Not terrible. (Btw, where is the pain in the front of your quads?) That said - the beginning of your squat you're almost hyperextending your lumbar to get the hips back, and that's causing you to come down and to drop your chest a bit. Your depth is definitely not there on the first one but got better as you went along.
Yeah, I noticed that the more I watched it about my chest dropping. I started setting up that way and now it seems to be a habit about my lumbar. Something else to work on! I was going to describe the quad pain but took a picture instead. It runs down where my hand is. It's been present in both sides but now mostly the right if I don't stretch it beforehand. I've actually found the more I squat the better it feels. Those first few are tough though. I always warm up with the bar only first. I have to, any more than that and I can feel the pull. Spoiler Looks like I've only got 3 fingers!
Your form looks pretty solid for the most part, but you look to have tight hip flexors. I would guess that you are having trouble getting depth because of the forward lean that they are causing you to take, which is bringing your chest down. Instead of ignoring it and going for heavy weights, I think you should focus on getting depth and getting your hip flexors loosened. Do some activations exercises with your gluts and glut meds before you squat, such as single leg hip bridges while making sure to keep your hips stable. If you sit down a lot during the day your gluts are likely not firing properly, which is likely one of the mechanisms responsible for your hip flexor pain. It is helpful to look at everything around the problem area, rather than at the problem area itself, when diagnosing a problem. I would practice getting down into a deeper squat and getting a bit more comfortable there if you want to progress into heavier weights, but otherwise you seem to be doing great with regards to your numbers and progression.
Clamshell exercise. At 0:42, does she say your "porn" muscle? I think she maybe says "core" muscles, but which muscles exactly does that mean?
I've been working on my benching. Finally hit 90 lbs last week but it was rough. So I've been trying to work on building up my lower set reps and my leg drive. I have awful awful leg drive, which will be a major issue as the weights get heavier. Anyway, this is my 3rd and final set of 3 x 1. Felt good and went up easy. Seems like a lot of setup for one lift, but I really need to get and stay tight. Still weigh about 115. I really want three digits. It's hard to tell, but my butt is on the bench.
You gotta get your arch tighter. Even though you're retracting your scapulae you're still kinda flopping on the bench. Think of bringing your butt towards your back. When you are tightly packed it should really be uncomfortable. I personally like setting up with my feet on the bench. I first bring my shoulders back and retract, then what I'll do is bring myself off the bench and retract hard, then as I lower back down I make sure the first point of contact are my traps. Once my upper body is set I drop my legs and kinda lock in my butt. Make sure you drive with your legs the whole time, not just when you press. Here is me doing all these small things. As i said a good arch should be pretty uncomfortable, but when you get it right you should feel rock solid.
I hate when I flop. I don't know what it means, but I'm pretty sure I hate it. And my 85 seems so puny now. And I feel damn tight! My back was cramping it was so arched! Fine, whatever, I'll arch it more. Or keep it tighter. Next week. On bench day. This is so much work!
Now Ive only heard of arching your back to that degree only when you are going for a personal max or competing. I thought the common wisdom for regular training was keeping your back flat on the bench?
He's using the powerlifting form. The more arch you have the less distance the bar has to travel. I also think the arch tightens up your whole body more than if you're staying relatively flat.
I'm rather happy with this. I hit 95. Arched like a mofo (technical term). So much illegal about this, like my hips coming off the bench as I'm pressing up. But I didn't bomb it once I started struggling like I would have in the past. I thought of using my legs to help me. So that's a plus. I finished my sets after this and felt my leg drive getting stronger, so I'm rather excited about my progress and am pushing for triple digits. Also, you guys have no idea how happy I am the guy spotting me didn't stand on the platform as it would put his balls right in my face. Then my mind starts going and I think things like, "doesn't he notice how close they are?" "Is this as awkward for him as for me?" "Does he spot guys this way?". Seriously, thanks old dude.
That isn't what those platforms are for? Uhh... sure. After a few weeks of testing the waters, I think I'm ready to get back into weightlifting regularly. Probably won't go as hard as I used to in college, but I still want to work off a program so I'm not just wandering around the gym aimlessly. I did Starting Strength a few years ago and am leaning towards it again. The one little problem is the gym I work out at does not have space for cleans, nor have I ever felt very confident with that lift, so I'm curious if there's any good substitutes for it with those other lifts?
Honestly, like I told Omegaham some time ago, there's really no need for cleans in a program. Sure, people like to talk about "explosiveness", but usually without hands on coaching your form will either be dogshit or you'll have to use a light enough weight to do it properly that it almost isn't worth it. Unless you're dead set on them I'd skip it. Starting strength is good. 5/3/1 is a good, simple program. 10/20/Life by Brian Carroll is excellent, although it's more of a template. Base Building by Paul Carter is another good starting program. Hell, just about any program is good provided you stick with it for longer than two months.
These are excellent. If you just like cleans (I'm guilty) you can do dumbbell cleans - but there's some serious technique there so it may not be a reasonable solution.
I've never liked cleans. Never felt really confident nor coordinated with them. However barbell rows I can definitely do instead. I love deadlifting and bench/military pressing and will take on any chinups you throw at me, so there's that. I think squats are the lift where I should be able to do a lot more weight but a lack of good form has just prevented me from getting there. Either way I'm not afraid of them.
Feeling pretty proud of myself, this morning I hit a new personal best and can officially squat my body weight! Warmup 95 lbs. x 12 115 lbs. x 12 125 lbs. x 12 135 lbs. x 5 I'm not doing any other major lifts right now because my right bicep tendon is fucked, so any weight hanging from my arms or going over my head is a no go. But I'm seeing a physical therapist, doing all the rehab exercises, and hoping to get that shoulder strong again so I can lift more heavy things.
My bench at 95 (hit 100 last week!). Going up so much easier. Hips stayed down and I'm doing a different setup to stay tight (thanks Freecorps!). I feel like it takes forever, but it does help. I had a leg cramp at the end which is why I pounded my foot. Also, see that kid in the background taking the weights off his bar? Yeah, that's not where they go. Why do people do that? It disturbs me. Weights all out of order. I might have issues.