10 Tips for Flawless Squatting

10 Tips for Flawless Squattin'

By Mike Robertson

Originally posted at www.t-nation.com

You've heard it a thousand times. To get big and strong, ya' gotta' squat. But how many of you are doing it right? The squat isn't as complex as a clean and jerk, but whether you're a competitive powerlifter or just the basic trainee trying to put some size on your wheels, paying attention to some of the details of the lift can pay huge dividends.

Let's take a closer look at how to squat properly, then discuss some common problems and how to fix them.

No More Ugly Squats!

The key to the squat, like all exercises, is to perform it consistently with flawless technique. If you really strive to have perfect technique all the time, you'll not only add pounds to your lifts, you'll also decrease your chances of injury.

But what is perfect technique? I'm going to give you what I consider to be the ten most important tips to improving your squat technique.

1) Hands In

Bringing the hands in on the bar can really help those who get "caved over" when squatting. When I say caving over, I mean when the shoulders roll forward, the chest is no longer up, the low back rounds, or a combination of all of these. (Obviously we don't want you to be totally upright, but excessive lean isn't conducive to squatting big weights, either.)

By bringing your hands in closer to your shoulders, your upper back and traps "bunch up," so to speak. Not only does this help give you a nice shelf to set the bar on, but it also activates the synergists in the upper back, creating an extension force that helps keep you more upright and your chest from caving in.

Obviously, this is limited by the flexibility in your wrists/forearms, anterior deltoids and pecs. As you work to get your hands in closer, do so gradually over the course of several workouts. Even if it's just a finger-width closer each workout, it's going to make a profound difference in your posture.

2) Back Together and Tight!

Once you have your hands in nice and tight, think of pulling your shoulder blades back and together, squeezing as hard as possible. This will again help to "bunch up" your upper back and give you that nice shelf to rest the bar on. If you're skinny or don't have a lot of meat on your upper back, this can really make squatting more comfortable. Set the bar on top of this muscle shelf and you're ready to rock.

If your upper back isn't very developed, you'd be well-served to put some beef on this area. Exercises to help develop your upper back include Olympic pulls, cable rows to the neck or face, and prone shrugs.

3) Comfortable Stance with Toes Out Slightly

Once you've unracked the weight and are getting set-up, you want to set your feet with a comfortable stance. Those with longer legs and shorter torsos (dolicomorphs) will probably prefer a slightly wider stance, while those with shorter legs and longer torsos (brachiomorphs) are usually more comfortable with a narrower stance. Find something that suits you and stick with it.

Toe position is something that can be argued with regards to pointing the toes straight forward or out slightly. Usually those with a closer stance prefer pointing the toes straight forward, while those with a wider stance need to toe out more. When you squat with a very wide stance and point the toes forward, it'll be very hard to go deep with the weight. Beyond that, you might have some balance issues as well. Toeing out more can usually solve 99% of the depth issues seen with wide-stance squats.

4) Weight Balanced

While you may not realize the importance of having your weight balanced on light warm-up sets, it's extremely important to develop the right groove from the start. The weight should be balanced over the mid-foot or shifted slightly towards the heel. Again, comfort is most important here. You want to find a technique you're comfortable with and that will allow you to move the heaviest iron possible.

Keep in mind that if you get the weight too far towards the heel you'll fall over backwards and lose coolness points. Also, if the weight gets shifted towards your toes you'll get rounded over. Neither is conducive to moving heavy weights or your general health!

5) Chest Up, Low Back Tight

This is an extremely important point to remember. Not only will it help your squatting form, but it'll also aid in keeping your low back healthy. I refer to this as the "muscle beach" effect, where you try to stick your chest out and up. If a beautiful member of the opposite sex walked past you on the beach, you'd want to have great posture and exude your astonishingly high levels of self-confidence, right?

Before you squat, really work to "puff" the chest out and elevate the rib cage. Not only will this help you keep your chest up throughout the set, it'll help you set a nice arch in your lower back.

For the full list of ten go to    http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/articles/10+Tips+for+Flawless+Squattin%27/

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