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Writer's pictureBen

5 Keys to a Bigger Squat

The squat is a foundational movement regardless of your age and training history. Most people think the squat is "basic" and once you learn the technique that is pretty much it. Because of this, there are a few key components that people overlook that take lbs off the bar.


Unrack the Bar Correctly


I can't tell you how often I see people not take the bar off the rack correctly. They have their feet split apart, don't get their upper body into a good position, and don't breathe and brace. If you start off in a weak position before unracking the bar you aren't going to be able to fix it once you have hundreds of lbs on you.


To unrack the bar correctly start off by stepping underneath the bar and have you feet in the same position you would squat from. Puff your chest and get your pull your shoulders down and back. The next step is to take a deep breath in and brace your core. From here use your legs to stand so the bar comes off the rack. Take a couple steps back and then begin your set.


Don't Take Reps for Granted


This usually happens when people are doing a heavy set of multiple reps. They are too busy thinking about reps 3, 4,5, etc that they forget to take the first reps seriously. If you are doing a multiple rep set and make the first reps harder than they should be you are wasting energy for the end of the set where the reps are going to be much harder. I can't tell you how often I have seen people fail the last rep of a set not because they weren't strong enough but because they didn't focus on the first rep and it was much harder than it should have been.


Treat Each Rep of a Set as a Single Rep


Building off the last point you need to treat each rep of a multiple rep set like it is 1. This means that after you do 1 rep take a second before doing the next rep. Make sure you take another big breath and brace before starting. Each rep you should be going through the same process as you did with the first.


Don't Shorten Your Depth Because the Weight is Heavy


I am not sure what the reason is but people tend to try to shorten the depth as the weight gets heavy. Maybe they are nervous or just think it is easier but you end up making it harder. By going to proper depth you will get utilize the stretch flex out of the bottom. This feels like you are bouncing out of the whole. The reason this is important is because it allows you to develop speed to get through the sticking point which is usually right above parallel. By shortening your depth you won't move as fast out of the bottom and the sticking point becomes that much more difficult.


Visualize Yourself Making the Lift


So many people fail before they even take the bar off the rack. If you don't have confidence in making the lift you will fail. This might sound crazy but a lot of time people will make lifts they have no business attempting just because they believe. Any self doubt in you making the lift gives you an excuse to bail when the set or rep gets hard. Whether you are attempting a pr or just doing some work sets treat each rep as if it is your goal weight. Move with purpose and it will pay off once you get to attempt a pr.


You need to have proper technique to squat big weight but these are aspects of a big squat that are often overlooked. Give it a shot and hopefully it adds lbs back to the bar!


Coach Ben



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