Useful Form Cues - All Things Gym

Over at reddit some users compiled a Checklist for Lifts.

Maybe you find one that’ll help your lifts.

Deadlift

don’t think about picking the bar up, but think about pushing the world away from the bar. Leg press the world away from the bar, in essence.
pull the bar in toward you by engaging your lats throughout the lift; this will contribute to scraping your shins and ensuring the bar doesn’t end up hanging out in no-mans land, a foot away from your body.
Squeeze the bar off the floor
Leg press the floor
Packed neck
Heels!
It’s coming up, no matter what
think of pulling your shoulders up, rather than your hips or the bar. Too many people (myself included) make the mistake of bringing the hips up while the shoulders stay in the same place, so no progress is really made.

Sumo Deadlift

Squat

Set-up

Descend

Bottom

Set-up:

Lay down and pinch shoulder blades together hard
Arch back and dig traps into the bench
Reach for the bar and put hands into position
Take 3 deep breaths and expand abs, on the last one push abs out hard and hold breath
Grip the bar HARD and unrack without losing back tightness

Descent:

Ascent:

grip the bar hard before unrack and through the movement
Narrower grip than I would like
Big breath and expand abs before unracking
Before lifting, squeeze your shoulder blades back and squeeze your glutes HARD
Push upwards in a line as close to your face as possible, small arch if necessary to keep it in a straight line but don’t go overboard
As the bar clears your head, get your head under the bar to keep it in a straight line with your body
Drive with your triceps to lock-out
think about pressing the bar as high as possible, as fast as possible, like it would fly through the ceiling if I don’t hold on. This has helped me prevent excessive lean back and overbalancing forward.
Swing my elbows forward, then flex lats to create a shelf on them (using the bar, before unracking it, to create it). If I forget to make the shelf and I’ve unracked it, I put it back and re-do.
half-squat it out of the rack and take a half step back, then set feet and tighten everything. Glutes, quads, everything.
Hit the nose. If I think “close to the nose” or something like that, I’ll be too far forward. So I have to think of actively hitting my nose with the bar to get it in that groove.
As soon as it’s passing by my eyes, shove my head under the bar and forward.
Don’t stop pushing, ever, until you’re locked out.
The bar should be really really damn close to your face on its way up and down. As in so close that if you have a short beard it would be brushing off it.

Attempt to pull your chest up to the bar, rather than your chin.
Imaging driving the elbows into the ground
Or trying to elbow someone right behind you, if you’re trying to meet the bar with your chest.
tighten core to stop swinging concentrate on your lats pulling your scapulae down at the beginning and your elbows down at the end of the positive part of the movement. slowly let yourself down on the negative.
try to squeeze your middle finger with your thumb so hard that you are trying to crush it. Note: this only really works if you are using a supinated grip.
instead of grabbing the bar like a bench press get your “hooks” over the bar. Thumb over the top of the bar, place the bar low on your hand closer to your thumb (Your wrists will be slightly bent). This gives you more support and you will be less likely to lose grip.
Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width.
Start from a dead hang.
Take in air and flex your core.
Tighten your back and pinch your shoulder blades together.
Pull your body up until your chin clears the bar.
At the top loosen your body’s tightness and drop back to a dead hang.