If you want to excel in the powerlifting world, then you’ll need the caliber of coaching that addresses not only your own personal training, but also empowers the people you work with. From strength coaches and gym owners to Olympic weightlifters and personal trainers, the list of athletes endorsing LTT continues to grow, along with the number of instructional seminars that are all dedicated to teaching you how to get strong and keep getting strong. Consider the following video featuring Swede Burns teaching the fundamentals of the squat.
He opens this training session by stressing some of the most important elements on the squat checklist.
- Squeeze the bar
- Air
- Neck neutral
- Brace
- Squat
Upon confirming that each lifter understands the basics, he dives deeper into the more advanced techniques including bar gripping and path, finger and neck placement and squat speed. Although Coach Burns meticulously critiques each lift, and he demands perfection from every single participant during the session, he also provides plenty of positive feedback along the way. As each lifter completes their squats, they are provided with immediate instruction to ensure they are completing their squats in a safe, successful manner.
The middle of the session focuses on the importance of having confidence and not allowing your mind to overthink the lift. Coach Burns pointed out that too many lifters get in their own way preventing them from completing a proper squat. The bar shouldn’t even move until the lifter is squeezing the bar with enough pressure, has taken a sufficient breath of air, has a neutral neck and has braced their core. In addition to providing instruction on comfortably maintaining the placement of your feet before and during the lift, Swede also gives a lesson on flaring the knees during the squat.
This training session concludes with Swede emphasizing the significance of resetting after every repetition and the avoidance of thoracic extension and buckling from the bar getting too far in front of the feet.
By the minute:
- (0:27) Squat checklist instruction for the athlete.
- (1:26) Repositioning of the bar on an athlete to ensure safety and proper bar path.
- (2:06) Emphasis on the importance of squeezing the bar, confidence and not overthinking.
- (2:50) A lesson on squat speed and self-trust.
- (3:35) Coach Burns stresses going through the squat checklist on every rep.
- (4:20) Constructive criticism regarding bar placement/path.
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