you are ready to squat you will get a ‘squat’ command from the judge. Don’t rush, set your back even tighter, try to bring your elbows down a bit under the bar it looks from this video like they are out back like chicken wings. You don’t want this. Take a big belly breath and expand into your belt to create a hard brace. Then squat.
Slow your descent down a little at the start so the movement is very deliberate, it will naturally go a little quicker as you get lower.
Looking at this video I would say you need a little more depth. Will you be squatting in sleeves or wraps ? If you are you need to be practicing in them.
Based in these reps I would drop the weight back to 90 or 100 and do sets of 3. But treat each rep as a single. Walk out, brace, squat then reset and re brace between each rep.
Tagging @wiseman83 who coaches me and is pretty good at this stuff.
this is my first meet but i’ve gone over the federations rules many times and have a pretty good understanding of the commands, equipment and general rules
Your form looks pretty good. Obviously, you were a bit off balance (too far in front of mid foot) on first rep. From the side you are doing everything pretty good. If i critiqued, it would be to be a little less rigid and really unlock the hips to begin. You need just a tad more horizontal of a back angle. But you are really doing great!
Now, i would love to see from front or back, because it looks like your stance may be a bit narrow.
Maybe you were nervous for being filmed, but make sure you get tight at the rack position before you lift the bar. Upper back tight, hands pushing bar back into you. You started looking down at proper place at beginning, but it is almost like you are saying the steps in your mind. To fix this, do a lot of low weight singles. That way you get setup down without punishing yourself. It will also help you feel the balance of the bar
thank you, next time i will try to get a more forward angled recording. i’m going to compete in sleeves and only got some recently (i also have shoes but they’re a size too small so i’m returning them this week to get some bigger ones), i’m wearing them in the 102.5kg set video actually, i’ve been doing some pause squats to help me with depth and getting out the hole. I have some videos of those if you would like to see too
thanks, i’ll try this out during my next squat session, do you have any cues for tightness i could use? or anything i should feel for so i know that i’m tight?
i’ll upload a few more videos of some squats i’ve done over the past few weeks and link them in a reply
You really are close. Your form is pretty damned good. But the step is the bar leaving the vertical path. I go a little slower on the descent, but if this speed feels good, you arent wassting any energy on the eccentric.
That looked awesome. One thing you could try is going a hair wider with stance, putting toes in just a bit and resting weight on outside of foot like you are bowlegged.
Matt wenning youtube videos would help to show you what i am referring to. But really, your form is great. The only thing you 100% need to do is keep doing it. It will teach itself. I promise. Your form is 90% there already. Seriously good work
ah its alright, i took a look at the video and i’m definitely going to add the 360 bracing to my warmup. i’ll do some squats tomorrow and show videos of my form then too, thank you very much
yes, i’m closer to my comp now than in these videos so i’ll be working a lot more on commands and mobility work to ensure i dont forget something or make a mistake
Look, if they help, great, but if they feel wrong at all, just keep doing it the way you are and make small adjustments til it feels right. They really helped me to keep knees from caving in when i got heavy weight on. And good luck in your meet! Remember to have fun and learn from it. This is all for fun. No need to get stressed about any of it
