nunderville

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Free weights: squat, overhead press, deadlift

5-15-2016

Squats

Since my previous free weight workout, I have made an effort to change the angle of my torso and alignment of knees/feet at the bottom of my squat.

The good

  • Increased my pace and still felt in control
  • Wrists didn't get overloaded and hurt
  • The barbell seems to follow stay over my mid-foot more consistently now
  • My knees are not pushed forward as much due to leaning back more with hips and torso coming forward
  • The new torso/hip movements made the weight feel much more managable. I actually messed up and squatted 95lb, but meant to only do 5lb more than my previous which would have been 80lb

Questions and areas for improvement

  • I still have some wrist aggrivation, though on this last set I finally felt the bar sit on my trap muscles when I promote my chest forward and squeeze my shoulders back.
  • Am I going too low?

Overhead press

My second time doing the exercise. Still trying to feel comfortable and smooth with pretty much all aspects.

The good

  • forearm/wrist alignment at bottom look OK
  • lower body stays fixed
  • wrist didn't hurt

Questions and areas for improvement

  • Stance width appropriate?
  • At the top, the shrug motion is still done like an afterthought. I'd like that to be smoother.
  • knees a little bent? keep lower body more rigid?
  • Bar "resting" at appropriate spot at bottom?

Deadlift

It had been a little while since my last deadlift and the details that I wanted to focus on were not very fresh in my mind.

The good

  • Up and down aren't fluid, but are starting to feel a bit more coordinated
  • I was able to keep my hips higher

Questions and areas for improvement

  • Forward positioning of shoulders relative to the barbell is right?
  • Is my neck/head alignment ok? I tried to keep my gaze fixed, but I may need to focus on a point lower and closer to me.
  • Review the position and engagement of my shoulders
  • The bar didn't run against my shins or thighs hardly at all. Shouldn't I be pulling it up close/on my body?
  • My calves and hamstrings feel taxed in order to bring up my hips at the start. I do this so my start isn't too much like squat form, but is this right?