I have been running the Beginner Template for a few months now, and have struggled to progress on the squat.
After I unrack the weight I have great difficulty breathing under the bar, and it also feels like I can’t get tight and establish much core / upper back tightness, this happens at both low/high reps. I often have to rerack the weight due to this discomfort and it has caused me to have to deload several times.
I have used the form check service, and got some feedback to focus on Ribs Down / Ribs Back type cues. I haven’t found this to make a huge difference yet so I guess I’m just looking for another opinion here.
The one thing I have found to help so far has been tucking the chin and looking down slightly before unracking the weight.
Here is my High Bar Squat from 3 different angles:
I don’t notice any issues with your bracing, breathing, or subsequent “tightness” (as evidenced by excessive movement of spine segments) in the video. I do think you’re demonstrating a bit of overextension (too arched), which I would combat by cueing “do a mini crunch prior to taking your breath”. I should be able to see you consciously squeeze your sternum down towards your hips when you brace. I believe you got a similar cue during the form check service. Perhaps this one will land differently.
Regarding comfort, the bar position can be modified to be a bit lower (and still be high bar) if that’s more comfortable to rack, breath, and use these mechanics.
I can’t tell from the video, but the breathing technique looks a bit off to me. It’s not clear that you’re taking a big breath and holding it as we would typically advise. I might be seeing it wrong though.
Overall, I think these squats look mostly fine. I don’t see anything that’s really worrisome. That said, I would prefer the bar a hair lower, a slightly narrower stance, less arching/more “mini-crunch”, and a big valsalva before each rep. I think you may benefit from periodic form reviews in order to make this change.
These look about the same as the first video, which were also acceptable. I do think your efficiency would improve with a bigger exaggeration of the “mini-crunch” cue so that your back stays more flat vs arched. That said, these squats are not dangerous and can certainly be trained. Strength wise, the stance does appear to be a bit too wide and the depth a bit too low. I’d favor a 1/2" narrower stance each side and a depth of 1-2" below parallel.
I don’t think you need a coach to accomplish these form fixes, though you likely would achieve them faster with some guidance. Additionally, more specific programming for you the individual, reassurance when needed, and so on are all likely to be beneficial. While I don’t think most people need coaching, I think most people would benefit from it. Just my 0.02.
