5 simple tips to unlock Squat GENIUS mode… plus a bonus tip

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Struggling to get your squat right? In this video, Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers breaks down 5 simple, practical tips to help you lift more weight with better technique—and he shares a bonus tip regarding a common mistake lifters make with their backs.

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2 Squat Mistakes Every New Lifter Makes

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Stop doing this. 

Today’s two squat mistakes make for inefficient training, they can be borderline dangerous, and . . . they make you look like a newb.

On the upside, both errors are quite easy to fix from a technical standpoint, so let’s grab this low hanging fruit real quick-like.

Mistake #1: Where are you going?
When you unrack the squat, don’t walk a marathon back from the rack to set up (Figure 1). Stay relatively close to the rack.

figure 1: An exaggeration, yes, but not by much

Most people who squat inside a power rack will typically do this well as lifters only have so far to walk back (Figure 2) before hitting the uprights behind them. However, when people train with a squat stand (Figure 3) or squat outside a power rack, they often walk ridiculously far back from the rack.

figure 2: squatting inside a power rack will force you to be reasonable, so Do this whether or not you’r inside a cage.

Don’t do that.

After standing the barbell up from the hooks, take one step back with your right foot, one step back with your left foot, make any small stance adjustments you need to make, and then you’re good to go.

figure 3: far enough back to clear the hooks yet close enough to be efficient and within the length of the spotter arms

No - you don’t want to stand so close that you risk running into the hooks when squatting, but you also don’t want to waste a bunch of energy by walking back five steps before starting to squat. On top of that, when you’re exhausted at the end of your set, you want a short, efficient distance to walk back to the rack - not the equivalent of a city block.

Mistake #2: What on earth are you looking for?
Stop looking for the hooks (Figure 4) when you re-rack the bar.

figure 4: don’t do this.

They didn’t go anywhere while you were squatting, so when you finish your set, keep staring at the same focal point you used during your set, walk forward until the bar makes solid contact with both uprights, and then slide the bar down the uprights until it’s back in the hooks (Figure 5).

figure 5: this . . . is much better.

Your torso tends to follow your head, so by looking side-to-side for the hooks, you tend to create a twisting effect, and you greatly increase the chances that you will someday miss one of the hooks when re-racking the bar.

It is safer, more efficient, and far easier to simply stay tall and walk straight ahead until the rack stops you - then “squat” down until the bar is in the hooks.

Although this error is easy to fix from a technical point of view, it also can be a difficult habit to break, so remind yourself that the goal is to hit the uprights - not the hooks - with the bar.

As always, we hope these tips help 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.)

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?

2 “Small” Changes That Unlock Big Squat Gains

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

The Scenario
You’re trying to squat using the Starting Strength method. You’re excited about the low bar squat.

You’ve read the book. You’ve watched the videos . . .

But you’re still struggling to execute the lift correctly.

Here are two simple cues that just might make all the difference.

figure 1: This fool is keeping his back angle too vertical as he starts his descent.

The Problem is Two-Fold
When lifters are having difficulties with the squat, the problem often consists of two factors - achieving the correct back angle on the way down and then maintaining that correct back angle on the way back up again.

In other words, the lifter usually is keeping his torso too vertical on the descent (Figure 1), and he isn’t correctly driving with his hips on the ascent.

Let’s fix this real quick-like.

Check out the video above if you want to see the solution in action.

The Solution: Option #1
On the descent, cue yourself, “Lead with the chest.”

You are reminding yourself to start pointing your chest at the floor right away as you start to descend (side note - you’ll need to reach backward with your hips to do this).

figure 2: becky correctly points her chest at the floor as she descends.

On the ascent, however, use the cue, “Lead with your hips.”

In other words, you are cueing yourself to drive your hips straight up out of the hole, and you are specifically not thinking about what your chest, shoulders, the barbell, or anything else is doing (don’t worry - they’ll go up, too).

So, to summarize, “lead with the chest” on the way down (Figure 2), and then “lead with the hips” on the way back up.

The Solution: Option #2
If you struggle with the concept of driving your hips upward on the ascent, use the cue “Keep your chest down” instead for this portion of the lift (Figure 3).

In this case, your cue for the descent is still “lead with the chest,” and your cue for the ascent is now “keep your chest down” (or equivalently, “stay leaned over”).

figure 3: tyler correctly keeps his chest pointed at the floor for a good portion of his ascent.

These solutions are quick, simple, and as always, we hope they help 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.)

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?

How to Squat: The Setup | STOP Doing This!

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Is your lousy setup destroying your squat? In 2 minutes, Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers a common error during the setup process and helps you fix it.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 01/02/23)

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.

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?

9 Common Lifting Tactics That Can Ruin Your Squat

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Think you're squatting correctly? You might be using these common tactics that are actually sabotaging your squat. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers breaks down 9 mistakes that could be holding you back - and how to fix them.

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.

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?

WHERE Should I Put the Bar for the Squat?

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

How do you find the best position for the barbell when squatting? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers shows you in less than 2 minutes with some help from Coach Mike as well.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 12/17/22)

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.

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?