Form Check Friday - 3/6/2015

Okay dude, maybe you're better off learning from videos. I'm only an 'advanced novice' I guess but since no one else is answering I'll try to help.

The bar is supposed to go straight up and down, you're not supposed to drag it along your shins like that. You want to make the move as efficient as possible. Start with your shoulders directly above the bar, arms perpendicular to the floor - it's going to do up in a straight line form there. Position your feet close enough so that the bar isn't further away than the line of your shoulders, but far enough so that when you stand up with it, your knees move out of the way without anything ever coming in contact with the bar.

You keep touching your lower back - you should not be feeling any stress there after you finish the lift FYI, in case you are. It means you're not activating the lower back enough. You want to fire up your whole posterior chain before you initiate the lift. You should feel a tension in your hamstrings as you set up; push your hips back as if you're trying to close a door by backing your butt into it - you should feel them load like a spring. Turn your feet out slightly so that your glutes can better engage as you extend the hips. Initiate by contracting your lower back muscles, pushing them 'inward'. Your priority should be to maintain that tension and make sure it never rounds outward.

As for your upper back - with your arms, do a motion as if you were thrusting your hands into your pockets really hard, then bring your hands back towards your body (keeping the arms straight) while at the same time sticking your chest out and keeping your chin up. It should activate your lats. Use this to keep the bar from travelling away; keep it in line with the shoulders.

Watch this video to see what kind of form you should be aiming to maintain through the lift, and what kind of mental cues you should be using.

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