Form check - Barbell back squats (Updated Link for preview)
Form check - Barbell back squats (Updated Link for preview)
Have been stuck on the same weight since months, i have tried correcting my form but haven’t seen much difference
Video: https://litter.catbox.moe/uqi5zh.mp4
Thanks in advance :)
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There's always form improvements your can make, but I don't think that's the problem here. I see from your other comment that you're following GZCLP. The program prescribed a deload when you can no longer progress in weight. Have you done that? Are you sleeping and eating well?
As for form, there are a few things I'd try to work on if you want to optimize how much you can squat, but if you just care about getting a good workout, only the first point would matter imo.
- Depth: Consistency is key, and the best way to achieve that is either going to parallel or as low as possible. You will have to decrease the weight if what we see in the video is the depth you're used to.
- Unracking: you're basically doing a partial good-morning to unrack. That'll sap away the energy you have available for your squat, but it looks like you might not be able to change that with the rack you're currently using.
- Walk-out: Get practice with taking exactly 2 or 3 steps. The more steps you take, the less energy you'll have for squatting.
- Shoes: A more solid base means less energy waste. Your feet are visible wobbling around here.
Well ig i should take a deload, but this is only after an increase of around 10 pounds (from what i could do before) before i need to take a break, is this normal?
Edit: I m going parallel tho arent I?
I took a screenshot at the bottom of one of your reps. Parallel means the hip crease going below the top of your knee. I've circled both here. It doesn't look parallel to me, but maybe that's just the camera angle.
Hmm, I thought i was, i will try to next time
So if I understand correctly, between the first day you started the program until now, you've only gone up 10lbs on your squat?
I'll check the video again later, but I'm pretty sure you didn't reach parallel.
No, i started with 85% of 5RM for 5x3 which was very low for me, previously i was squatting 55kg 2x3 arnd and i started with 45kg, now i m stalling at 60kg, also i m sorry idk why i m switching up my units lol
Not ideal, but it's not bad either. You're making progress.
How does failure look like for you? Do you fail in the sense that you drop the bar on the safeties, or do you complete part of the set and rack when you think you can't do another?
How is your progress on T2 squats? If that's still going up, I wouldn't be too worried about T1 stalling.
I just checked, and the program also prescribes switching up the set/rep scheme when you fail. Have you done that?
You didn't say anything about your sleep and diet, but I want to reiterate that they're both very important. They have a huge effect on your recovery, and how well you recover is one of the main factors in determining how much stronger you get. Make sure you get enough quality sleep. Make sure you're getting enough protein. But of course, not all is lost if you can't improve here. It just means you'll have to live with slower gains at the gym. Slower progression, and more frequent deloads.
I drop the bar on the safeties, T2 too is going the same way
I do hv a suboptimal diet and sleep tho, I described it at another post but basically i do my best, i do still seem to be making decent progress on other lifts
Yes i tried switching up sets x reps, i failed immediately on 6x2
What are ur suggestions on widening the stance? I was thinking maybe my stance is way too narrow
There's no harm in experimenting with your stance. Different people will have different optimal stance widths. The best way to figure out what's good for you is to try it. You would have to decrease the weight and work your way back up, so it can double as a deload.
Yes i tried switching up sets x reps, i failed immediately on 6x2
How did you do on the 5x3 set before that? i.e. how many reps did you complete on each set? 6x2 should be easier in my experience. How long are you resting between sets? What about the 10x1 sets?
I follow a GZCL style program as well, and one thing I like to do is to only progress in weight when I can do at least 2 extra reps on the AMRAP set. For example, on the 5x3 sets, if I do 3/3/3/3/5, then I up the weight, but if I get 3/3/3/3/4, then I consider that a failure and I'll try the same weight again next session. It's one way to reduce the fatigue from each workout. That could be worth trying.
Thanks a lot for ur help! On my previous 5x3 i failed on the 2nd rep on the 5th set, when i tried 6x2 i failed on the very first rep lol, so I didn’t try 10x1
Ig my form might just be super inconsistent maybe? Anyway i will try lowering the weight and the widening the stance and practicing with it
I typically rest arnd 3 min for t1 lifts but sometimes upto five between the last couple of sets
And also ur approach on AMRAP makes sense, maybe i missed something when reading the material but yeah getting anything less than 4 on 3+ AMRAP set should be considered failure
If you were able to do 3 reps on one session and unable to do even a single rep with the same weight the next session, that's a sure sign of under-recovery. You need that deload.