Is there a way to correct my squat technique?

[DanP]

Sorry, no vid, but I think I can articulate the problem fairly well. I tried squatting for the first time in a couple of years today and used pretty light weights as well as a box. As before, I couldn't keep from bending too much at the waist and absorbing the squat in my lower back on both the down and up. This had always been the case and I believed it was due to tightness in my hamstrings. However, I realized today that it isn't so.

The problem is tightness/lack of flexibility in my arms/shoulders/chest. When I situate myself such that the bar is across my back and my hands are holding it I end up essentially pulling the bar into my body, causing buckling at the waist. It's a situation where something has to give, and if it's my arms, then they won't be balancing the bar and it'll fall. I don't have this problem with goblet squats since my hands are out in front, not pulled back.

The two solutions I've thought of are 1. continue doing goblet squats instead, though eventually the weight of the available dumbbells will become a limiting factor or 2. see if I can convince my gym to acquire one of those squat bars that has the little handles jutting out from the side, as then I'll be able to position my hands as they'd be for a front squat but still do a back squat. Other than that, I'm open to ideas in how to correct this form.

[JohnCaesar]

Strengthen your upper back, lower back & abs.

Also, do you use low bar or high bar? Honestly a video is worth a 1000 posts when offering advice.

[DanP]

Originally Posted by JohnCaesar

Strengthen your upper back, lower back & abs.

Also, do you use low bar or high bar? Honestly a video is worth a 1000 posts when offering advice.

What's the difference between low and high bar? The bar is racked at roughly shoulder height, FWIW. As for strengthening back and abs, that may be part of it, but I have this issue even if I'm just assuming the squat position without any weight (or even a bar). If I assume squat position with hands further forward (as though I were doing a front squat) the problem goes away. It's not a question of my torso not being able to remain upright and support the weight, rather my torso bending (whether or not holding weight) in the wrong way any time I move my hands and arms into position to support a back squat because there's something in my upper body that's too tight/lacks flexibility so the "bend" has to come from somewhere else. Will try to do a vid next time I'm at the gym.

[bogdanr_2006]

I'm not very experienced, but i also had this problem...the legs pushed me up from the bottom of the squat and the arms pushed me down into a goodmorning position...

I fixed it by keeping an arched lower back and by forcing the elbows under the bar in the bottom position on the way up

[DanP]

Originally Posted by bogdanr_2006

I'm not very experienced, but i also had this problem...the legs pushed me up from the bottom of the squat and the arms pushed me down into a goodmorning position...

I fixed it by keeping an arched lower back and by forcing the elbows under the bar in the bottom position on the way up

I'll definitely have to give that a try! So you're saying have the elbows out almost like when doing a power clean (but obviously everything else is different)?

You've described my problem almost exactly, by the way (and much more concisely). I guess that begs the question as to whether squats done like this can actually serve as a decent back/abs exercise as long as you still start the push from the legs and fire the hips forward as opposed to lifting from the lower back or whether it's a recipe for injury no matter what? It's my lower back and lower abs that are stiff this morning, not my quads or glutes, by the way.

[bogdanr_2006]

Originally Posted by DanP

So you're saying have the elbows out almost like when doing a power clean (but obviously everything else is different)?

if you keep your head down your upper back will round...so to fix this you force your elbows under the bar, not bedind it. It has nothing to do with the grip width. You should also try to push your upper back into the bar to initiate the ascent, at the same time with the elbows trick.

The problem is caused by a sticking point halfway up due to weak core/abs OR weak quads...or both.

There was somewhere in the "Tips" section smth about the elbows under the bar trick...search for it

[DanP]

Originally Posted by bogdanr_2006

if you keep your head down your upper back will round...so to fix this you force your elbows under the bar, not bedind it. It has nothing to do with the grip width. You should also try to push your upper back into the bar to initiate the ascent, at the same time with the elbows trick.

The problem is caused by a sticking point halfway up due to weak core/abs OR weak quads...or both.

There was somewhere in the "Tips" section smth about the elbows under the bar trick...search for it

Ok, I think I understand, though core/abs/quad weakness doesn't seem to explain why I have this issue even when practicing the motion w/o weights, but there's still a lot I don't actually understand about lifting.

I think a contributing factor may be that the muscles in my upper back have actually developed nicely but as a result when I rest the bar across my upper back it sits back further (since my upper back has gotten thicker) thereby forcing my hands to reach back further to support it.

I honestly think the best solution is to convince my gym to get a safety squat bar and start using it with lighter than normal weights to really train myself on form.

[JohnCaesar]

DanP,
How wide are your hands on the bar when you squat?

[DanP]

Originally Posted by JohnCaesar

DanP,
How wide are your hands on the bar when you squat?

I usually try to have one of my fingers on the little groves that indicate hand position for regular bench press. Based on the other thread I'm thinking the Manta Ray device could offer a great solution since it will allow the bar to rest higher and further forward, in an area that would be unbearably painful without it. Also realized that the pad I would typically use really actually pushes the bar back farther than it would otherwise be, since it's adding distance between it and my back. And all this time I thought the two were just substitutes for one another...

[heavyset]

I've been countering squatting issues for as long as i've been lifting, and still am. It takes time for some of us, but i ain't quitting just trying to find what works best for me... i have also had problem with folding over, but i can tell you it ain't my core, contrary to the popular view. My legs/quads are just so weak plus my form/flexibility might cause some problems aswell. Just keep working the lift Dan, same as i