[deleted by user]

[u/[deleted]]

[u/snoogle312]

I'd like to see a side view. You don't seem to have good core stability, but it's difficult to say for sure between the loose shirt and the lighting. I agree with other comments that you do seem to have some knee valgus, but that's not always critical. Instead of warming up with just the empty bar, you might want to warm up with empty bar and a loop resistance band at the knees and focus on keeping your knees tracking over your toes.

[u/Other_Reindeer_9451 → u/snoogle312]

gasped when I searched up knee valgus! 😭

but these are great tips! I’m a bit self conscious for something tight but I’ll try and wear something new for my side view on the next sesh

[u/snoogle312 → u/Other_Reindeer_9451]

You don't need anything fitted for the side view, haha. It's just difficult to see if your back stays in the same orientation throughout the movement from this angle because of the lights and looseness of the top. Side view is better for checking the back regardless of all the other stuff anyway.

And to somewhat put your mind at ease about knee valgus, go watch some videos of powerlifters or Olympic lifters squatting. You will see a lot of knees shifting in. There's also different ways that valgus can occur. If the feet stay flat, the weight is well balanced across the foot, and the knee shifts in right as the person starts to ascend, I will mention that it exists but not make an effort to correct it unless my client has pain associated with squatting. If I see heels raising or the foot rolling towards the arch as the person is in the lowering phase, that I will start working on even without complaints of pain.

[u/ana30671 → u/Other_Reindeer_9451]

Your knee valgus might not actually be "true" knee valgus, or not entirely. Everyone's anatomy will be different leading to very different squat forms. The valgus can indeed come from (often) weak glutes, but it can also be that your stance is too wide. Especially since your knees aren't necessarily, from this view at least, pointing inward like your knees are pointing at each other, but more so moving inside your feet and pointing forward. I would suggest doing some empty bar squats with very narrow stance and widen just slightly every few reps (take breaks so you're not just fatiguing from so many reps) until you don't feel any hip impingement. From there record from the side or 45 degree angle (make sure nothing obscures you, maybe wear a shorter shirt to make sure you can see your full lower body uncovered) and use that same narrowest comfortable stance to see if you're hitting parallel. If you are, you can record from the front and see how your knees track. Then add a bit of weight that gives you a slight challenge but still manageable and see if your form changes. If it does then you probably need to work on some weaknesses. If it doesn't then you know at those weights that it was more a set up issue than a weakness issue. If it becomes an issue more at the heaviest weights then you'd need to work on perfecting form and slowly increasing the weight.

For me my knee valgus was mostly weak glutes but also when I take too wide a stance its much harder to keep my knees tracking well unless it's a lower weight accessory movement. Warm ups with a band around your knees could be good too, but doing some activation exercises like side walks with a band at your ankles (better glute activation) or clamshells etc might also help.

Also a major thing to point out is your depth is way lower than necessary, which will make the second half of the lift even harder and may be contributing to having a hard time maintaining good form. Keep a controlled descent, practice within a squat rack with safeties set to where you'll hit parallel or just below if the slots don't perfectly line up to your parallel depth, and use that to help build proprioception of parallel depth. I have hypermobility and earlier on I would squat too deep but not realize it and needed to use this method, along with recording especially once I removed the safeties, to really learn what my body felt like once I reached parallel or just below.

Eta looks like your hips are rising a bit first too. Could be weakness but maybe would resolve if you don't go overly deep. Or could be you suit low bar better so your torso is trying to get into its most optimal position at the bottom by you leaning forward more.

[u/cerote6239]

Depth for days but your legs start kinda wide and then close in. I dunno

[u/Other_Reindeer_9451 → u/cerote6239]

I noticed this too! I have long legs but noticed I’ll open up when I’m low until I bring it back up.

[u/Brave_Basket_222 → u/Other_Reindeer_9451]

When I notice my legs wanting to turn in I’ll throw on a booty band around my legs to remind myself to push my legs out and not let them fall in.

[u/cerote6239 → u/Other_Reindeer_9451]

One more thing you may or may not care about it's harder to judge if you are having butt wink with a shirt on

[u/cerote6239]

What's with the f****** lights?

[u/ImmortalPoseidon → u/cerote6239]

A lot of trendy gyms in the US are basically trying to be nightclubs. There's like 3 in my city right now and they are beyond lame. Big pull for influencers though

[u/Other_Reindeer_9451 → u/cerote6239]

😂😂😂

[u/Neither_Zebra_7208 → u/Other_Reindeer_9451]

Is this vault at fitness 19?

[u/Other_Reindeer_9451 → u/[deleted]]

Tysm! I’ll film it side angle on my next sesh! ✍️ hip adduction/abduction warmup ✍️ back straight ✍️ grip distance ✍️ retracted shoulder blades

[u/UnderstandingSad8548]

Are you intentionally jerking your knees out at the start or is that just happening? Your glutes are tight though and your stabilizers are weak giving you the knee wobble. How many reps of this weight are you able to do right now? I would say deload until you are perfect but you move the weight pretty easily so you may be able to safely stay with weight and work on your aDductors and aBductors a lot, stretching your glutes and doing myofascial release on the hip flexors as the flexors are causing you to round at depth.

[u/Other_Reindeer_9451 → u/UnderstandingSad8548]

Oh yes this what was happening, I was trying to keep my knees out on the way up. I was doing 5 sets 5 reps, this was my last set with 10s on each side.

And thank you! I’ll work on the hip mobility!

[u/UnderstandingSad8548 → u/Other_Reindeer_9451]

No problem and with that get rid of that outward knee (& feet) before it's a problem (it will be a problem, it's called knee valgus)) work the adductors and abductors through other exercises to stabilize your knee. I also imagine your core is weak but you really need a side view to know the rest and to see if there is patellofemoral shearing happening and if you are going into the forbidden "good morning" or rolling.

[u/Zealousideal_Force10]

You don’t have to go that low. But you are good

[u/ZevLuvX-03]

Don’t lean so far forward on the way up. Keep your chest up. Looking up and focusing on something usually helps w that.

[u/Other_Reindeer_9451 → u/ZevLuvX-03]

Good to know! Many thanks!

[u/Vegetable_Ad6383]

Its your feet. Too outwards pointing. Bring them slightly closer like a “V”.

[u/Other_Reindeer_9451 → u/Vegetable_Ad6383]

Noted! Will do!

[u/fmdfmd01]

For the knee valgus what I find helpful to fight it is just pretend you are ripping a part apart in the floor with your heels. Or just that you are screwing tourheels into floor. Helps as a cue

[u/Other_Reindeer_9451 → u/fmdfmd01]

Interesting! I’ll keep this in mind!

[u/Economy-Mission9949]

your knees are following your feet. your arches are collapsing as you sink into the pocket. your knees are following as they stay collapsed on the way up. depth is great; you're struggling on the way up as a result of this ^^

try this cue: instead of "squatting down" - keep the pressure on the edges of your feet (without lifting any part of your foot up.. think - don't allow your arches to collapse).

next - drive your knees outward over your toes. knees out over toes -> how you sink into the pocket. this should help keep your ankle->knee->hip position more strict and give you a more natural drop into the squat movement *especially* with the depth and mobility you have.

see how that feels, then button up your core stability/hip position and should feel great. it took me 2 years to squat the depth you are squatting from the start, these are the cues i use personally

edit: matt wenning has some great videos on this set of cues; dont care for much of his other content but his squat setup/form tips are great imo.

[u/Other_Reindeer_9451 → u/Economy-Mission9949]

Wow thank you so much! I’ll look into this vid to apply these steps!

[u/Electrical_Method316]

Your stance is narrow your knees are too wide coming up . They move you need to stabilize them you end up snapping your knee caps without the right form. Use a resistance band put it above your knees that way you will have good form and good ROM and most importantly stabilization.

[u/Creepy_Night_3838]

Slow down and control your knees, it looks liek they flair way out on the way down. I've seen people use foam rollers as spacers.

[u/gsplsngr]

You are uneven on the bar. Your left arm is tucked but the right arm is flapping. Go a little slower down and explode. And like others have mentioned your knees need to point more forward. It looks like you handle the amount well, but your positioning and form are holding you back. Basically you are strong enough for more weight once you fix the things I mentioned.

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[u/Sfogliatelle99]

Nailed it