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?