Thread: My legs and lower back

Originally Posted by MyK

Teaching the Squat
By Jim Wendler


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 or VHS. 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. This video/DVD can be found at EliteFTS.com.

Now let’s say that even these 8 steps are too confusing for your athletes or too much to consider. What I have found is that there are three definitive things that will help your squat. If you concentrate on these three things, or emphasize them over and over again to your athletes, I guarantee that they will become better squatters. If you are a coach do not make things more complicated than they have to be. Simplify everything and you will be surprised at how much better your athletes will lift. Have the athlete get into whatever stance they are comfortable in. Unless they are much too wide or their heels are touching, don’t fight it. Just let them be comfortable.

1. Squeeze the bar. While you are sitting at your computer, drop your hands down at your sides and squeeze them into a fist. Squeeze as hard as you possibly can. What happened to your entire body? It got tight! This is one of the hardest things for an athlete to realize when he lifts and squeezing the bar takes care of it. This simple maneuver is one of the easiest ways to combat a difficult problem. This is one of the first things I ever learned when I began lifting and can’t believe that coaches leave this out. Squeezing the bar/dumbbell should happen on every set of every lift. If you are a coach and are not emphasizing this, I highly recommend you begin.

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.

Originally Posted by MyK

By Donnie Thompson



Rule #1 – Clear your head

Get rid of all the numbers in your head. Sometimes they can be limiting factors. Only put a new goal in your head once you attain one. And that is your opener! Several years ago, we all thought that an 800lbs bench was out of reach. Now, it is fairly common. Remember how Roger Banister was the first to break the 4 minute mile? Everyone thought that this milestone would never be shattered. As soon as people saw that Banister had done it, numerous people repeated his feat. Don’t get caught up in the numbers. What is good today, will be average tomorrow.

Rule #2 – Get a stance

Find what stance works for you. This takes a long time and will take some experimentation. Examine your squatting style and see what top lifter is similar. What stance do they use? Remember not everyone can squat like Chuck Vogelpohl or Steve Goggins. They have perfected their form and technique to suit them. You must do the same. Many people have jumped on the “wider is better” bandwagon when some people need to squat a little bit narrower. Everyone is built differently and has different strengths. It’s your job to find yours.

Rule #3 – Find your shelf

In order to be comfortable under the bar, you must find where you need to place the bar on your back. Having a bar too high or too low will result in failure. Not everyone can use a low bar position so if this feels uncomfortable, change it. You have to find what works for you.

Rule #4 – Learn to love the hole

Most people are scared when they reach depth. They are nervous at parallel because this is their weak point. Learn to be comfortable and strong in the hole. Don't be scared when you go low. Make it your strong point! This is where many lifters lose their air, their confidence and their squat. Instead of being afraid, embrace this part of the squat. Learn to love the pressure and the feeling of your head about to explode. If you learn to love this and expect it, you will do much better. If you are always scared, then your squat will reflect it.

Rule #5 – Have a big bag of tricks

Use every means necessary to get your squat stronger. i.e. boxes, bands, chains, weight releasers and combo of these. Find what works for you the best. Then attack your training cycle aggressively. Again, this is going to take some time to find out what works best. I advise any beginner to use basics but eventually you are going to become advanced and do something different. This doesn’t give you license to put every gadget and device on the bar either! Don’t dig your head in the sand. If you want to make progress you are going to have to use a number of different means. You are going to have to talk to others, read and experiment.

Rule #6 – Be at one with your gear

Try all the gear you think will work for you. See what the guys who are better than you wear. Ask them why they chose what they did. More gear does not equal better results. Better gear equals better results. But better means something different for every lifter. Use the gear that works for you and learn it. Get comfortable in it. ''A comfortable lifter lifts more weights!" I think Socrates may have uttered that on his way to the Monolift.

Rule #7 – Improve your form

Always work on improving your squat form. You are never as good as you think you are. There is always something that you need to work on. In this case, you had better have good lifting partners and honest lifting partners. This will make a huge difference. There are so many different aspects of squatting and your training partners need to be able to look at your squat and see everything! You must also be able to take criticism. If you do not have training partners, you may have to video tape your lifts. This will allow you to look at your squat and really examine it.

Rule #8 – A strong squat has a strong mind

To squat big, you need to think big. Have no limit on your end result. When planning your meet strategy, your opener is the only lift that is your limit. Don't plan your other attempts; let them happen on game day!

Rule #9 – Treat your lighter squats like they are heavy

Don't over-compensate your lighter squats. Always execute your squat with perfect form and make sure that your mind is “on”. Most people get injured when squatting light weights because they don’t treat them with respect.

Rule #10 – Squat big in the meet

It does not matter what you do in a gym. What you do at a meet reflects what you learned in training. Aside from judging, you are responsible for everything else. Any excuse you have is only your fault and your fault only.

[Bonus Rule -If you want to squat big, train with other guys who squat big. You need to train with powerlifters if you plan on being one.]

Thompson’s 10 Rules for Squatting Big

Well, there may be more to it than this, I can't see everything, but here's what I do notice:

One thing that is for sure is you're not doing the movement right. You are not sitting back. You're just jutting your knees forward. This anterior weight bearing is very common. You should definitely be starting with squat onto a box or bench to get your sitting back. The weight should be over the heels of your feet right in line with your lower leg bone. Initiate the movement at your hips. Sit back, not down.

You also look like you have tight hip flexors and/or you're severely lacking core stability. I think it's a combination of both. Your forward lean is crazy. It almost looks like a good morning. Stretch the shit out of those hip flexors and start working plank variations like a mofo. You have to stay more upright. This forward lean is probably largely contributing to your anterior weight bearing.

I can't tell for sure from the front view because of the lighting, but are your knees buckling inward? It kind of looks like it. If your knees are buckling then that usually means weak/inactive glutes and possibly tight adducts. Start doing some activation work as listed in the sticky about warming up.

What stretch do you reccomend for the hip flexors?

And when you say do plank variations , can you gimme a sample worokout (because I never did these)?

Ill start doing Glute Bridges to activate/strengthen my Glutes.

Anything else I can do?

Originally Posted by mike456

What stretch do you reccomend for the hip flexors?

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1127149

Scroll down to tip 14. The picute with the guy kneeling in a lunge-like position with his back foot on the bench. Do it for 30 seconds per side several times each week.

And when you say do plank variations , can you gimme a sample worokout (because I never did these)?

http://exercise.about.com/od/abs/ss/abexercises_10.htm

That's a plank. Treat it like any other exercise, except you want to do it for time. Start with whatever you can handle for a few sets. If it's less than 15-20 seconds, then accumulate 15-20 seconds per set in a rest-pause fashion. Side planks are great too:

http://www.fitnessvancouver.ca/anato...de%20plank.htm

Ill start doing Glute Bridges to activate/strengthen my Glutes.

I highly suggest these as well:

Lying Hip Abduction
Conditions the hip abductors and hip external rotators, enhancing hip stability

There are two versions of this exercise. First, lie on your side with your legs bent 90 degrees and your knees together. Now rotate your upper leg upward and backward, keeping the foot of this leg in contact with the other foot. Repeat 12-15 times or until you feel fatigue in your buttock, then switch sides. To make this exercise more challenging, perform it with a resistance band tied around your thighs.

To do the second version, straighten your legs and repeatedly lift the top leg toward the ceiling (toes pointing forward) as high as you can. Repeat 12-15 times and then switch sides. To make this exercise more challenging, do it with an ankle weight.

Cook Hip Lift
Trains the deep abs to stabilize the lower spine and pelvis while the glutes and hamstrings generate backward thrust

Lie face up with your legs sharply bent. Place one foot flat on the floor and draw the other leg up against your torso, holding it in place with pressure from your hands. Now contract the hamstrings and glutes of the grounded leg to lift your butt off the floor two or three inches. Keep your deep abs contracted and your pelvic neutral. Hold this position for five seconds and relax. Repeat five times and then switch legs. Progress by holding the contractions longer and/or by adding repetitions.

Also, look into birddog variations with a bent knee:

http://www.spine-dr.com/site/exercis..._article3.html

Anything else I can do?

Work on hip mobility using some of the exercise suggestions that I mentioned in that sticky about warming up. Ankle mobility could be an issue too. Refer to that first article I linked up at T-Nation for a couple of good ankle mobility exercises.

Do you have access to resistance bands and someone who can assist you?

Thanks for all that info! No I don't have resistance bands or anyone to assist me.

Originally Posted by mike456

Thanks for all that info! No I don't have resistance bands or anyone to assist me.

Alright, I know a cool little trick for helping teach someone to squat, but it requires those two items.

CP- I did the plank for 50 seconds with no problem (I know people do them for like 10 min straight, but since I am heavier, does that make this exercise harder for me?), at 235 6ft- does this mean my core is weak or average?