Grip, Wrist and Elbow position in Squat

laserlad2010

Lads, just hoping for advice and/or a bit of debate.

I have found it difficult to keep my elbows tucked in during my squat. Video analysis (how elite:pac:) shows my elbows flaring backwards (side on view) which is rounding my upper back and causing my butt to rise first, mostly on heavy weights (80%+).

My shoulder mobility seems pretty good, has anyone got any good exercises to spot mobility weaknesses or improve flexibility at shoulder/elbow/wrist level specifically for squat grip?

Also - narrow or wide grip position?

Answers on the back of a postcard please.

Zillah

I don't understand how your elbows are causing your butt to rise first. Strictly speaking you don't need hands at all to squat.
http://imgur.com/mz4ePl3

Alf Veedersane

The elbows possibly aren't the reason your upper back to round and your hips to shoot up. It could just be a symptom of your hips shooting up.

Keeping your elbows down is a cue to help you stay more upright but it's not the factor that keeps your hips from shooting up.

You may also need to work on keeping your upper back tighter so that it doesn't round because when you go heavier, that's one thing that's one thing that will work against you.

You need to figure out why your hips are shooting up. It's often indicative that your quads aren't strong enough.

Mellor

Zillah wrote: »

I don't understand how your elbows are causing your butt to rise first. Strictly speaking you don't need hands at all to squat.
http://imgur.com/mz4ePl3

Elbows flaring out of position is causing loss of upper back tightness. Which in turn means when hips rise the upper back collapses and the weight is out of sync with the hips.
Actually it's probably the loss of upper back tightness that's cause elbows to roam, not the other way around.

If the clip you post his hand aren't on the bar, but his upper back, shoulders and elbows are staying in position to control the bar.

Caliden

If you're ankle and hip mobility are on point, one way to check shoulder mobility is with an overhead squat.

deadlybuzzman

If you're not doing it already use a thumbless grip. You can get your elbows much more forward

laserlad2010

Yeah it could be a case of chicken vs egg in that my hips shooting up first is the problem. I've found tho that when my elbows are dialled in tight, I can keep my chest out a bit more and don't find my hips coming up first.

Brian?

How often do you do upper back work?

laserlad2010

Twice a week with facepulls, reverse flye etc.

LincolnHawk

http://startingstrength.com/article/the-elbow-problem