Do this move right and your size and strength gains will continue to grow. Do them incorrectly and it can have the opposite effect or even lead to serious injuries.
Here are five common problems that could be holding your squat back and the action that needs to be taken to eliminate these problems for a better, stronger squat.
This seems really basic, but this past weekend I was doing a seminar and was amazed how many smart, experienced lifters were not properly aligned under the bar.
When you get under the squat bar, make sure your hands, torso, and feet are aligned evenly for optimal performance and results.
If every Thursday you have six hours of forced overtime with additional heavy labor, don’t squat that day.
3 of 5
Dean Drobot
Inefficient Walkout
This isn’t an evening stroll in the park, this is squatting!
Walk the weight out with as few steps as possible. No more than three total steps are needed. The first step gets you out of the rack, the second step sets up your first foot, and the third step places the opposite foot in the squat position.
Energy needs to be put into squatting the bar, not the walkout.
4 of 5
HD92
Failure to Get Tight
Being loose might help you on the dance floor, but in the squat it makes your ass grass and the barbell the lawn mower.
If every single rep looks different, you are not getting any ‘practice.” Squatting is a skill.
Every single rep and every single set needs to be viewed as technical reinforcement. Not only that, we want the desired training effect.
Old-time powerlifters would say for elite squatters, every inch of depth too high would equate to an additional 40 pounds on the squat. A high-level squatter squatting a mere two inches high is forfeiting nearly 100 pounds of training effect.
Every warm-up, rep and set is a chance to become a technically better squat. Take advantage of it.
