Squat Help

[The General]

When I squat I lean to far foward and feel like I'm lifting with my back or doing a bad form good morning.

I tried going lighter to correct my form but even with lighter weights I still lean foward too much.

Any tips on how I can stay more upright?

[Shibby]

Spread your feet out more, turn your toes out a little more. Use a smith machine. Try any of that yet?

[The General]

I've used the Smith Machine but it doesn't feel natural to me. I don't think the SM can teach me to free weight squat better.

[Shibby]

Didn't mean that it would teach free squat form. That was just said as an alternative. Some people I trained just need to engage their abs while doing it for stability. Core strengthen.

[lordikon]

I try looking up a little as I go down.

[hlcn8]

http://danjohn.org/squat101_files/frame.html

read this, it helped me with some nasty pain in the knees, but talks about the correct form and how to do it so as to avoid injury, it may be of some help (courtesy of DCC)

other than that, use a smith machine and take a step forward, if your feet are out and you're almost leaning back to do it, i don't see how you can round out the back.

[Stonecold54]

how tall are you?

[JUICE]

Originally posted by Shibby
Spread your feet out more, turn your toes out a little more. Use a smith machine. Try any of that yet?

hey shibbster, man when u squat how far apart do ur legs to. I would spread my legs around 18-20inches apart. I wold do alot of weight but someone at the gym told me to go a little more narrower. I tried it and could do less weight for reps but killed my legs, i called a good workout.

For all of u all, how far apart should one go. Some tell me wide is good and some say shoulder width is good.

[Stonecold54]

When you lift you should be doing what your body structure tells you to. Lift naturally if that makes sense. You will feel the best contraction when your body is in a good natural position to feel it. Taller people will need a slightly larger foot spread just because of their height and the opposite for shorter guys.

[ROCKETW19]

i love the smith machine for squats! my lower back would kill me the next day if i did free weight squats. im 6-1 so i need to put my feet a lil farther out the SM alows me to do that

[JUICE]

Originally posted by stonecold54
When you lift you should be doing what your body structure tells you to. Lift naturally if that makes sense. You will feel the best contraction when your body is in a good natural position to feel it. Taller people will need a slightly larger foot spread just because of their height and the opposite for shorter guys.

so it depends on the feel of the person. Too narrow makes my knees hurt and cant go all the way parellel to floor. Going a few inches than shoulder width suites me the best. I just tried what the dude told me, it was ok but i can pound more weight with my own stance.

[hlcn8]

they way i've heard to determine the correct stance is to jump up and down a few times, on the third landing pay attention to the placement of your feet and use that width... i'm sure that's more effective for shorter people than taller people though, my jumping stance is narrower than when I squat, but i'm 6'1".

[Slashmonay]

If your knees are coming past your toes when you come down to squat, your form is wrong. also i wouldnt use smith machine it hurts my joints like hell. 90% of the people i see in my gym squat incorrectly. you should look like your sitting in a chair when you get to the bottom. Push from your glutes more and not just your quads. you may need to strengthen your low back? not sure why your bending forward bro. When i squat i dont even come all the way back up i just keep pulsing up and down.

[The General]

Originally posted by stonecold54
how tall are you?

5'10"

[The General]

Thanks for the replies everyone.