Let me first start out by saying what an honor it is to write for Revolution Mag. Joe Klemczewski and Jeff Sellers are truly high-class individuals. If you have not had the chance to meet them, you are missing out. As you can tell by reading Revolution Mag, Jeff and Joe want to see everyone succeed and reach his/her potential.

Now, I was asked to write a college coaches corner on training. I feel that the first and foremost lift that must be discussed is the squat, the “King” of all lifts. If anyone asks me how he/she can get more muscular, the first question I ask is, “Do you squat?” Almost every individual, regardless of age or gender, should squat. All athletes should squat. Only a handful of people have I meet in my life truly could not squat because of some medical or physical reason.

In my opinion there are several reasons someone should squat.

1. Squatting is the most comprehensive lift of all. It requires total lower body work, but also great core strength and flexibility.

2. Quickest and easiest way to develop strength and power (not saying that the actual act of squatting is easy).

3. Requires physical toughness as well as mental toughness.

Learning the proper way to squat is sometimes a cumbersome event. When I first began squatting, I started with a wooden stick for 2 weeks, and then I progressed to the Olympic bar for 2 weeks. It was definitely a humbling experience to be a 275 lb male only squatting the bar. But by being patient, that development phase allowed my to get my squat up to 750 pounds in 3 years.

Everyone should begin his or her squatting career with a wooden dowel. As with any lift, if you can't master the form with no weight, you will not be able to master it with heavier weight. Even for those of you who have been squatting for years, it can sometimes be extremely beneficial to take a break from the weight and refocus on the technique.

Bar Placement

The beginning of a good squat begins with the bar placement. I prefer a mid-trap set with the bar. I usually teach this placement with most individuals because it tends to be the most comfortable. A placement to high, like some Olympic lifters use, will tend to rub on the C7 vertebrae and causes severe discomfort. Other individuals, like powerlifters, tend to take a low trap set. After awhile many lifters will develop elbow soreness from the pressure of the bar. Be sure to pick a bar placement that is comfortable for you and will not force you to drop your chest in the bottom of the squat. Also be sure to keep your elbows elevated behind your back to force the bar into your body (called the vise).

Stance

Once the bar is set on the back, the next step is to get a comfortable stance. I recommend a stance slightly wider than the shoulders (an inch or two at most), with the feet angled out at around a 35-degree angle. When squatting, be sure to keep your feet flat on the floor at all times. If the heels raise up off the floor, your stance may be to narrow or your hip flexibility needs work. Also be cautious not to squat with a stance that is too wide. Your feet should never be outside your knees during the squat movement. This will cause extreme pressure on the knees that is not needed.

Depth

Probably the most debated part of the squat is how deep you should go. As a powerlifter, I squat where the top of my hip joint is one inch below the top of the knee joint. For some people, squatting this deep tends to irritate their backs. With most athletes that I work with, I recommend that they squat until thigh parallel. This will help their flexibility and really give them a great lower body workout. For those individuals who do quarter squats, I feel you are wasting your time. You have to squat deep if you want to see results.

Technique

The squat motion should begin with the butt, not the knees. When squatting you want to be careful not to let the knees go over the toes. Be sure to bend at the hips first, sit the butt back behind you, and then bend at the knees. As you are beginning the descent, take in a big breath of air. This will help maintain internal pressure and help force you to keep your chest up and back tight. At the bottom of the squat, forcibly drive your hips up keeping your feet flat on the ground and the chest up. Once you get past the “sticking point,” drive the glutes up underneath you to finish the squat movement. Always keep your descent and accent under control. Do not bounce out of the bottom. The bounce will usually cause a downward tilt of the upper body and the hips will shoot up behind you. Now you are doing a killer good morning, which could sideline you for several weeks.

Common Squatting Don'ts

There are several common mistakes when squatting that I have seen over the years. Sometimes they work well for some, but for must it will only set them up for injury.

1. Looking up with the eyes during the squat. I prefer to look straight ahead during the whole squat movement. People who tend to look up put a large curve in their lower back. This is fine while the weight is low, but eventual you will put unneeded stress on the lower back and end up in the killer good morning position we discussed earlier.

2. Speeding up the descent to bounce out of the bottom. As we discussed earlier, the momentum of the bar and speedy descent will cause the chest to drop and the hips to pop up in the back. Keep the entire squat movement under control.

3. The knees come in during the accent. Many individuals tend to allow their knees to float in during the accent of the squat. Usually this is due to a muscular imbalance. When the knees come in, you will lose a lot of power transfer and set you up for injury. The only way to correct this problem is to drop the weight and master the form. Really concentrate on keeping the thighs open and the way up. The knees and feet should always be in the same plane. Use auxiliary exercises, like the Core 4 Squat Simulator or leg press, to work on this problem.

4. Placing a board under the heels. I honestly have never figured out why anyone would do this. All it does is shift the weight forward and make you work ten times harder to keep your chest up. A lot of times this will also force your knees over the toes, which could cause patellar tendonitis.

5. Wearing a weight belt at all times. Belts are only needed when squatting extreme weights or going for maxes. The same thing goes for knee wraps and power suits. Use the belt to help your lift, not as a crutch that you rely on at all times. The abs and low back will get a great workout when you do not use the belt.

Wrap-up

Now that you understand the technique, now you have to decide what sets and reps to use. To really get the most out of your squatting, stay away from the low reps (1-6) unless you are a powerlifter. Generally I recommend squats around 8 to 12 reps for 2 to 3 sets. For those extreme individuals who love pain and sweat, you know who you are, the 20-rep squat is by far the nastiest lift of them all. Not only will your legs be thrashed after one set, your heart rate will be sent into high orbit. Once you have mastered the twenty-rep squat, feel free to shoot for the Dr. Squat (200 pounds to failure). (The current high at UE is 80-reps by Tony Maslan. The best I have witnessed is 140-reps by Vince Vaught.) Whatever rep scheme you choose, be sure to start light and gradually build up, keeping the form flawless.

I hope that this article gave you a few insights. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at Club Fitness Zone (812-425-4360). You could also reply on the feedback forum and I will answer any questions that I can. Until next month, train hard and squat harder!