I’ve had a couple people comment on my squat form, noticing that the arch in my back is a little exaggerated. A trainer once used a specific term for this, but I can’t remember what it was. My lower back usually feels sore after doing squats - not painful, just like it’s working muscles that shouldn’t be activated. I don’t really know how to fix this. Is this an area where wearing a belt would be helpful?
Yeah that’s it. I notice it when I’m standing, I usually have to bring my hips forward a bit in order to align my spine.
1 Like
It’s a common problem.
Hyperextension of the lumbar spine.
Lordosis
Anterior Pelvic tilt, as @manuelp2 mentioned.
Alan Thrall about fixing Anterior Pelvic Tilt.
Really short. Proper position in a squat.
And there’s some advice here.
Anterior Pelvic Tilt Problem
You’ll find lots of videos about the dangers of Over Extension or Hyperextension of the low back during the DL, Squat, or OHP.
Also, lots of general videos about how to fix lordosis or anterior pelvic tilt.
Work on your posture in your regular life, AND be vigilant about keeping your back in the proper position when you lift.
2 Likes
how long have you been lifting? And how do you know what muscles should and shouldn’t be activated? When you are squatting, there aren’t many muscles through the torso and legs that shouldn’t be activated.
I’d also prefer to see a video of your squat rather than relying on your description, if that’s possible. Much more effective for the purposes of this conversation.
1 Like
The lower lumbar region - those muscles feel activated when I’m doing squats with anterior pelvic tilt. I’ve been squatting with an arched back for YEARS now (ugh) instead of having my back flat.
what’s the heaviest weight you’ve squatted? And I mean a real squat, getting your hips to parallel with your knees.
Also: do you squat with a belt or no?
!
First pic is squatting with arched back, butt thrown waaay back = anterior pelvic tilt. Second pic is… correct? My back doesn’t look flat because my spinal erectors are huge from years of bad from. Let this be a lesson!
1 Like
I’ve never used a belt. Most weight I’ve squatted is 300lbs.
So, a belt can help you learn proper bracing with your abs/lower back. It’s an excellent training aid for squat posture. When you have a bar on your back, right before you squat down, you take a biiiig belly breath. Expand your abdomen with air, so that it presses hard against the belt. You hold your breath through the entire squat. You can breathe out after a rep, then repeat for each rep. This should help with posture. You can do it without a belt, I just think a belt provides better feedback because you can feel it against you when you expand into it.
2 Likes
Cool thanks, I’ll try it out. I’m going to stop going squats and deadlifts for a bit while focus on stretching and training my core/hams to fix the APT. The vids posted above (thanks @anon71262119) are really helpful. Shame on me for thinking I can rely on my lean body type and never train my core! Smh -__-
1 Like
Sounds like APT and I’ve had this issue and have been able to make a lot of progress on it. I got this from Chris Duffin: before unracking, push out all of your air forcefully and bring your ribcage “down” and squeeze your glutes so that you have a neutral hip position. Then unrack the bar and keep that position, even as you draw air to build IAB for your lift. Also you want to be breaking from both the knees and hips concurrently which is another aspect of addressing this ATP–breaking at the hips first is one major thing that causes this “hyper” hyper-extension.
1 Like