Download
1 / 14
140 likes | 152 Views
Want to know how to pick an experienced lifter out of a sea of newbies? Take a look at their squat. Do they move any weight? Are they doing full squats? Do they squat at all? All three questions can usually be answered with a single glance.<br><br>But notice what question I didn't ask: Are they holding a barbell across their traps?
E N D
Want to know how to pick an experienced lifter out of a sea of newbies? Take a look at their squat. Do they move any weight? Are they doing full squats? Do they squat at all? All three questions can usually be answered with a single glance. But notice what question I didn't ask: Are they holding a barbell across their traps?
Make no mistake: The classic barbell squat is one of the cornerstones of countless great lifting programs. Done correctly, it will add size. It trains everything from your quads, glutes, and hamstrings to your intestinal fortitude. However, it's by no means the only squat variation, and it's not the only one that deserves consideration in your program.
Reigning Champ Back Squat Advantages: Posterior chain power, hypertrophy This is what you think of when you hear the word "squat." In my opinion, the back squat is the king of the strength-training world, and we're all just lucky to bask in its glory. Not only is it the most commonly utilized form of squatting—except for the half-squat, maybe—the full barbell back squat is one of the most effective exercises in the history of civilization for strengthening the lower body.
While it trains the entire lower body musculature, the back squat places greater emphasis on the muscles of the posterior chain, such as the glutes, hamstrings and spinal erectors, than other squat variations. It's also an unparalleled lower-body mass-builder, so if size is what you're after, you need to give it a serious look.
Cues: Grab the barbell with a grip slightly wider than shoulder width, step under the bar, and place it across your upper back just below the top of your trapezius. Be sure to keep your shoulder blades pulled tightly together and maintain a tight upper back throughout the lift. After stepping out of the rack, initiate the movement by pushing your hips behind you. Keep your chest up and maintain an arched back while lowering yourself until the crease of your hip is lower than the top of your knee. Allow me to repeat that: lower than the top of your knee. Strongly reverse the movement until back to the starting position. That's one rep
Challenger 1. Front Squat Advantages: Balanced leg strength, core and upper back strength, harder to cheat The front squat is quickly gaining popularity among a wide variety of athletes, partially because of its prominence in CrossFit protocols. It's also a crucial component of Olympic lifts. Whatever the reason you do it, it's an outstanding movement, not least of all because it's harder to do really badly than a back squat.
By locating the barbell across your shoulders in front of the body, the front squat puts much more emphasis on the quadriceps and upper back than the traditional back squat, but still trains the glutes and hamstrings well.
Cues: I prefer a clean grip for the front squat. To perform it this way, grab a barbell with a grip slightly wider than shoulder-width. Swing your elbows under the bar until they are pointing forward and the barbell rests across your shoulders in front of you. Keep your elbows pointed forward throughout the movement. Squat while keeping your weight on your heels. Keep your chest and elbows up.
Challenger 2. Overhead Squat Advantages: Balance, muscular control, increased mobility Like front squats, overhead squats have their roots in Olympic weightlifting. The overhead squat strengthens the midpoint of the barbell snatch and is essential to mastering that particular lift. For non-competitive weightlifters, it can be an effective way to train the lower body while developing balance and mobility.
Cues: Snatch or press the barbell overhead and, while keeping it over your center of gravity, perform a squat. Overhead squats demand a certain degree of shoulder mobility to be executed correctly, but taking wide grip on the barbell makes this much easier. You may find it difficult to use a heavy enough weight on the overhead squat to truly challenge your legs, but that's not the point here. The hip mobility demands it places on you carry over to all other squatting variations.
Challenger 3. Zercher Squats Advantages: Torso and core strength, less spinal compression, carryover to deadlift A fairly uncommon exercise in most gyms, the Zercher squat is one of the best movements out there for developing a strong upper back and torso. Despite being a squat, however, most lifters find that it has a strong carryover to the deadlift and embrace it for that reason.
Cues: Real masochists, er, minimalists, start off by deadlifting a barbell off the floor, setting it on their thighs, hooking their elbows under the bar, and pressing it up. For the rest of us, place the barbell in the rack just lower than your sternum. With your elbows bent at your side, place the barbell in the crook of your bent elbows. Squat until your elbows go between your knees or the bar touches your thighs. That's one advantage of the Zercher: It tells you when you reach depth.
