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Squatting form

T

turbodragon

Guest
Hey, I'm a long time reader, 34th time poster and have a couple of questions regarding squats mainly.

After doing some searching, I have found a heap of info on squats in terms of benefits and proper technique but still have a few unanswered questions.

Firstly, I have never done squats prior to this week so I'm a squat-noob with some questions:

1) During the squat, I push my chest up and look straight ahead (i.e dont look up or down) but I still feel the pressure on my lower back (the bit jsut above my ass). Not hugley painful, but more of an annoyance. Normal or bad form?

2) The next day, I have a sore lower back, but its not in the bone itself. More so the muscles around it. Again, normal or is it put down to bad form from above?

3) When squatting, is the back supposed to arch in any manner at any time? I can see in the mirror that I'm not arching whilst going down but in the last 20% of the squat (ass to grass if anyone wants to know) I notice my back forming a slight arch. Is this normal?

To help you better visualise it, imagine you're standing on my left hand side. As I do my squat (back squat so bar on shoulders/traps/upper back), my back is creating a straight inline angle of sawy, roughly 30 degrees, but as a get lower and lower, the lower part of my back starts to arch out-of-line with the rest of my back.


4) When the bar is sitting on my traps, my traps get super sore. Not the friction of the bar sort of sore, but more so the heavy pressure on it sore. Is it something I'm gonna have to get used to or again, down to bad form?


Cheers.
 
Sore lower back will be because you need to strengthen your core. Squats are perfect for this. It also could be from poor form, though it is hard to tell without viewing your squat form.

Sore traps will be because you are not used to having that weight on your shoulders. This will also become easier and less painful with time.
 
ok buddy. let's start from the ground up. first off, congrat's on popping your squatting cherry.

So once you get the bar on your shoulders, how wide (relative to your hips) are your feet? Also, are your feet facing straight forward, a little out or what?

lately i've been working on having my feet slightly wider than my hips & having my feet poited out on about a 20 degree angle. This may solve your bending over issue.
 
Chest up, shoulers back, eyes looking slightly up. You're back should remain flat, not rounded.

When your lower back rounds at the bottom of the squat this will be placing stress on your lwr back discs. Its a flexbility issue, very easy to fix. Stretch you glutes, hamstrings and hip flexors every day and the issue should resolve itself in a months or so.

In the interim simply dont squat so low. Go to just before you back rounds.

Post up a vid so I can give you some more pointers if you like.
 
Sore lower back will be because you need to strengthen your core. Squats are perfect for this. It also could be from poor form, though it is hard to tell without viewing your squat form.

Sore traps will be because you are not used to having that weight on your shoulders. This will also become easier and less painful with time.
Click to expand...

Ok cool. I thought it might of been something I have to get used to then.




ok buddy. let's start from the ground up. first off, congrat's on popping your squatting cherry.

So once you get the bar on your shoulders, how wide (relative to your hips) are your feet? Also, are your feet facing straight forward, a little out or what?

lately i've been working on having my feet slightly wider than my hips & having my feet poited out on about a 20 degree angle. This may solve your bending over issue.
Click to expand...

My feet are around shoulder width, maybe a tiny bit wider but def not closer. Feet are pointing outwards and when squatting, my knees don't bend inwards. Just up and down.


Chest up, shoulers back, eyes looking slightly up. You're back should remain flat, not rounded.

When your lower back rounds at the bottom of the squat this will be placing stress on your lwr back discs. Its a flexbility issue, very easy to fix. Stretch you glutes, hamstrings and hip flexors every day and the issue should resolve itself in a months or so.

In the interim simply dont squat so low. Go to just before you back rounds.

Post up a vid so I can give you some more pointers if you like.
Click to expand...

Yep to chest up, shoulders pinched back and looking ahead (havent tried looking slightly up yet).

Ok thanks for the advice. Don't have a video recorder sorry :(

But I'm going with Woody (ex-EVLS15 ;)) to his gym for a one-off sesh to do some squat and compund work and have him guide me a bit cos he's been doing them alot longer than I have.
I have been doing isolation work for a while now and think its time to step it up a notch with compunds.
 
I know you don't have a video camera, what about a digital camera with a movie function?
Click to expand...

Normally I'd say yes but it kinda got...... crushed LOL :(



HAHAHA No s hit. EVLS15 was my car, I sold it to Woody!
Click to expand...

HAHA Yeah, I know! He's one of my good mates I went with him to have a look at it before he brought it off ya.

Was a gun of a car. First car to EVER make me nervous lol he sold it now though :(


OT though, I'm gonna have another squat sesh today and gonna try stopping before arching of lower back (even though that would only count as a 3/4 squat). So I'll see how everything goes. :)
 
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