One Clue to Identify a Bad Squat EARLY

Don’t be like this fool.

Are you making your squat harder, weaker, and less efficient than it should be? 

Here’s a tell-tale sign: if you’re trying to maintain a vertical torso (i.e., a vertical or upright back angle) as you descend, you’re making a mistake, so let’s fix it quickly.

The Problem
The error of trying to keep the torso upright during the descent of the squat is a common one, and it usually stems from confusing - whether consciously or subconsciously - the concept of a straight back with that of a vertical back.

Make no mistake - we want a straight back. We don’t want a rounded back (i.e., flexion), and we certainly don’t want an arched back (i.e., overextension) either. We simply want a straight, rigid back, which is extremely useful for efficiency of force transmission between you and the barbell.

However, the back will not always be - nor should it be - vertical during the squat itself. In fact, it won’t be vertical for most of the squat. Your back will be vertical at the start of the squat before you start your descent, and it will be vertical at the end of the squat when you finish standing up, but during the movement itself, the back will travel through a range of angles.

note that tyler has gotten correctly (and efficiently) leaned over as he descended into his squat.

The Solution
Trying to keep your torso vertical as you start makes the squat harder, weaker, less efficient, and even uncomfortable, and lifting heavy weights is already uncomfortable, so let’s not make the situation worse through inefficiency. To fix this issue, use the following cue as you start your descent:

“Hips back - chest down.”

As you begin the descent, reach your butt back as if you’re trying to touch the wall behind you while simultaneously pointing your chest down toward the floor. In other words, you lean over on purpose as you push your hips backward.

Using this leaned over position on the descent puts you in a stronger and more efficient position from which to drive up out of the bottom of the squat, and efficiency is always a good thing to have when squatting.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

• Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

• Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

Do These FOUR Things When Starting Strength Gets Hard... (plus 3 bonus tips)

What do you do when Starting Strength gets hard?

Specifically, we’re discussing the Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression, but this advice applies generally to people at all stages of their lifting careers.

The Situation
You’re a couple of months into the linear progression, and lifting has gotten challenging indeed. You finish your first work set of squats, and you’re flabbergasted, “Son of a gun, that set was significantly harder than I expected it to be!”

In this situation, what do you do?

3 Bonus Tips First
First, make sure you’ve taken care of “The First Three Questions.” You can go more in depth and read Mark Rippetoe’s article on this topic by clicking here, but in brief, you need to make sure you’re doing the following:

1. Resting an intelligent amount of time

   • Are you resting 2-3 minutes between work sets? Don’t do that. You need to rest a sufficient amount of time between work sets, and for a hard-working lifter like yourself, 2-3 minutes is ridiculously too short of a rest period.

2. Making intelligently-sized jumps regarding the load on the bar

   • If you’re a few months into your linear progression and you’re still trying to add 10 lb to your squat and deadlift each session, and you’re still trying to add 5 lb to your press and bench each session, you’re going to have problems. Make smaller jumps, e.g., 5 lb on the squat and deadlift and 2.5 lb on the press and bench.

3. Taking care of your recovery

   • In short, make sure you’re sleeping and eating enough.

Assuming you’ve taken care of these issues, there are four things to do when the novice linear progression gets hard.

#1: Check your book.
Take a second look at your training log - you may have read it incorrectly. Perhaps you were supposed to squat 205 lb today and you mistakenly thought you were supposed to squat 215 lb (and thus you loaded the barbell 10 lb too heavy). Perhaps you were supposed to press 75 lb, but you accidentally loaded up your bench press weight and tried to press that (it happens frequently).

Check your book and make sure that what you intended to lift today is actually what’s on the bar.

#2: Check your bar math.
Maybe you meant to load 145 lb, but you accidentally put a 10 lb plate on each side instead of a 5 lb plate, thus ending up with 155 lb. If 145 lb was already going to be tough, then 155 lb will be a problem indeed.

If you tend to make loading errors and are doubting your math, ask your training partner (or someone else in the gym) to tell you what’s on the bar once it’s loaded. If their answer matches your plan, then you’re probably good to go.

#3: Check your bar symmetry.
In other words, make sure the left side of the bar is loaded the same as the right side of the bar. If you meant to load 155 lb, and you put a 45 lb plate and a 10 lb plate on one side, but you accidentally only put a 45 lb plate on the other side (i.e., you forgot the 10 lb plate), this makes the load asymmetrical, which makes for a tougher set.

Ideally, you’d check these three items before starting your work sets, but at the very least, be sure to check them when things are harder than expected. You might be surprised how often one of these three errors is the culprit.

#4: What if #1, 2, and 3 aren’t the problem?
In this case, check the calendar. If the day of the week ends in the letter “y,” then you simply move on and do the next set.

It’s challenging and it’s hard, but then again, it’s supposed to be hard. This is how you make progress.

In Mark Rippetoe’s words, “Easy doesn’t work.”

It will still be hard two months from now - your 205 lb squat in a month or two will be about as hard as your 135 lb squat was today, but because you can now squat 205 lb, your old 135 lb squat is now just an easy warm-up because You. Got. Stronger.

When I find myself in a situation like this, it also helps me to remember that this is a first world problem. I have food in my belly, I have a place to sleep at night, and training is a privilege. Keeping that in mind certainly helps provide perspective.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

• Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

• Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

Starting Strength Does NOT Work . . . I Keep FAILING!

The Starting Strength novice linear progression doesn't work . . . forever. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers discusses the common problem of trying to stick with the NLP too long as well as how to avoid a constant merry-go-round of resets.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 09/19/22)

Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

• Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

• Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?