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.

Keep it under 60 seconds:

• Trim it to one working set. 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, film the reps you're asking about.

The limits:

• One vertical clip per post, up to 60 seconds.
• 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.