I have been going to Force Training Seminars, either to help Dave or to do them
on my own, for almost 3 years and one of the hardest things to do is get someone
to squat correctly. Every city has a different set of challenges. For example,
the mid-west is famous for the “The Advanced Hip Thrusters” while those in the
southern United States fall victim to the “Sit WAYYY Too Far Back” syndrome.
While each seminar poses a different set of problems, some of the simplest
things in squatting are often overlooked. Too many times people will read an
article and get confused at some of the terms or they will overemphasize one
small detail. I will try to break the squat down to help those that are having
problems or are having difficulty coaching their athletes.
1. Get into an athletic stance: For most people this is very easy. Most have
played a sport and almost every sport position is the same. If you played
volleyball, get into a position as if you were ready to receive a serve. If you
played baseball or softball, get into the same stance as you would as a
shortstop. If you played football, the stance of a middle linebacker will
suffice. All of these positions are the same; butt and hips are pushed slightly
back, knees are bent, lower back is arched, head is up, weight is evenly
distributed on the feet, upper back is pulled together, toes are slightly
pointed out and the mid-section is tight. Notice that each of these positions
are slightly wider than shoulder width; if you are any narrower in any of these
sports than you will compromise lateral speed and will be pushed over. Also, I
hope that I played against you as were surely on your ass and back most of the
game.
2. From this position, place your weight on your toes, pivot on them and move
your heels out. After this, redistribute your weight on your heels, pivot on
your heels and turn your toes back to the original angle. If you have any rhythm
at all then this will look similar to a dance move. This will take your stance a
bit wider than normal and put you into an ideal squat position. With some
experimentation, you will find that you may have to go back to the original
stance or even go wider; whatever the case begin with this and experiment.
Everyone will have a slightly different stance.
3. Place your hands on your thighs and side them down to just above your knees.
This position should be the same as if you were taking a breather between
wind-sprints or something similar. This is a very basic position. No one takes a
breather between sprints or in a basketball game with their weight on their
toes. They will grab their shorts, push their glutes back, rest their upper body
on their hands and drop their head. Sound familiar? If you have any trouble
picturing this position then take a look at football players in a huddle or a
basketball player during free-throws. They look almost the same. From this
position, simply raise your head, arch your upper and lower back and place your
hands as if they were on a barbell. This is the exact position you want to be in
when you perform a squat.
4. At this point, your hips and glutes should be pushed back, your lower and
upper back is arched, head straight ahead, bodyweight on your heels and your
mid-section is held tight. If you are not in this position, repeat the first 3
steps and make sure you are in this position.
5. Begin your squat descent by leading your body down with your hips and glutes.
Maintain the arch in your lower and upper back. If you are having a problem
sitting back into the squat, you may have to lean your forward. This is not
dangerous as long as you keep your upper and lower back arched. About 60-70% of
the weight should be distributed on your heels.
6. When you are about half way down, begin pushing your knees out and opening up
your groin. This is what has been called “spreading the floor” but I have found
that the term “open your groin” or “show your groin” or “open the knees” to be
better terms when teaching people how to squat. Also, by pushing your knees out
and opening your groin, you will have an easier time reaching parallel and will
reach it quicker. Now the weight will be shifted to your heels and the sides of
your feet.
7. For many people, once they sit back into the squat and open the hips, at this
point they can simply squat down. Once your body is in perfect position, opening
the hips will allow them to hit parallel without pushing back. This may be
difficult to see when you read this, but try it out on a box with someone
watching your knees. If you do it correctly then your knees will not move (they
will remain over your ankles) when you squat down. The key is learning how and
when to open you groin. This will take practice and some more practice; this is
something that you will not get correct after a few tries, so be patient.
8. Hip flexibility and mobility is one key in squatting correctly, so this may
be your limiting factor. If you are having problems with hip flexibility and
mobility I highly recommend getting the
Parisi Warm up Method on DVD.
This video highlights many of the hip mobility and flexibility exercises that
will prepare you for squatting correctly. Also, it is a great for conditioning
and overall body preparation.
2. Arch your upper back. If you arch your upper back, and I mean as hard as you
can, you will put your head, your low back and glutes in the proper position.
This starting position is so important and by simply pulling your upper back
together and arching you are taking care of a difficult problem very easily.
Again, this will apply to most every lift and not just the squat.
3. Get your ass down: Nothing is worse than walking into a Division I weight
room and seeing a bunch of great athletes quarter squatting. The bar weight is
too heavy for the athletes mid-section, their knees begin to buckle in and the
potential for injury is a high as the coaches IQ is low. What a disgrace to the
profession and how embarrassing for the administration and the coaches. How
could they ever be so reckless and hire this strength coach? Also, it’s a shame
for the athletes that they are being exposed to such non-sense. Now you can
argue with me about sitting back and spreading the floor…whatever, just get your
ass down. The next question will be “Should I have my athletes squat to parallel
or below?” If you are not
box squatting, then have them go as low as possible
because if you tell your athletes parallel then they will eventually start
cutting their squats. Tell them to squat as low as possible and then come back
up. It’s that simple.
Though not as manly as Glenn Buechlein, Jim is constantly striving for a high level of machismo. When you are not looking, he is eating your nachos. He is also 100% certain that the earth revolves around the first six albums of Black Sabbath. And Dio is NOT Black Sabbath.
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