Improve Your Squat in ONE Easy Step!
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(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 02/25/22)
Want to improve your squat in one easy step? It’s ridiculously simple.
Squat with spotters.
Seriously, that’s it. Now, of course, squatting with safeties (AKA pins, crash bars, spotter arms) is just fine, and if you train on your own, that’s the only option you have. However, if you train with some other reasonably intelligent and educated lifters, get two of them to spot you.
One person stands on either side of you (watch the included video for more on how to spot the squat . . . and how not to spot the squat). Do not have a single person spot you from behind because that’s stupid. It’s common, but it’s still stupid (the physics of this situation becomes rather obvious and untenable with heavy loads . . . try holding 300, 400, or 500+ lb out in front of you, and you’ll quickly agree).
You’ll squat better because the pressure of having two people right next to you will force you to do so. You’ll focus better and work harder because you don’t want to fail and make your spotters actually take the bar. You’re using peer pressure for good instead of evil. This is a very real effect, and we see it all the time.
If you’re not used to being spotted when you squat, you probably won’t like it at first, but you’ll get used to it, and in the long run, you’ll squat better for having done it. We hope this helps you get stronger and live better!
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These Aren't the Rests You're Looking For - Part Deux
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(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 02/04/22)
A while back in These Aren't the Rests You're Looking For - Part 1, we covered the importance of being economical with your time between reps in the deadlift. It’s important not to spend any more time than necessary with the barbell sitting on the floor because that semi-crouched position is not a very good resting position.
The same advice applies to the top of the squat as well. When the weight gets heavy, it’s easy to fall into the habit of taking too much time between reps in the squat. You’ve seen this in the gym - the lifter who takes 10-20 seconds between reps 4 and 5 of their work set.
Don’t be this lifter.
Yes, the top of the squat is the easiest place to support the weight, and thus, we take our breath at this position, but don’t spend any more time than necessary here. You’re still supporting a heavy load, and you want to get done with squatting, not simply put off the next rep. Taking 8 breaths and waiting 20 seconds before you squat the next rep simply makes the next rep harder.
Keep it simple. Keep it short. Take 1 breath between each rep, get tight (remember the Valsalva maneuver?), and then squat. You might take 2 breaths (maybe even 3) before your last rep, but don’t use breathing as a stalling technique. That chair over in the corner is a much better resting position than standing at the top of the squat with a bunch of weight on your back. Get the set done - you’ll be glad you did.
We hope this helps you get stronger and live better!
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STOP Using Your Back Like THIS (How to Squat Correctly)
/Are you making this mistake with your back when getting ready to squat? Here’s how to identify the problem as well as how to fix it.
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WHERE Should I Put the Bar for the Squat?
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In the squat, the location of the barbell on your back matters. If it’s sitting too high, too low, or if you’re just not sure where it should sit in general, you've got a problem. Let’s fix it.
Figure 1: Becky demonstrates the correct position for the barbell.
Where to Place the Bar
You want the barbell to sit below the spine of the scapula and rest securely on the delts (Figure 1). “Where is the spine of my scapula?” you ask? Solid question.
The spine of your scapula is a bony ridge that runs horizontally along your shoulder blades. You can find it on your own scapula, or better yet, have someone find it for you.
This is far more easily demonstrated on video, so I recommend watching the included video.
Your “scapula spotter” should run his fingers out to the edge of your scapula (the most lateral aspect of this bony ridge), and then simply roll his thumb or fingers below that edge. He can press into your delts and put an indentation on your back - this indentation represents where you want the bar to sit when you squat.
Figure 2: no good - mike has the bar positioned too high.
What Happens if the Bar is in the Wrong Position?
If you don’t get the bar in the right spot, one of two things will occur.
If the bar is sitting too high as in Figure 2, it will tend to roll or slide up your back, which is no fun at all. This makes for an insecure position, and it will also prevent you from pointing your chest at the floor (i.e., leaning over) and achieving the correct back angle when you squat.
Figure 3: no good again - now, mike has the bar positioned too low.
On the other hand, if the bar is sitting too low as in Figure 3 - below the shelf provided by your delts (less common, but it does happen) - the bar will tend to slide down your back. This is also terrible as it leaves your hands supporting a lot of the bar’s weight (which tends to cause a lot of wrist, elbow, and shoulder discomfort).
How Can I Make Sure I’ve Got It Right?
Your best bet is to get a coach to help you, so contact us if you’d like to set up a coaching session (click here). The second best option is to have a friend watch the video above and have him help you find the correct spot on your back. In lieu of those options, you can video yourself getting under the bar and unracking it (get the camera behind you and pretty high up if possible) and see if you have the bar in the right location.
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
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Looking Down in the Squat
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A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 11/20/18)
When we teach the squat, we teach people to look at a point on the floor about 3-6 feet in front of them. In other words, we look down (and forward, but I digress). But why?
Loren looks down . . . to go up.
Let's chat . . .
If you lifted in high school, you probably heard some “coach” tell you to look up when squatting. “You gotta look up to go up!” is the loud refrain heard throughout high school weight rooms and powerlifting meets ‘round the world. Rarely is any type of rationale given for this advice, but if pressed for a reason, people might offer something like “ . . . your body follows your head, so to stand up, you should look up.”
This might sound reasonable at first, but let’s think about it. Do you look at the ceiling when you get up out of bed in the morning? What about when you get up out of a chair? I’m going to guess your answer is no. Considering this, we can see that the body doesn’t necessarily follow the head, but it is true that your chest typically does.
Therein lies the major problem with lifting the head while squatting - lifting the head typically causes the lifter to lift the chest. When the chest comes up (i.e., the torso becomes more vertical), the knees shift forward. When the knees shift forward, so do the hips (since the hips and knees are connected by the femurs), and in this “knees forward/hips forward” position, we have now asked the knees to do more and the hips to do less, which is rather silly of us since the hips are the larger of the two joints and are surrounded by more muscle mass than the knees. Without diving too deeply into the physics and anatomy of the situation, we use both the hips and the knees when squatting, and since we want to use them to drive the barbell upward in the most efficient manner possible, that means asking the larger joint (i.e., the hips) to do its fair share of the work.
With this in mind, you look down when you squat since it’s an effective way to keep your hips (and knees) right where they are supposed to be, and this allows you drive upward efficiently with your hips.
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
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