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I started lifting few months ago and have progressed just fine in terms of strength in 3 out of 4 major movements. I can deadlift 245 lb for 5 reps without any problem, so I'm quite sure it's not weakness, but my squat really sucks. I can't go past 175 lb without my form breaking down terribly. I believe it is my mobility. After some analysis of my form, I noticed the following flaws: - My knees go well past my toes, even when I point my toes out and have a stance wider than my shoulders - My torso leans forward, even in a high bar squat - I can't keep an upright torso without putting the weight on my toes instead of keeping it on my heels - I can't keep the weight on my heels, go below parallel while keeping an upright torso without falling back on my butt Some of the possible reasons for this: - I have incredibly tight hamstrings and calves, hindering my hip and ankle mobility. I can't touch my toes without bending my knees. I can only reach till my shins with my knees locked. - I have a significantly heavier lower body (big quads, hamstrings and ass, with skinny arms and torso), which means my center of gravity is significantly behind my feet, causing me to fall back when I force myself to stay on my heels in a squat. I can't completely collapse my torso in such a case, but that's far from ideal. However, I can squat properly - with my torso at no less than 45 degrees with the floor, knees not going too far forward, etc, if I raise my heels. What is the most likely cause? Are my hips and legs too weak to haul myself up from a "good" squat position or is my lack of mobility to blame? Should I work on stretching my calves and hamstrings to increase mobility or should I scrap all weight I was previous squatting and start all over again - relearn the squat? Or should I work on upper body hypertrophy and add some weight to it, culling the possibility of the center of gravity problem I mentioned?

Exercise Preference Strictly bodyweight/ring exercises for upper body, squats and deadlifts for lower body Current Physical Stats Male245'7153 lb. Previous Training History Lifting for 2 years (ish). Started with 5x5 for 6 months, moved to general lifting (I didn't have a program for a while and that was a mistake) but I would squat & deadlift occasionally for about 9 months. Then started current program. (If you're like me you will notice this doesn't add up to two years. About 6 months into starting I took a break from lifting for about 4-5 months. I don't know that that matter but math is important)Current Training Full body exercise 3x per week. Upper body vertical push, vertical pull, horizontal push, horizontal pull + legs. Legs include Squat 5x5 on Monday and Wednesday. Deadlift on Friday. Deadlift is normally working to a range of 6-12 total reps working sets of 1-3 each time. (This is where I need some help. I don't know exactly what I should be aiming for?)12 weeksSquat: 5x5 200lb, 1RM 235lb.Deadlift 1RM: 320lb., working sets of 255 - 275lb. Current Diet Normal, primarily mostly paleo with no restrctionsGoal is 2300 calories. After tracking them for 2 weeks I find I usually eat between 1950-2700 calories (always trying to eat more on workout days).I am terrible at counting macros. I started using My Fitness Pal about two weeks ago so I'm working on it. My goal is to get at least 135 grams of protein per day, ideally 150.g I know I am falling short on most days but I am now aware and working to fix that problem by supplementing with protein shakes in the morning and casein protein at night. And I try to eat more carbs on workout days less on rest days aiming for my 2300 calorie intake Current Resources/Limitations Gym Access 3 x per week.No schedule restrictionsTotal time at gym is ~2hrs. (warmups, extra care for bad shoulder, skill work, strength work, stretch, out) Goals: Squat rep weight up to 225Deadlift rep weight up to 320Develop tree trunks for legs (long term goal)Consider powerliftting competitions once first two goals are met Questions: Squats: after preforming a heavy squat 5x5 (185-200lb.), do I need to do any kind of cool down with squats (as in drop down to bar or 135lb and do one more set) or is it fine to just go roll out my legs and stretch as squats are last in my program?Deadlifts: What should my total rep range goals for the day be and how should I be working that into sets and reps? Is it too much to do 5x5 of 60-70% 1RM for deadlifts, should I be planning to do heavier weight but less reps? Wtf should I be doing with deadlifts. I love doing them so I just do them, I need a plan.I'm familiar with 5x5 as it works a total of 25 reps to build strength and hypertrophy for beginners. At what point do I need to start looking into a different program for more advanced lifting progress. I assume it's not based on rep weight overall but on rep weight progress? I've heard of the 5|3|1 program but never looked into it.Questions based on nutrition: .8 - 1 gram protein per lb of bodyweight is what my goals are based on. How do I know if this is too much or not enough?How important is weight gain to strength gain? My primary goal is strength gain, I try not to be too concerned about my weight. That said over the last 2 years I've gained 15 lbs and made significant progress on my strength goals. Lately I have been trying to clean up my eating (focusing on enjoying my meals rather than eating the same thing over and over is part of my 6 week challenge goals). In the last two weeks I have dropped 4 lbs. Should I be concerned about the weight loss affecting my goals in any way? I'm under the understanding that that is not a problem at all, it's only a problem if I start missing my strength goals rather than my weight dropping.How much protein powder is too much? Right now I have one protein shake (30-45g) after working out. As I have recently learned I am usually missing my protein goals. I'm planning to increase to 1 protein shake daily + 1 casein protein shake before bed (I've never tried casein protein but I hear it's best for before bed protein) unless someone tells me that's a terrible idea because it's too much supplemented protein. Thank you oh so very much. I'm advancing past my own knowledge base and I need some serious assistance.

I have procasted nerdfitness for quite some time now so now its time to take revenge. started late so this will be a 4week challenge only Fitness goals: #1 - KB Training at least 3 times pr week (have a kb certification examn at the end of september (2*12 jerk @32kg and 100 snatches @24kg so need to get moving #2 30/30 squat challenge & 7/30 hang challenge every day for the rest of the challenge (have 2 ido portal workshops in september so need to be prepared #3 Practice yoga at least 5 times pr week Lifestyle goal: #1 Post update at nerd fitness every day for the rest of the challenge sorry for the delay

Hi all, I embark on the BBW challenge tomorrow, and I'd like to confirm that my basic form for the pushup and the squat is correct. Comments? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QCOJ_zPG1I&feature=youtu.be and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyH3rp7D1ms&feature=youtu.be

Hey everyone, I've been working on increasing my squat weight lately and don't know a lot about keeping form under heavier weights. Today I recorded myself going for 5 reps at 185lb and then trying to do 1 rep at 225 lb. The higher weight felt okay and I was able to push it but it looks like the weight started to move forward and I was pushing up with my core more then my legs maybe? I donno I'm no expert I need all the help I can get. Thanks!

Like the title says, my squat is breaking down. I can still do all the reps, but the form isn't so good that I feel comfortable moving forward. As the sets progress the form breaks more and more. Low Bar Squat 295lbs Set 4/5 I think the first rep looks good (other than whatever I did with my feet), but each following rep seems to get further and further toward failure. Any advice would be appreciated!

In the past I have done basically Starting Strength at home. My husband and I have a basic barbell set up with an Olympic weight bar. Due to some life changes I am now in an apartment with my dog. For the last month the most exercise I have done is walking my awesome dog. When I moved out I was squatting about 120lbs. I went to the gym at the complex this week and they have a bunch a machines (oh yay!) and a wide range of dumbbells. I know in theory I should pick up some dumbbells hold them near my shoulders like I am going to press, and squat. The problem is I can't get enough weight to feel like I am getting anything out of my squat up to my shoulders. I thought about trying to rig the "tricep pulldown" machine so that I could just hold the handle and squat, but that would only offer resistance on the way down and I feel like I would be missing a lot of the range of resistance you get from squatting. Any suggestions? Try harder to get the weight up to my shoulders, do more squats at lower weight?

Hey guys! I have started lifting heavy recently and need some quantitative advice. Deadlift - Done 5 x 93 lbs + 20 x 70 lbs Squat - Done 5 x 70 lbs + 25 x 50 lbs Overhead Press - Done 25 x 50 lbs I felt as if I could go heavier, but not for 5 reps at a time. So should I? Or just increase to 10x or 12x reps and then add lbs? I have 4.5 lbs dumbbells and 26.5 lbs barbell. Plates - 11 lbs x 4 16.5 lbs x 2 22 lbs x 2 5.5 lbs x 2 2.75 lbs x 6 Kettlebell - 17.5 lbs So, adding everything I can increase the load to around 90 kg or 200 lbs.

Deadlift: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNnKdpM94vQ Squat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pCWq9Auvtg OHP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUtLKV8nwhc

Another challenge!! And I'm early. WHAT? Main Quest Body weight squat. Sanity. Goals: Ankle & Calf Mobility - This is pretty straightforward. I'm diligent about upper leg/hip mobility but less so about lower leg and ankle. Fix that so ankle mobility stops limiting my squat ROM. Squat - Again, straightforward. Since I didn't hit it last time, I'm going to aim for 135. Hanging out between 120 - 125 right now, but with the form and mobility issues I'm having I'm not trying to get too ambitious. Simplify - Vacation made me realize I was totally burnt out. Working two jobs and training 3 - 4 days each week doesn't leave me a lot of down time. I spent some time during the challenge break assessing the areas in my life that need simplifying. I'm going to tackle a couple and then reasses after this challenge. This will be multipart goal. 1. Cut down time spent in the gym. I easily end up being at the gym for 2.5-3 hours on days I train. Not all of that is working out. A good 30 minutes is getting dressed and warming up/mobilizing. Another 10-20 is post workout cool down and mobility. I've tried minimizing the warm up, it doesn't work. Plan: Warm up as long as necessary. Super set accessory as much as possible. Limit cool down to 5 minutes or a few stretches. Pick accessory work with most bang for the buck.2. Make morning routine more efficient. I wake up every morning, stretch, and do some kind of glute activation. All of that is necessary. What isn't necessary is the amount of mobility I include. I also, often times, spend too much time getting gym stuff and/or food ready for the day. Plan: Write up a list of mobility I need to do daily, and a list of extra mobility. Schedule it so I only do one or two more each morning and alternate them each day of the week. Alternate amount of glute activation daily. Pack gym bag and make food the night before.Other, non challenge related stuff I'm working on: Meditation - of course.Limiting screen time to help for sleep. Right now, I'm aiming to cut off at 8 pm.Minimizing engagement in work related drama. Let's get this started!

Hello again everyone, I've got a few more sets that could use critique. I worked on keeping my upper back tight, warmed it up a bit more and brought my hands in a little closer which seemed to help. Squat: 245lbs Set 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3LKSUPJC5Y&feature=youtu.be Set 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KctwL_ixBk4&feature=youtu.be Deadlift: 235lbs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNqkNFdsRok&feature=youtu.be Hopefully an improvement over my last form check available here: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/50738-low-bar-squat-check/ Thanks all.

Evening everyone. Rate my squat! I'm doing Stronglifts, making pretty good progress, but feedback is always good. I'm currently about 255lbs, and started in the gym at the beginning of the most recent 6-Week challenge (6/9/14) with 135lbs. First video is set 3/5, and I only do 4 reps because I wasn't set up properly at first, and I reracked and reset the bar on my back after my first rep. I still counted it as a good set, don't hold it against me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxWxYgqpwPY&feature=youtu.be Second video is set 5/5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVi7ABgZKDo&feature=youtu.be Thanks! PS- I have no idea how to embed on this forum... sorry you have to head to youtube to view.

Okay. So. I can feel my right leg caving in when it gets hard, and I can manage to push it back out but I can't stop it from happening. Also pretty sure something wonky is going on with my back because it feels a little owie. Although these were MUCH improved from 2 weeks ago. Not sure how much the video shows. (This was set 2 of 3).

First set I recorded. 195x6. Felt pretty good, but would always like to hear feedback Second set at the same weight. The last rep left something to be desired. If there is a smoother way to do this, please let me know. Thanks.

Oops wrong place... Please delete!

Hi Guys. It's been a while since i've posted here in the Nerd Fitness forums. I maybe absent in the forums but i've always been active in reading the articles. Anyhow, let's get down to business... As my first " return to the forums" post, I'd like to show my Squat. This is 90% (295 lbs) of my 5RM (325) Front View Side View I'm having some minor "tingling sensation" in my right knee. I think it's not yet quite alarming but I just want to prevent any major injuries that might happen soon. Today, I tried to do a wider stance in my back squat. I don't feel any pain whenever i do heavy squat but i can feel something whenever I do body squat. that's probably because of stance. Please feel free to comment on my form. I'm willing to hear your criticisms and suggestions. Thanks.

Goals for this challenge are the following, in no particular order: Put 100mi on my new bike Climb at least one mountain Finish reading The Zone and Practical Programming for Strength Training Start reading Anatomy Without A Scalpel Hold a handstand for 30s Increase my 1-rep max for overhead squat to 225# Fix my front rack so that I can front squat without re-injuring my chest Re-attain my previous strict pull-up PR of 20 I know, my challenge posts are boring wish me luck!

This morning I went to the gym and it was dead so I was able to get some videos of my workout. I did bench press, squats, dead lifts, and push presses. I have video of me using just the bar (45lbs), 55lbs, and 65lbs. Which videos should I post? Some of the exercises I do better with just the bar and others I feel are more graceful with some added weight. I guess I will start with videos where I just have the bar.... Would you critique me please? I would really appreciate the feed back. Bench Press: I find with the bench press my arms wobble a lot, not shaky because I can't lift the bar, they just don't stay "quiet" enough to make the whole thing a fluid motion. Does this get better with practise? Should I be doing it slower? I am still wobbly with added weight, my bar just doesn't stay straight. Squat: My squats feels good, I don't have any issues...I don't think. Now I can squat low enough to rest the bar on the bumpers, should I go that low or should I stop just before I put the bar on them? And the front view. Dead lift: Is dead lift one word or two? I never know. My dead lifts feel pretty good. I am not sure if I should have the bar sitting on a higher stand. Is my butt going low enough when I bring the bar back down? I am getting better at "scraping" the bar up my shins and legs, I am going to have to start wearing pants on DL days. Push Press: The push press is the toughest/weirdest exercise for me. I feel like I am curving my back inward (belly out) when I fully extend up. Am I leaning too far forward? Am I doing it right? Should I be using a rack where the bar starts off at shoulder height or is it ok to "flip" it up from my thighs to my shoulders? Thanks for all the constructive criticism, tips, and tricks. I can also put up the videos with extra weight on the bar if that helps.

Quite a straightforward challenge for me this time round, and something of a natural follow on from my last challenge where I fell short of my goals for the Snatch and Clean & Jerk. Starting Stats: As of 10 April 2014. Bodyweight: 88.7kg Bodyfat %: ??% Snatch: 82kg Clean & Jerk: 100kg Clean: 110kg Back Squat: 182kg Front Squat: 140kg Deadlift: 200kg Bench: 95kg Also worth pointing out that I'm on a calorie deficit of about 250-300 day as I cut down to the 85kg weight class. I ran the whole of the last challenge on a ~500 calorie deficit as the muscle I have put on since the start of the year and my training volume meant my calculation of maintenance calories was too low! Goal 1 - Achieve a Bodyweight Snatch This has been a sub-goal for a long time and its time has finally come. I've got the strength, I've got the technique, I've got the courage to throw myself under that sucker. It's just a matter of putting it all together at the same time. Target here is 87.5kg or 90kg snatch depending on my precise bodyweight at the time. Goal 2 - Keep a Sleep Log for the Six Weeks My sleep isn't too bad in general, 7-8 hours a night is fairly normal for me but there's always room for improvement. I feel noticeably better when I get to bed early and get 8 hours plus. By keeping a log, I'd like to try and spot any patterns between my sleep and the quality of my training and work out ways to save time to allow me to sleep more. Goal 3 - Get Stronger At Everything Although I'm a competitive weightlifter, I do a lot of additional strength work. My programming is quite Russian in flavour so I press, bench and do a bunch of accessory work alongside the usual Snatch, C&J and Squat. Basically during this 6 weeks, I want to get stronger at all of the additional lifts I do. In particular, a 100-110kg bench press and some squat rep maxes (I don't think I'll be doing a 1RM attempt in the next 6-7 weeks) would be SWEET but I'll take what I can get. Let's hit it.

Here is my 3x 275lbs squat. My current 1RM is around 295-335ish. I can see that I only went 95% down, so I need to work on that, but any suggestions would be most welcome. Here is my 2x 365lbs deadlift. My 1RM is 385lbs. I think I was tired from squats when I did this cause I didn't get my legs into it. Suggestions would be welcome. Thanks in advance for helping me bacome more awesome.

For a long time now I've been building up my back squat getting close to 100kg and then getting injured or some other circumstances have stopped me getting there. I've tested multiple times and made numerous attempts at 100 but never made it, much to my frustration. But I've persevered and today I finally got the 100kg back squat I have been trying to get for over a year In fact I blew past it and got 105kg! (231 pounds) Feels so great to finally make it into the 100 club and reach a long term goal

There's a weightlifing pun in that title, honest. I have a pretty sketchy record with challenges - completed my first, set myself up to fail by the way I structured my second and just flaked out on the third. So yeah, fourth time's the charm. For those who don't know me, let me aware you. I'm a 30 year old guy living in Scotland who has been strength training for about a year and a half and training in Olympic weightlifting for 9-10 months, the last 5-6 of those with a coach. I recently (like, yesterday) made my competitive debut, coming 6th in a flight of 8 in the 94kg weight class. I train 4 times a week doing the Olympic lifts, squats and accessory work for upper body, back and abs. I will be competing again in September and possibly once in the interim, depending on what meets are taking place. Starting Stats: For the sake of tracking progress, here's where I am as of 24 February 2014. Bodyweight: 90.5kg Bodyfat %: ??% Snatch: 82kg Clean & Jerk: 100kg Back Squat: 182kg Front Squat: 140kg I copied this format from my first challenge back in July/August last year and realised that I've put 17kg onto my Snatch and 23kg onto my C&J with vastly better form since then Main Quest Lift heavier things By the end of the 6 weeks, I want to have Snatched 85kg (+3kg on current), Clean & Jerked 105kg (+5kg) and Cleaned 110kg (+3kg). The jerk is traditionally my nemesis but I have been making big improvements with it lately so need to keep that up. Three specific things to work on, one for each lift Timing of second pull on clean; sometimes I pull too earlyThe bar coming forwards and my knees getting in the way off the ground in the snatchThe tempo of my dip and drive on the jerk (slow down, fast up)Mission #1 - The long slow cut to 85kg During this challenge, I want to lose at least 1kg of scale weight, taking me down to 89.5kg or below by the conclusion. I weighed in for competition at 90.56kg on 23rd February 2014. Despite weight coming down, lifts are going up. My medium term goal is to get down to compete in the 85kg class by the Scottish Eastern District Championships in September where I will be attempting to qualify for the national final in November. FYI my current diet is running a small calorie deficit (250-300) per day with macros 25% carbs, 35% protein, 40% fat. I'm essentially IIFYM except that I don't touch gluten as I have a horrible reaction to it. Saturday is a cheat day. Lately I have been tinkering with slightly higher carbs and lower fats and this seems to be working well so I may turn this into a permanent change. Mission #2 - Accessorise and Mobilise During this challenge, I want to keep up the accessory work I have incorporated into my training over the last two months and the daily stretching every morning. Towards the tail end of last year it was becoming clear that my lack of upper body strength and muscle mass was becoming a problem. I was also feeling pretty beaten up by squats and cleans. Since the turn of the year and picking up a back injury, I have had two upper body assistance exercises on an essentially bodybuilding rep scheme programmed into my training, plus ab and back work. This has made a big impact on my strength levels, size and body composition. Stretching every day has also helped my joints feel better and seems to help me recover from training faster, despite the fact that I am training more often. Mission #3 - Keep my squat form pretty As I recover post-injury, I want to ensure that my squat form stays as good as possible as I increase the weight back up, with a particular emphasis on maintaining a strong upper back and chest throughout the lift. My injury was originally caused when I returned to training after a couple of weeks off at Christmas and failed to keep a strong upper back, leading to muscles and joints that weren't prepared for it due to the time off to take the weight. As well as only increasing weight when I feel my form is good, I will also submit a form check video for the NF squat gods to critique. Current squat program is very heavily volume based - think Texas method only with lots of volume on Tuesday and... more volume on Saturday. Weight slowly increasing week on week as I am working at submaximal weights. Life Quest Get ready for moving house My other half and I are going to be moving house this year, but first we need to actually get our shit in order and do what needs to be done to this property to get it sold. By the end of the six weeks, I want to have accomplished at least 3 of the following: Move excess clutter into storageHad assorted electrical and light fittings tested and fixedBathroom re-skimmed with plaster for paintingNew wallpaper in living roomHave the gas fire in the living room fixed Make the room I currently use as an office/mancave presentable

Hey All, I've started the Strong Lifts program, and I am on work day two. Since these are two very important movements I wanted to get some feed back into my form before I get into the heavier weights. I feel pretty good about the squats, though I think I may need to increase my flexibility in my hips so I can get deeper into the squat. This is really my first ever attempt at a deadlift, so I'm sure I've done a million things wrong. Squats Deadlifts Thanks!

I'm doing the 30/30 squat challenge found here. I'll let Ido Portal do the talking.. -- Squat - basic human position. Original human use: REST For the next 30 days spend 30 minutes a day of ass to grass, relaxed spine, flat foot squat. Simply - set up a timer in your smartphone for 30 minutes and every time you go down to the squat - let it run. (Speaking on the phone, waiting for the train, etc..) Commit and get HUGE benefits in mobility, knee and hip health, digestion and more. Make sure to post a BEFORE and AFTER. Rules of thumb: 1. No REST days during the 30 days. 2. Relaxed spine - no need to try to remain erect or with neutral spine. Its a RESTING position. 3. Width between the feet - around shoulder width apart but should be individualized and experimented with - aim for maximal depth and relaxation. 4. How much feet should be turned out or should they be facing forward? Don't let anyone sell you the idea of ONE perfect position - this should be individualized and experimented with - aim for maximal depth and relaxation. 5. Knee pain? Hip pain? stand up and move around. Resume the squat and work in small short bursts of squatting throughout the day. 6. Footwear? Best - barefoot. Second best - minimal footwear. 7. Keep your heels on the floor if possible. If impossible, try a small heel support until you gain the proper mobility to squat flat foot on the ground. 8. True sign of good squatting? When you get tired from STANDING - you squat and not vise versa! True story! 9. How deep should you squat? There is only one answer - DEEPER. --- And some creative ones if you feel like it. It would be great if you joined the Facebook group to spread the word further. Squatters unite!

Did a 1RM on my squat yesterday Went from 315 to 345 lbs in about 3 months! WHOO!