This is not a ‘how to squat article’ but rather a step by step guide to optimising your technique for those who already have a good idea how to squat. Whilst these tips may only give an instantaneous increase of 5-10kg, over time squatting more optimally will give you a better stimulus, and hence you will get more out of your squats in the long term.

It’s worth noting that the article refers specifically to squatting in order to improve your Snatch and Clean and Jerk

 

1. Have a ritual

I’m not talking about a rain dance. A physical cue will help you become more consistent and more confident. I will use my self as an example. I start by setting my hands on the bar, with the first knuckle of each hand on the barbell where the knurling meets the smooth. I stand staggered with my right foot forward. When I’m ready to squat, I slam right foot on the ground before stepping forward under the bar. The sound of my foot striking the ground is a trigger that sets the rest of the lift into motion. Everything that follows is automatic, the goal being to minimise variation between attempts. Moreover, the sound and the action of striking my foot on the ground signals my central nervous system to prepare to go to war. When I unrack a max weight it doesn’t feel heavy- it just feels like a squat. The confidence boost when you unrack 75% for a set of 10 in unreal when you’re prepared to unrack 105%.

 

2. Get tight

Every time I see someone carelessly unrack the bar and wonder out of the rack it pains me. The lift starts as you approach the bar, not when you’re already underneath it.

Proper upper back tightness is sacrosanct to a big squat. In the high bar position, I have found that the effort to ‘squeeze the bar’ to be most effective. Attempt to shorten the bar with your hands from the moment you grip it. If your hands are adequately close (ideally just outside your shoulders if mobility allows, which it should) you will feel like you need to jam your back into the space to get into position under the bar. Set both feet underneath the barbell in a quarter squat position and brace (described in detail below). Ensure that your hips are underneath the bar and drive up aggressively to unrack the weight.

 

3. Walk out

Focus your eyes on a reference point on the wall in front of to help you maintain your balance as you step out of the rack. If you lose balance and have to stabilise the bar you will cause unnecessary fatigue to your core. Aim to walk out in three steps- two to put adequate distance between you and the rack, and a third to ensure your feet are in line under the barbell. Do not look at your feet. They are attached to your legs and they will be exactly where you put them. Keep your eyes fixed on the wall in front.

 

4. Brace again

I didn’t describe bracing in step 2 because I felt it warranted it’s own paragraph (actually a lot more but I wanted to write something you actually have time to read).

When you unrack the weight and at the start of every repetition you need to take a deep breath into your stomach (not your chest). The goal is create a solid chamber of air with which to transfer power from legs and hips up into the barbell on your back. Simply squeezing your abdominals is ineffective and unhelpful- this will encourage thoracic flexion; the aim is to resist the barbell from rounding your back, not aid it. The easiest way to learn this skill is to practice with a lifting belt. Ensure the belt is snug but not so tight it prevents you from maximising the amount of air you can force into your belly. Attempt to push out into the belt in all directions. This isn’t easy and will take some time to perfect. Do not lose pressure! You need to maintain intra-abdominal pressure throughout the entire squat.

Now you may contract your abs. The idea is to set the position of your rib-cage. You need a forceful extension of the spine, but no hypertension. I think this position is best described as ‘chest up, ribs down’. You want everything to be perfectly stacked. In the same way that a nail will not bend when struck on its end but will collapse if hit at an angle, your spine is very strong in compression.

 

5. Load your hips

Initiate the squat by breaking at the hip. I’m not suggesting you should ‘sit back’ as you squat, as the aim is to remain as upright as possible. However, pushing your hips back slightly as you initiate the squat will help you better engage your posterior chain. More tension in your hamstrings will be invaluable as you attempt to bounce out of the hole, and will offer greater stability to your joints.

 

6. Descend

Begin to push your knees forward and attempt to sit your hips between your heels. Keep your eyes fixed straight ahead. Ideally your knees will track inline with your toes at the same angle from centre of your feet. You should lower the bar with a degree of speed whilst maintaining control. Whilst moving slowly is catastrophic, you need to engage your legs as much as possible and take advantage of the eccentric portion of the lift and maximise tension to change direction at the bottom. Dive bombing your squats from the top will get you crushed under heavy weights, and you will not reap the full benefit of the exercise- the aim is to get strong legs!

 

7. Bounce out of the hole

The bottom position of the high bar back squat is not parallel, below parallel, or the point where your hip crease is below your knees. If you have to ask if it was deep enough, then the answer is no, it was not. The bottom is the bottom- where the closing of the angle between your femur and tibia is arrested by your hamstrings hitting your calves. If you want to make big snatches and cleans you need to be strong and comfortable in the lowest position of the squat. If you want to maximise muscle growth in your legs the largest range of motion possible is key. In the long term squatting to full depth will result in healthier knees and greater strength. If you struggle achieving depth I suggest performing sets with rock bottom pauses- you will learn quickly to sit all the way down as you will be punished badly for pausing without the support of a muscle on muscle, bone on bone structure all the way to the floor. If you don’t have the mobility to do this then work on it until you do. Whilst it might be the case that some people are not capable of squatting to depth you are almost certainly not one of them; the vast majority of people simply need to work on proprioception and mobility.

From about half way down you need to pull yourself rapidly into the bottom position. The combination of the stretch shortening cycle (an involuntary contraction caused by the rapid lengthening of muscle tissue), the elasticity in your connective tissue and the physical bounce of your hamstrings off your calves will create a natural bounce out of the bottom position. Just like you would when coming out of a heavy clean you need to milk this for all its worth, whilst remembering that maintaining an upright torso is indispensable. As you bounce out of the hole drive up forcefully with your legs whilst pushing your traps into the bar to prevent your hips from rising faster than your shoulders.

 

8. Drive through the sticking point

A common mistake that causes missed squats is to fail to drive as hard as possible through the entire lift. You need to attempt to accelerate the bar as much as possible throughout the lifts. Not only will this ensure maximal strength development, but it will also help you blow through any sticking points. Do not wait until it gets hard to start pushing- drive through the bar as hard as you can the whole way up. When you reach the top and extend your hips the natural mechanical advantage near the top of the squat should result in the bar almost flying off your back (although this will be prevented by the proper degree of tightness established in step 2).

 

9. Keep your hips under the bar

It is common, especially among longer legged athletes, for the hips and knees to drift back as the lifter stands up. It is most likely the case that you have tapped out your quads and the load has passed back to your glutes and hamstrings. Pushing your hips forward under the bar will cause you to re-engage your quads and put you a stronger position- allowing you to stand up.The aim should be to maintain this more upright posture for as much of the lift as possible, but during maximal attempts a slight change in torso angle may be inevitable.

 

10. Make some noise

If the darkness closes in and your feel yourself about to blackout, you need to let out some air. However, you need to minimise the amount of air lost as losing intra-abdominal pressure will only result in your trunk collapsing. By making a short sharp sound you will be able to control the amount of air lost and prevent loss of consciousness, as well as boosting your confidence and mental focus in a difficult lift. This should only happen in the later stages of the lift. Screaming from the moment you hit the bottom will result in too much air being lost before the sticking point, and reduce the amount of weight you can lift.