How to Squat
Squat Setup
■ Adjust racks to appropriate height for yourself
– You should not have to stand up on toes to unrack the bar (racks are too high)
– You should not have to squat to unrack the bar (racks are too low)
■ Face the bar and find the grip you want to use
– A narrower grip is about a thumb’s length away from the start of the gnarling
■ Pros: Keeps upper back extremely tight
■ Cons: Can be stressful on the shoulders
– A neutral grip is usually with the ring finger around the ring
– A wider grip is usually with the index finger around the ring
■ Pros: Very little stress on shoulders
■ Cons: More difficult to keep back tight
– Closed Grip: hook thumbs around the bar
■ Pros: Stable hold on the bar
■ Cons: Can put a great deal of stress on the hand and wrist
– False Grip: not hooking your thumbs around the bar
■ Pros: Less stress on the wrist and all the weight is carried by the back
■ Cons: Can feel less supported and the bar can slip more easily
High Bar versus Low Bar Placement
■ To perform a high bar squat: bar is placed on top of traps
– The high bar forces you to keep your chest up and torso upright which places more emphasis on quadriceps
– Pros: Does not stress shoulders and it’s good when you want to focus on quads
– Cons: Usually does not allow you to lift as much as in a low bar position
■ To perform a low bar squat: bar is placed on the shelf of the upper back at base of the traps and on top of the posterior deltoids
– To make a shelf: pinch shoulder blades together and pull elbows down and towards the spine
– The low bar position gives you a biomechanical advantage to lift more weight by allowing the torso and chest to bend over further without compromising good form
– The low bar position places more emphasis on the posterior chain (hamstrings, gluteal muscles, and back musculature)
– Pros: Can lift more weight and it’s good when you want to focus on posterior chain
– Cons: Can place stress on shoulders especially if using narrow grip
Squat Stance
■ A narrow stance is about shoulder width or slightly narrower
– Pros: Places more emphasis on quadriceps
– Cons: Not as strong of base for balance, usually cannot lift as much weight
■ A neutral stance is about an inch wider than shoulder width
– Pros: Places emphasis on quadriceps and some on posterior chain
– Cons: Some may still not feel completely balanced with their base
■ A wide stance is about 3 or more inches wider than shoulder width
– Pros: Places more emphasis on muscles in posterior chain
– Cons: Some may find this to be uncomfortably wide
■ Toes should be pointed slightly outward
– The straighter your toes point, the more rebound you get in the bottom of the squat from stretch from tendons
– If you lack ankle mobility, you may have to point your toes out further to allow for full range of motion in the squat (never exceed a 45 degree angle with toes)
Squatting
■ Once you have established your grip and bar placement, unrack the weight by standing upright and taking 2-4 steps out to the middle of the squat rack
– During these 3-4 steps you should establish the stance you want to squat with
– Make sure your feet are even
■ Brace by filling your lunges with air, closing your glottis, pushing your abdomen out, and tightening your back
■ Hinge at the hips and squat down by sitting back until you have reached at least a 90 degree angle at your knee
– Think about sitting back like you would to sit down on a toilet
– Keep your knees behind your toes
Stand Up
■ Once you have reached the bottom of your squat, stand up by straightening your hips
■ Push your knees out the whole way up
■ Drive through the heels of your feet
How to Bench Press
Bench Press Setup
■ Plant head, shoulders, butt, and both feet on the bench or floor
■ Plant feet as far behind you as possible (as close to your head as possible) to keep you tight and prevent you from raising your butt off the bench
– Go up onto your toes to create even more tightness and guarantee that you won’t raise your butt
– Keep your whole foot on the ground if you don’t raise your butt of the bench
■ Lower back should be at least slightly arched
– Someone should be able to slide a piece of paper under your low back
– The higher the arch, the lower the range of motion which allows you to lift more weight
■ A high arch does not hurt your spine if done properly
■ Dig shoulder blades into the bench
■ Unrack and position the bar over the chest
Downward Movement
■ Lower the bar by bringing the elbows slightly in (wrenching/screwing motion with shoulder blades)
■ Touch your chest at nipple level or slightly under nipples
■ Do not bounce the bar off your chest
Pressing Up
■ Use leg drive by pushing backwards toward your head, not upwards
■ Keep head, shoulders, butt, and both feet firmly placed on the bench and floor
■ Press elbows out once your elbow reaches a 90 degree angle
How to Deadlift Conventional Style
Conventional Setup
■ Stand with your feet shoulder width apart
– Shins should be lined up with the smooth sections of the bar
■ Point your toes out very slightly
■ Align the bar over your toes or midfoot
■ Hinge/reach back with your hips and bend knees keeping your back completely flat
■ Bend ankles to touch your shins to the bar
■ Grip the bar right outside of your legs
■ The inside of your arms should be touching the outside of your legs
■ Using an alternated grip (dominate hand overhand and non-dominate hand underhand) will provide a stronger grip on the bar
■ Your shoulders/armpit should be slightly over the bar
Pull
■ Brace by filling your lunges with air, closing your glottis, pushing your abdomen out, and tightening your back
– Pinch your shoulder blades down and in
– Slightly arch your lower back
– Pull the slack out of the bar
■ Stand up by pushing your hips into the bar
– Focus on squeezing your butt while keeping your chest up and your back flat
– Keep the bar as close to your body as possible while pulling
■ The bar should drag across your shins
Downward Movement
■ Make sure to lockout
– Stand tall and upright with the weight
■ Once you have locked out, try to maintain the same strong, braced position to put the bar back on the ground
How to Deadlift Sumo Style
Setup
■ Stand with your legs spread wide
– Align shins with the rings on the bar
■ Point toes out to about a 45 degree angle so that knees do not interfere with the bar path when pulling
■ Align the bar so that it’s touching or nearly touching your shins
■ Hinge/reach back with your hips and bend your knees keeping lower back completely flat
■ Grip inside your legs right where the gnarling on the bar starts
– Using an alternated grip (dominate hand overhand and non-dominate hand underhand) will provide a stronger grip on the bar
■ Align shoulders/armpits slightly in front of the bar
Pull
■ Brace by filling your lunges with air, closing your glottis, pushing your abdomen out, and tightening your back
– Pinch your shoulder blades down and in
– Slightly arch your lower back
– Pull the slack out of the bar
■ Stand up by pushing your hips into the bar
– Push feet to the outside of your shoes
– Focus on squeezing your butt while keeping your chest up and your back flat
– Keep the bar as close to your body as possible while pulling
■ The bar should drag across your shins
Downward Movement
■ Make sure to lockout
– Stand tall and upright with the weight
■ Once you have locked out, try to maintain the same strong braced position to put the bar back on the ground
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