How to ask for a form check (read first)

Want eyes on your squat, bench, deadlift, or anything else? This is the room. Post your lift, get honest feedback, lift better.

Read this first. A good post gets good answers. A blurry clip from the wrong angle gets guesses.

What to film

• Side view first. Camera about hip height, straight from the side. That shows bar path, depth, and back angle.
• Add a 45-degree view if you can. Front-corner angle catches knees caving, hips shifting, and uneven pressing.
• Whole body in frame, feet to bar, for the entire rep. Don't cut off your head or feet.
• A working-weight set. Not a warm-up, not a one-rep max. The weight you actually train with is where form problems show.
• Film vertical. Clips are vertical, so step back until your whole body and the bar fit in the frame for the entire rep.
• Steady camera, decent light, and no one else in the shot without their okay.

How to attach a clip

Short video clips are live. Start a new thread here, or reply to one, and tap Add a form-check clip. Pick the video from your phone and post.

The clip that gets posted is up to 60 seconds. If the video on your phone is longer, a trimmer opens after you pick it. Drag the handles on the filmstrip, check the preview, and tap Done. Only that part is kept. The file itself needs to be under about 3 minutes and 100 MB. Longer than that, trim it in your camera roll first.

• One working set is plenty. Cut the walk-up, chalk, and the chat with your buddy.
• Prop the phone up at hip height before you unrack. No one should be chasing you with it.
• Two angles? Pick the side view for the clip and add a 45-degree still as a photo.
• If the set runs long, trim to the reps you're asking about.

The limits:

• One vertical clip per post, up to 60 seconds. A longer phone video can be trimmed down to that.
• The file from your phone can be up to about 3 minutes and 100 MB.
• Up to 3 clips a day (12 a month).
• Your account has to be at least 3 days old.
• Clips aren't allowed in Eclipse.

No clip yet, or your account is too new? Photos still work. Grab stills at the setup, the bottom of the rep, and the lockout. A link works too, once links unlock after your first few posts.

Form-check template

Copy this into your post:

Lift:
Weight x reps:
Height / weight:
How long you've been lifting:
How long you've done this lift:
What feels off:
Any pain? Where and when:
Camera angle(s):
Clip, photos, or link:

Title it so people know what they're opening: "Form check: low-bar squat, 275x5" beats "Is this ok??"

How to give good feedback

• Be specific. "Your hips shoot up first out of the hole" helps. "Looks off" doesn't.
• One or two cues, max. Pick the thing that matters most. Nobody fixes ten things in one session.
• Be kind. Everyone in here is asking because they want to get better. That takes guts.
• No ego. You don't have to prove you lift more. Explain what you see and why it matters.
• Say what's good, too. It helps people know what not to change.
• Not sure? Say so. "Hard to tell from this angle, can you get a side view?" is a great reply.

Safety

If a lift hurts (sharp pain, numbness, tingling, or pain that sticks around), stop doing it and see a doctor or physical therapist. The forum can help with technique. It can't diagnose an injury. Once you've been checked out, come back and we'll help you train around it.

Do

• Post the template, every time.
• Come back with an updated clip after you try the cues. Before-and-after form checks are the best threads in here.
• Thank the people who helped, and Spark the replies that worked.

Don't

• Don't film other people at the gym without asking.
• Don't roast anyone's form. Everyone was a beginner once.
• Don't post a max attempt and ask why it looked ugly. Max attempts always look ugly.

More on technique, swaps, and how-to-do-a-lift questions in Exercises.