Section 3 of 6
Diagnose yourselfThe eight mistakes I see most, what is actually causing each one, and how to fix it. Film a set from the side and find yours.
| The mistake | What is causing it | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Dropping elbows | Weak upper back, poor shoulder mobility, or losing tension. | Keep your chest up. Build the upper back with bent over rows, lat pulldowns and face pulls. Technique |
| Knees caving in | Weak glutes, poor hip mobility, or rushing the descent. | Push the floor apart. Add glute activation before you squat. Hip mobility |
| Rounding your back | Weak core, tight hips, or poor bracing. | Brace hard and stay upright. Add planks and ab rollouts. Bracing |
| Wrist pain | Poor shoulder mobility and poor lat flexibility. | Build the mobility. Straps while you do. Never cross arm. Shoulder work |
| Leaning forward | Weak upper back, tight ankles, or losing tension. | Vertical bar path, weight in your heels. Add ankle mobility and upper back work. Ankles |
| Losing your brace on the way up | Fatigue, poor breathing pattern, or not paying attention. | Re-brace every rep. Fresh breath before each descent. The ten steps |
| Failing at the bottom | Losing your brace, a weak core, or not enough quad strength. | Brace harder and build your quads. Back squats and hack squats. Controlling the descent helps too. The 405 Protocol |
| Failing in the middle | Not enough glute strength, plus upper back and core. | Train your glutes. Hip thrusts and split squats, with rows and direct core work. The 405 Protocol |
Do not try to fix all of it at once. Find your biggest problem, work only on that until it stops showing up on video, then go looking for the next one. Chasing three fixes in the same session is how people end up correcting none of them.