The Tempo Squat: What, How, and Why

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 08/26/22)

What is a tempo squat?
A tempo squat is a squat wherein we assign a certain amount of time to each portion of the movement. Tempo squats are usually given with three numbers: the first represents the eccentric (or downward) phase of the lift, the second number represents the pause at the bottom (if any), and the third number represents the concentric (or upward) phase of the lift.

How do you perform a tempo squat?
We’ll use the example of the 3-0-3 tempo squat - also known as a Denver squat (since 303 is an area code for Denver). In a Denver squat, you spend three seconds going down, there is no pause at the bottom (since the middle number is zero), and then you spend three seconds going back up again.

Another example would be the 3-1-2 tempo squat - also known as a Chicago squat. In this case, you spend three seconds descending, you pause for one second at the bottom, and you then spend two seconds ascending again.

These are the most common tempos we use here at Testify, but of course, there are other options - literally an infinite number of options. With that being said, I’d advise you not to go off the deep end here, or your ego may be writing checks your body can’t cash.

Why might you do tempo squats or where might you see them in your programming? 
Let’s say your coach has programmed you within a Heavy-Light-Medium structure or something similar - in this case, you might see tempo squats show up as a light or medium day squat. It’s not usually the first choice I’ll make for a light or medium day - I tend to keep it as simple as possible at first, and that means literally a lighter squat (usually in the 80-90% range), nothing fancier than that - but eventually, a lifter might see a tempo squat inserted there.

Why might we do that? A tempo squat - since it’s a slow, torturous event - will use a lighter weight than a normal squat, so it fits the bill for a light or medium squat (but note that light and medium do not mean easy). 

The tempo squat can be also useful for a number of other reasons - one of which is that it can help a lifter focus on a specific aspect of his or her technique. If Bert tends to get forward at the bottom of his squat, a tempo squat allows him to think and focus very hard on maintaining his balance over the midfoot. If Ernie struggles to set his knees correctly on the descent, a tempo squat forces Ernie to take more time to do it correctly.

Tempo squats can also be used to help in cases of tendinopathy, and I have Will Morris to thank here for his recommendation of the 3-1-2 tempo squat (AKA Chicago squat). I will leave it to more educated professionals such as Will, John Petrizzo, Rori Alter, and Nick D’Agostino to give a detailed explanation of why this tends to work well - the people I just mentioned are all both physical therapists as well as Starting Strength Coaches and are excellent resources. From a purely physics perspective, I suspect that some of it has to do with the concept of impulse (i.e., change in momentum) and the inverse relationship between the force and time necessary to create a specific impulse. However, this is a topic for another day, so it suffices to say that tempo squats tend to be very useful in cases of tendinopathy.

This wraps up our discussion on tempo squats, and remember, if your coach programs them for you, there’s probably a good reason . . . or maybe your coach just likes to watch you suffer.

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

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Spotting the Squat: Don't Make These Mistakes!

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 08/19/22)

Spotting the squat is important, but it’s often done terribly and awkwardly, so let’s briefly discuss how NOT to spot the squat.

Don’t Space Out.
This isn’t the time for selfies or catching up on your pleasure reading. You need to keep your hands off the barbell unless it moves in a direction other than upward, but you still need to be available and attentive throughout the entire set.

A missed rep can happen quickly, especially if it’s due to a loss of balance, so be ready.

figure 1: Don’t Do This. (note the crooked barbell)

Don’t Touch the Bar . . . When the Lifter is Walking It Back In.
At the end of a successful set, do not try to help the lifter get the bar back to the hooks (Figure 1). By touching the bar, you’ll simply cause the lifter to be uneven (because you and the other spotter will not provide equal amounts of assistance) and possibly miss one or both of the hooks.

At the end of a set, the lifter already squatted the weight on his own - he can certainly walk it back on his own. Spotters should simply be present as the bar contacts the uprights to make sure that the bar does not bounce back from the rack.

figure 2: Don’t be like these fools.

No 1-Person Spots
Spotting the squat is performed by two people - never one person. Spotting the squat from behind the lifter is awkward at best and dangerous at worst as the spotter is in a terrible position to handle a heavy load should the lifter fail (Figure 2).

When setting up to spot, the spotter on the lifter’s left should have his left foot forward, and the spotter on the lifter’s right should have his right foot forward - this way, you are both facing the lifter as well as each other.

Keep your hands off the bar unless the bar moves in a direction other than up - any rep touched by you cannot be counted by the lifter. However, if the lifter does need assistance, you need to provide it, and you do so by spotting the bar with the crook of your elbow, and both hands will help by grabbing the plate (Figure 3). At this point, the lifter and the spotters together will lift the bar and take it back to the hooks (the lifter should NEVER abandon the bar).

figure 3: The correct way to spot a failed rep

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

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Starting Strength Coach Reveals the WORST Thing To Do with Your Squat

What's the worst mistake that you're making with your squat? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains what it probably is and how to fix it.

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8 Things Successful Lifters Do Before Squatting HEAVY (plus 2 BONUS tips)

What should you take care of before a heavy squat? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers 8 simple and effective tips - plus 2 bonus tips - when preparing to squat heavy.

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The Squat: You "Kneed" to Do This

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 06/03/22)

You’re ready to squat - your lifting shoes are on, the barbell is situated on your rear delts in that snug, low bar position, and you’ve got your focal point nailed down. What’s next?

Good heavens, this is painful to look at.

Reach back with your hips, point your chest down, and Shove. Your. Knees. Out.

When we say “shove your knees out,” we mean that your knees should go sideways. Of course, your knees will also go forward (after all, that’s what knees do when they bend in the squat), but we’re also going to shove them sideways.

This . . . is much better.

In other words, when you’ve taken your shoulder width stance with toes pointed roughly 30 degrees out, you’re simply going to point your knees (and thus your femurs) in the same direction as your toes. Simply put, your toes will act as arrows for your knees so that the knees go forward and out.

When we do this - when we shove our knees out and keep them out as we squat down and back up again - we force our abductors and external rotators to perform the task of keeping our knees out. As a result, we get to train that muscle mass - and this also allows our adductors (i.e., groin muscles) to contribute to coming back up again, so we get to train that muscle mass too.

Training all of this muscle mass helps us lift more weight, so we can get . . . you know . . . stronger. Getting our knees out also has the added benefit of making it easier to achieve depth in the squat.

Lots of muscle mass, a long range of motion, and lots of weight lifted . . . these sound like three very nice criteria for a lift designed to help us get stronger.

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

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If you found this helpful, you’ll love our weekly email. It’s got useful videos, articles, and training tips just like the one in this article. Sign up below, and of course, if you don’t love it, you can unsubscribe at any time.

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach?

The Squat: Are You Making This Mistake?

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 05/20/22)

Are you trying to arch your back when you squat? Knock that off. We don’t want a soft, rounded back when squatting, of course, but we also don’t want the opposite of that - an arched back, i.e., an overextended back.

Figure 1: What a fool . . . even Parker can see that, and Milo can’t bear to watch.

If a lifter has this problem, it often shows up right at the beginning of the descent. So, if you look like you’re about to twerk when you initiate your squat, pay attention.

We want a straight, rigid back when we squat; again, rounded is no good, but neither is overextended, and that’s the problem we’re addressing here (see Figure 1).

Overextension of the back is neither a comfortable nor a strong position in which to support a heavy barbell on your back. If you’re overextending your back when squatting (watch one of the included videos for a demonstration), remind yourself to clamp down on your abs extremely hard (i.e., contract your abs as hard as you can) before you start the rep and then keep them tightly contracted throughout the entire rep.

If that reminder doesn’t work, you can try overcueing yourself by telling yourself to “round your back” slightly while squatting. Be careful with this cue - we DO NOT actually want a rounded back, but if you are overextending your back, then overcueing with this exaggerated mental picture may be just what you need to achieve the straight back that we actually do want.

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

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

If you found this helpful, you’ll love our weekly email. It’s got useful videos, articles, and training tips just like the one in this article. Sign up below, and of course, if you don’t love it, you can unsubscribe at any time.

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach?