speed box squat and RDL form critique

[Matthew]

I decided this week to take videos of some of my lifts. Today I have speed box squats and romanian deadlifts. Next week sometime I'll try to post deficit deadlifts, regular deadlifts, and goodmornings.

I'm sorry for the poor quality, I'll see what I can do about resolution next time around. I'm also sorry for the bad angles. To my surprise there were people in the power rack next to mine, so I couldn't do any side shots until they left (I didn't want them to think I was trying to get them in the shot if I took it from my left, and I couldn't use the pin from their rack to set the camera on). All I had to work with until they left was a low ledge infront of me. I wasn't trying to cut my face out of the shots, it just happened.

I'm also sorry I wasted your time watching me fix my shirt before any of the lifts. That's just something I do before I lift, I don't know why. I know I'm odd.
Also, try to get past the fact that I'm matching. I usually wear a black tshirt and some shorts but my day to use the washing machine is Fridays, so they were all in the wash. This was all I had. I don't try to match my clothes like that.

The only way I could figure out how to post these was through photobucket, I don't think you need a password but I could be wrong. Let me know if they don't work.

Enough explanation, here they are.
These two are pretty much the same view. One is my second set and one is my fourth set of speed box squats.



This is a side view of my sixth set of box squats. This one is actually really bad, I don't usually go up on my heels like that. I think knowing the camera was recording just made me nervous and I messed up.


RDL last warm up set


RDL last working set - did this with a mixed grip

[Frank.S]

Looks good, nothing I could really point out..

Speed looks good, RDLS look solid.

Keep it up.

[Lisa~]

Matthew, You gotta fix your shirt! If you don't you'll sit on it and it'll pull at your neck and then you'll be thinking of your shirt instead of your lift! No worries about the shirt ritual, lol.

Excellent lifting. The speed box squat looks good, just work on the upward speed, which is what you're already doing. The RDLs are excellent.

[Matthew]

That's great to hear you two, thanks a lot.

[Alcoholiday]

PM

[dos]

Do you alternate your mix grip from set to set? (sup-pro opposite hands each set).

[Alcoholiday]

one thing i would do too, i forgot to put in the PM, is when you're doing RDLs, to deadlift the weight off the floor, and then do RDLs. This way, you don't have to walk the weight back

[Matthew]

I make sure I alternate, being imbalanced is no fun.

I rarely ever use a mixed grip, usually just on the last set when my grip is starting to fail me. But then I will plan ahead and use my weaker set up for the second-last set, and then my stronger set up for my last set. If I can use a pronated grip, though, I will.



That just reminded me of something (two somethings, actually).

If both hands were supinated would the biceps be more likely to tear? Is that why people use a mixed grip, or does the shoulder play a part in that?

Is it normal to have a left/right imbalance while lifting with a mixed grip? I've only noticed it while doing stiff legged deads with a mixed grip, but one side went down lower than the other, and I felt it more in one leg than in the other. I didn't write it down so of course I've forgotten, but I think the side I was using a pronated grip on went down farther, and put more stress on the same leg. Is that normal, or does that mean something is wrong? Again I only felt it during stiff legged deads, no other lift.

[Lost Dog]

Might just be the camera angle but your shoulders seem forward at the top. I'm not a fitness expert, but I always "give it to the bar" at the end of each rep on RDLs. Pelvic thrust, glute squeeze, etc.

[Lost Dog]

Originally Posted by mAtThEw

If both hands were supinated would the biceps be more likely to tear? Is that why people use a mixed grip, or does the shoulder play a part in that?

When both hands are pronated, the bar is trying to roll toward you. When they are both supinated, the bar is trying to roll away. Mixed grip stops the rolling action, so you can hold more, as you are only fighting gravity and not torsion, too.

[Matthew]

Oh. That makes sense, thanks Lost Dog.

I can't see the shoulder thing you mentioned, but it's entirely possible. I'll remember that next time I do deads and see if I notice it.

[Mike Robertson]

Lost Dog is correct; fire the glutes as you're coming through on the RDL's. I don't see ANYONE do this without being cued, so try it out next time.

Also on the RDL's, there's a little bit of knee bend at the end which is unnecessary. Generally this happens when someone feels like they need to go lower; just focus on pushing the hips back as far as possible, and once you get that stretch come back up.

On the box squats, you're REALLY loose. I have no idea what your max is, but that's one of the keys to speed squats (other than speed, of course ). Focus on getting as tight as you would to do a 1RM, AND THEN squat. Stay tight on the box, then explode up. Typically you train a box squat with 50-60% of your 1RM, but if you TREAT IT like that weight, you lose the benefits. I hope that makes sense.

Finally, I'd toe out a little more on the squats and really force the knees out hard. This will aid with keeping the low body tight and improve your speed off the box.

Hope this helps!
MR

[Matthew]

That did help, a lot. Thanks Mike

You were right on both points, I do bend my knees at the bottom of the RDL to try and go lower, and I am really loose on the box squat. I have been treating it like the weight it is, next time I'll try visualizing my max weight on the bar or something and see if that helps.

I'll definitely keep all your comments in mind next time I do either exercise. Thanks again.

[Matthew]

I have more videos, this time of my free squat and goodmorning. I was going to start a new thread but I think I'd rather keep all videos and critiques in the same place, I hope no one minds.

free squat, sideview


free squat, angle


Both goodmorning videos are pretty much the same thing, I had to take them from the same angle.

goodmorning1


goodmorning2




I didn't realize how much I was bending my knees during the goodmorning until I watched the videos between sets in the gym. For my last two sets (not recorded) I tried keeping my legs a little straighter and I felt a really good stretch in my hamstrings, so I'll stop bending my knees so much.

Any advice is appreciated, thanks guys.

[Alcoholiday]

squats look pretty decent. You need to stop looking down during your squats, and also learn to drive your head back into the bar at the bottom of the squat. Your head is what should initiate the ascent from the bottom of a squat, not your hips. I think it'll probably become more visible when you use harder weights.

GMs, your upper back is getting too loose on a few of the reps. I think you might want to use a lower bar placement. A huge thing i found worked for me keeping my upper back tight, it to keep the upper back tight, and think of flexing your lats. this is what will keep your upper back tight.

You're also looking down on the gms. Pick a spot in front of you, and keep your eyes focused on it. Looking at the ground is not going to help your upper back folding over.

[Frank.S]

haha nice shorts. I usually train with the same ones.

If your goal is moving more weight, widen out your stance on those squats. Each week try to get your feet wider and wider. My feet are minimum at the edges of the rack, id rather squat outside of it too. Put the bar lower on your back too, this will take getting used to. Depth looks really good, defenatley below //.

Since you have been doing box squats to only paralell, now you are going lower then that, that last bit of ROM is going to be very difficult. I would either lower your box or only squat to // for the next little while and see where that takes you.

[Matthew]

Thanks for the replies guys. About the low bar placement, I tried that today with just the empty bar but I couldn't get it into a comfortable position. I'd like to try it, but without resting it on my traps I don't see how I can keep the bar up while I'm moving around. Pull the bar into your back would be the obvious answer here, but isn't that bad for/hard on your shoulders?

Frank.S - Those are my favourite shorts for working out in, I'm actually trying to get more of the same kind
-this is actually a wider stance than I'm use to. The box squats did two major things for my form that I noticed: I sit back more, and I stand with my feet farther apart. I'm not comfortable yet with a very wide stance, but I can move my feet out bit by bit like you suggested. What does a wider stance do differently in the squat, is it like conventional/sumo deads?

Alco - When I first started doing goodmornings I did what you just said, I picked a spot infront of me and focused on it. Since then I found some site (or maybe it was in a book I read, I have a terrible memory) that said your head shouldn't flex/extend and so at the bottom of the movement you should be looking at the ground. Good to know I was right all along though
-I'll keep your other comments in mind for next week, good points