squat Archives - Tucson Strength

Low Bar vs High Bar on Squats

Danny — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 16:56:27 +0000

High Bar VS Low Bar on Squats

This blog could be an entire chapter in a book. Lets start with the basics of bar position. High Bar squats should have the bar placed in the meat of the upper traps. Many times lifters will put the bar where the trapezius muscle meets the cervical spine and that is not an optimal position. The bar can end up resting on the spine and cause issues. Also, having the bar that high on the back can cause the bar to roll forward and cause you to tip forward. The ability to let the bar sit on the upper trapezius muscle will give some padding and also also the lifter to achieve maximal tightens and connection to the bar. On the high bar position the lifter wants to think about pulling the body up into the bar to create a wedge. Some people think about pulling the scapula down to create the wedge. Many people will use the cue of Chest up, which is ok, but it can also cause the lifter to arch the lower back which isn’t a position to be in while squatting.

Low Bar Position

Low bar has the bar resting on the top of the rear deltoids. The lifter things about retracting or squeezing the scapula together and the bar will rest on ledge made by the rear deltoid muscles. Maintaining the back squeeze throughout the execution of the squat is crucial for a strong squat. Some lifters will allow the bar to be lower than the rear deltoids which may make the squat feel easier because the bar is lower on the back, but this can cause issues of having the bar slide down the back. If this happens it can risk serious injury or at minimum dropping of the bar off the back. The USPA Powerlifting Federation actually have rules in place to ensure super low bar position is not used.

WHO SHOULD USE WHICH POSITION?

If you are an upright squatter the high bar position is optimal. It allows the bar to stay over the mid foot throughout the execution of the squat. If you are someone that has to lean forward a bit to squat to depth then low bar position will be optimal for you. Again putting the bar lower on the back will allow the bar to stay over the mid foot during the execution of the squat. There is so much more I could say on this topic but I will point out a couple of things to be aware of. If you have really tight ankles and long femurs High bar will be very difficult for you to execute, you are most likely a low bar squatter. If you are a low bar squatter you have to have decent shoulder mobility to keep the bar in position on your rear deltoids. So if you are struggling with each position it would be helpful to get with a coach that can get you dialed in and possibly work on any mobility issues you have that is holding your squat back. Here is an article on some other key aspects of squatting you should know if you want to have a big squat. If you are looking for a gym in Tucson that specializes in powerlifting feel free to reach out to us. We also offer online programming and coaching.

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Is it the Shoes?

Danny — Wed, 08 May 2024 19:35:40 +0000

QUICK guide to weightlifting shoes

We see so many lifters show up to the gym with the latest and greatest in equipment. Everything from the hottest new belt on the market, to the tightest knee sleeved ever made. Lifters want the edge and pay good money for the best equipment. So what about shoes? Shoes are the one part of your gear that can make or break your lifting performance and unfortunately we see a great shoe on the wrong lifter all the time. Shoes are one of the biggest parts of our fashion culture. Just ask any teenager that is waiting for the new Jordan to release. In the lifting world, the shoe is 100% about performance and the best looking shoe could be the one thing that kills your squat.

Types of Weightlifting shoes

Before we get into specific types of weightlifting shoes let’s get one thing out of the way. Do not lift in a running shoe, period. They have no place in the performance of the squat or deadlift. They are meant for running, which means they are made to have cushioning and “give” for your feet. These are the exactly the opposite of what you need in squat or deadlifting performance. You need stability. Moving on…..There are numerous types of shoes known as the squat shoe. Most have an elevated heel and a very firm rubber or if you go old school, a wooden base. These provide the foot the most stable base to lift from. Within the squat shoe category there are traditional Olympic Lifting shoes which have a more aggressive heel. These shoes usually have a 3/4″ elevation of the heel. These shoes work best for High Bar squatters since the high bar position needs a more vertical torso in the lift. Olympic Weightlifters also need to keep a very vertical torso through out the lift so the elevated heel will allow for this.

There is also another squat shoe that is made that only has a .60″ heel. This is less aggressive and is more suited for those squatting with a lower bar position.

Who needs an elevated heel to squat

INot everyone needs an elevated heel. If you are looking to improve your performance in the squat a show can help (some people). First, if you have poor ankle mobility a squat shoe may help with your squat especially if you are a high bar squatter. With the bar located high on the traps, you will need to maintain more upright torso since the bar will need to stay over your mid foot through out the lift. In the high bar position the knees will track forward more than a low bar squat..

Though the squat comes very natural to some people, there is a certain group of people that absolutely hate the squat, those with long femurs(thigh bone) and short tibia(lower leg). In order to squat to depth the femur has to sit back further . Even with great ankle mobility, long femurs can complicate the movement pattern. Finding a shoe with an elevated heel will increase the length of the lower leg which can help with squat mechanics. Finding the correct elevation is important. Many people with tight ankles and or long femurs tend to use a powerlifting shoe with a .60″ heel and usually choose a lower bar position since it allows the lifter to sit back further in the squat instead of being so upright.

If you don’t know what shoe is correct to you we highly recommend getting with strength coach that understands squat mechanics. More than likely it won’t be your personal trainer at LA Fitness. Get with a powerlifting or Olympic weightlifting coach to help you choose your shoe. If you are in Tucson, feel free to contact us!. If you are located else where feel free to reach out and we can see if we can help you find a qualified coach to help you out!

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Can You Crossfit and Powerlifting at the Same Time

Admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2021 23:15:41 +0000

Crossfit has been the best gateway drug to the barbell sports. It is single handedly responsible for the rebirth of Powerlifting and Olympic Weightlifting in the United States. Crossfit found the way to put the bar back in people’s hands and got them to think about fitness and training differently.

Now Powerlifting has seen exponential growth over the last decade. Crossfit served up some amazing workouts with the barbell and the people wanted more of it. We consistently get Crossfit Athletes that want to compete in the barbell sports because they love getting stronger. The problem is many want to continue to Crossfit while undertaking the sport of powerlifting. They love their Crossfit community, but want something different.

Up until recently I accommodated these requests to program and coach powerlifting while they did WODs at their other gym. Why did I stop? It never worked. Each person either fell out, or just stopped training because they were burned out.

Powerlifting is a sport of specificity that generally focuses on lower rep strength and building volume with out overwhelming fatigue. There are times where PL programs will have a larger amount of volume and variety, but when peaking for strength, the purpose is to eliminate fatigue and express low rep strength in 3 specific movements. In general you also want to be relatively fresh when you are training for Powerlifting. If you are sore or exhausted from a squatting session it is important to make sure your deadlifting session is spaced out enough to somewhat recovered. We are training not only the muscular system, but also the nervous system. If you are grinding out slow ugly reps because of fatigue you aren’t training optimally and setting yourself up for injury.

When I would program for a Crossfit athlete I would routinely have issues with them showing up to training sessions trashed from a WOD on the previous day. I was told that the days before WOD was a “conditioning” day, but the workout was still a tremendous amount of volume and they would come in sore and fatigued. Though the conditioning WOD involved lower weight movements in involved hundreds of reps. I would have to constantly change their program or send them home to rest.

THE SOLUTION

I encourage Crossfit athletes that want to cross over to powerlifting to consider thinking of their training in seasons. If they are looking to focus on strength and powerlifting, they should prioritize it and focus on it for 3-6 months. With their powerlifting coach they can organize some conditioning days that will not interfere with Powerlifting recovery and keep a base of conditioning for when they choose return to Crossfit with a bigger strength base.

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Let’s Talk About Practice

Admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 22:39:26 +0000

Alan Iverson, arguably one of the most talented stars to ever play in the NBA will be immortalized for the video above talking about practice. I have heard numerous stories as to how and why this video went down as it did, but regardless I couldn’t resist using it for this blog. For long term success in most things, there are few things that guarantee it except consistent and mindful practice. The goal of practice is to master the fundamentals and train on a program that focuses on incremental gains over a long period of time. Regardless of what Instagram shows you, it isn’t about going beast mode every session or setting PRs in training every week.

I have spoken to Olympians, world class coaches, and numerous professional athletes, each of them has re-iterated the same thing to me in our discussions, it’s about the fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. Some of the greatest athletes of all time seem to have one thing in common, unbreakable habits, and the drive to practice the fundamentals no matter how advanced they were in their career. Kobe, Larry Bird, Jordan and others all have amazing stories of how their practice habits made them the best. I’ll move on from basketball to strength training. It drives me crazy seeing decent lifters that want crazy rep schemes, bands, and chains without mastering the fundamentals. They still struggle with leg drive on the bench but somehow think adding bands or an advanced programs are going to fix it.

I see way too many powerlifters these days get sucked into so many different programs and methods that the fundamentals are lost. They are training consistently which is great, but fundamentals seem to get lost because they want to lift like that one beast they saw on their IG feed. They chase complexity rather than simplicity and consistency. Complexity has it’s place, but if you lack mastering the fundamentals those tools will not be impactful anyway.

PRACTICE HOW YOU COMPETE

I watch lifters warm up sometimes, and all I can do is shrug my shoulders. I have never understood the sense of someone bouncing a 225lb or 315lb deadlift off the ground like a trampoline and then not complete a lockout at the top while they are warming up. I watched a guy once bounce 405 off the ground (with bumpers) for 12 repetitions. The reality was, he couldn’t even deadlift 475 x 1. All that bouncing didn’t carryover to lifting more weight.

The same goes for rushed / shortened range of motion warm up reps on the bench press that look like you are having a seizure. Im not sure if it is an act to show strong they are or if it is just being in a hurry to warm up. The reality is, you always revert to your training. When you are tired, exhausted, and stressed your body will revert to what it knows best. That is why at the end of a long meet day you see a lifter shoot their hips up in the air, the bar gets away from them, and they totally miss a deadlift they should have made. They reverted back to their training even though they don’t want to think so. It wasn’t a fluke or a misgroove, that is a representation of how you lift. There is a way to miss a lift like a pro and a novice.

If you are strong, you spend a considerable amount of training time warming up to your working sets. Those warm up sets add up to a good amount of training volume and should be considered practice for heavier working weights. Use those sets to create habits or traditions of each lift. When warming up with the bar, practice how you place your hands in the same position every single time you set up. Practice foot position and how you place your feet. Master breathing timing and lifting mechanics with each rep. Sure, you won’t be applying the same amount of force and tension to a bare bar as you would a max load, but the focus and intention is the same.

I remember hearing Eddy Coan, one of the greatest powerlifters of all time talk about warming up in an interview .. He said

“I treated light weights like I did heavy weights. So, it was always the same weight done. I could walk out a weight. I could walk up to a deadlift, set up for a bench. Everything was exactly the same, all the time. So, that variable was already gone. So, there was no negative thought walking up to the bar. I didn’t need to be slapped, or need ammonia, or anything like that, ’cause I was confident.”

Unfortunately our Instagram feed only shows the things that appear to be exciting.

INJURY PREVENTION

The other aspect that smart practice brings is that of injury prevention. I can’t count the times I have heard lifters tell me about an injury and the story goes something like….”It wasn’t even heavy, but I tweaked my shoulder re-reacking the weight” Again this is many times not focusing on the fundamentals. How we un-rack and rack the bar are all part of our practice. One of my most aggravating back injuries happened when rushing to walk in 50% of my max squat back into the rack. I rushed and slammed the bar into the rack and the rebound caused me to twist with a heavy enough loaded bar. I knew better and it taught me a valuable lesson into smart practice.

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Box Squat Basics-Quick Tutorial

Admin — Fri, 10 May 2019 03:38:37 +0000

The box squat is a great tool to add to your strength programming. It allows you to take control of the squat pattern and fix many bad habits, especially the inability to maintain tension. An important distinction to make is that the box squat is NOT at touch and go squat. A touch and go squat is where you tap the box and come up, which for the most part aren’t beneficial for a stronger squat or improving squat strength or patterning. I rarely if ever use these for squatting with a barbell. A box squat should teach you to sit back under control to the box and to engage your entire posterior chain in the process.

Here are few important things to pay attention to when adding box squats to your routine:

If you squat narrow you will want to take on a slightly wider stance on box squats.
The box should be set so your hips are slightly below parallel. There is no need to go ass to grass on these. Loading the glutes are a primary purpose.
Your lower legs should be pretty strait up and down at the bottom.
Control should be maintained in reaching for the box. If you collapse to the box, it is important to make the box a bit higher and work on sitting back UNDER CONTROL.
Maintain tension in the upper back at all times, even when sitting back to the box DO NOT relax on the box. Stay tight, maintain a slight lean forward with the torso and come up explosively.
Do NOT rock back while on the box and make your torso more upright then rock forward to stand up.

WHY DO BOX SQUATS?

It will help with accelerating through the squat and make you more explosive. Teach the ability to manage tension throughout the squat pattern and help make your posterior chain and hips stronger. Many lifters rotate this in their programming or do it solely for a cycle of squat training in the off season. Usually starting at about 70%of 1RM for sets of 5 is a good starting point. You shouldn’t be going heavy and grinding out reps on these.

Here is a quick video on some of the Do’s and Dont’s

There are a couple spots left in our Squat Workshop this Saturday May 11th from 10:30-1:30pm

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Is a tight Chest Messing Up Your Squat?

Admin — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 23:05:15 +0000

Enough with the squat posts already!!! These are the thoughts in my head as I am once again blasting out a blog on squats. How many tips and pointers could I possibly give on one exercise? Well, I could probably write an entire book on it if I wanted to. I had to stop squatting at 24 years old because I kept hurting my back squatting like a fool. I had no guidance and just did what I remembered from high school. which was complete sh**. I might as well not learned anything from my coaches. At 33 I started squatting again and even with a previously horrible back injury I was able to build my squat up to well over 500lbs at 40 years old. I wasn’t an amazing squatter in my youth nor was I born with tons of strength. I had to put in consistent practice for years to build my squat into something I was proud of. I know that these principles can help you as well.

Upper back tightness is one of the most important aspects of a safe and strong squat. Without it, light weights feel heavy and heavy weights will crush you. Most people think they need to do assistance work for their legs to become stronger. The truth is they need to improve mechanics. If your upper back cannot get tight enough in the correct position you will not be able to manage the load safely through a full range of motion. Since the bar is on your back you have to make that bar one with your body. The problem I see with many lifters is they are squeezing the hell out of the bar and creating a ton of tension, but the stability isn’t there. Without stability, there is no mobility..(this means depth will suck) So many times I see people trying to fix squat depth with hip stretching drills when the problem is the bar and back are not in the best relationship with each other.

Some common Symptoms of having a locked up chest are:

Dumping Forward on the descent
Bar feeling like it is sliding down the back on low bar
Elbow/bicep pain after squatting

Many powerlifters have dominant chest muscles. Years of benching, pressing, and pushups with little to no soft tissue work and lack of aggressive mobility of the thoracic cage leads to shoulder issues and lack of the ability to get under the bar. Many powerlifters I know can barely do low bar squats anymore because they are so locked up and can’t get the bar behind them. Others force themselves into position, and though the bar is in the right place and they are squeezing every muscle in their back and biceps to keep it there. Each rep, the dominant chest muscles slowly take over and bar tension is lost. This is why reps 1 and 2 are awesome and rep 3+ feels like everything falls apart.

Just getting tighter or squeezing harder isn’t the answer….

Mobilizing the thoracic cage first is..

When you just focus on squeezing without fixing the issue of why it is so hard to squeeze in the first place you are missing the mark.

There are numerous ways to attack poor thoracic mobility. In my honest opinion most people need to get to a great massage therapist that knows how to target the soft tissue correctly. Unfortunately I see most people will wait till the last minute to have anyone work on them or till an injury or “set back” occurs. So here are a few things I believe should be part of any program. First, mobilize the tissue, then work on mobility. The videos below will show a Self Myofascial Release (SMFR)Technique for the pecs with a soft ball, the 2nd is a thoracic mobility/shoulder stability drill called the arm bar. Before jumping in to either of these exercises here are some key points.

SMFR of the pecs should be done in the musculature of the pecs. Women should stay away from the breast tissue. Keeping the target area just below the collar bone and working from the sternum to the arm attachment is safe. You can go slightly lower but proceed with caution. Another important point is to breath and relax when a hot spot is found. The tendency is to push harder into the ball but less can be more. When a hot spot is found practicing some light shoulder retraction and neck movements help.

The Arm Bar; This movement is awesome and feels amazing when you do it right. I absolutely love it for shoulder health. It is extremely important to understand that this is not a pec stretch with a kettlebell. This would be a really dumb idea. It is crucial that the arm is vertical and 90 degrees to the ground. The shoulder blades should be stacked on one another. It is best to do this with a spotter in the beginning to make sure the arm doesn’t fall behind the body. The other important thing to understand is the weight doesn’t have to be heavy. Most guys I start with a 16kg kettlebell and women with a 10-12kg. It is more important to be in the right position rather than muscling out a weight that is too heavy.

IF you are wanting to learn these drills and other ways to improve your squat, feel free to register for my upcoming squat clinic on May 11th, at Tucson Strength!

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Controlling your Breath For A Better Squat

Admin — Sun, 31 Mar 2019 21:58:26 +0000

I wanted to write a follow up post on my squat article I posted last week. I have received some questions on some other common mistakes and wanted to share them.

Many times people will come to have their squat analyzed and fixed and I will look at everything and with a quick glance there isn’t anything overly standing out as wrong. The bar placement is good, foot position seems decent, and the then I watch the squat from the front view.

The descent ends up being one big inhale till depth is hit. Most lifters don’t even realize they are doing this, or that it can effect squat dynamics considerably. Whether you are doing a single rep or multiple, it is crucial that a deep abdominal breath is taken at the top of the squat, and that the breath is held from the top, through the bottom. The air should be let out through the sticking point on the ascent, but with tension and force.

Mastering breathing means mastering intra abdominal pressure (IAP). The pressure you develop is what will stabilize your “core” while holding the weight on your back. It doesn’t matter how hard you are trying to brace your abs if you don’t have enough pressure built up from a solid breath. Lifting heavy things is all about tension. Poor breathing mechanics will lead to a sub-maximal squat feeling like it can crush you. Breathing in at the top should also be practiced by breathing deep into the abdomen and driving the air down. Too many times I see lifters taking a deep breath in at the top only to shrug their shoulders up with the breath and losing bar tension at the top. If you record your squat from the back and it looks like your doing a shrug with your inhale you have some work to do. There could be lots of reasons for this.

A simple fix could be to try and take a deep inhale though your nose instead of the mouth. Inhaling through the nose can stimulate a diaphragmatic breath. Mouth breathing is usually a shallower upper chest breath. If this doesn’t work we need to look at chest position under the bar. Too many people keep thinking about “chest up” on the squat, which is a cue that F–ks up more squats than I can count. Chest up means don’t let your chest fall forward, it doesn’t mean flare your rib cage to the ceiling. When you flare your ribs up you pretty much stretch out the diaphragm and you can’t develop maximal IAP with stretched out diaphragm. This is why setup under the bar is everything. If you start your wedge with a flared rib cage expect the rest of the squat to be a roll of the dice. Instead of thinking about chest up, think about pulling the shoulder blades down. This should help direct the breath better. If your ribs are flared all the time even without a bar on your back then your assistance exercises should be focused on trunk/core work that work on rib/lower back position rather than spending hours destroying your legs with leg presses, box squats, and loaded step ups. Your legs aren’t the problem, your breathing and trunk position are.

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Things I Wish I Knew about the Squat Sooner

Admin — Sun, 31 Mar 2019 21:29:22 +0000

The squat is one of my favorite exercises. It is a full body exercise that develops full body strength and power. Unfortunately, it is one of the most poorly executed movements in strength training. I can’t count the times someone has watched me squat and says things like, “My knees hurt just watching that!” or “My back would be out for days if I tried that.” Well that is probably true, but for the most part it is because just about everyone that has come to me for squat instruction is doing…… Not a squat… Well, they are putting a bar on their back and going up and down, but that’s about it. It doesn’t matter if you are training for general strength, Crossfit, or powerlifting, the fundamentals of the squat are the same.

In my early 20s I suffered a severe back injury while squatting which I still feel the remnants of today. It kept the bar off my back for over a decade. The good news is, I was able to make corrections in my 30s that allowed me to break my all time PRs of my 20s at 40 years old.

Here are some key points of the squat that can make all the difference.

MASTER THE SETUP AND WALKOUT

The setup is your first rep (I stole this from someone, I just don’t remember who). It is crucially important for a successful and safe lift. Set the bar height so you don’t have to tippy toe the bar off the rack (this is a great way to crank your back and a true sign of the novice). Get both feet underneath you. Keep your lower back in a neutral position; a lower back arch on the squat is a great way to injure your back. Wedge yourself underneath the bar. Some people like to think about pulling the bar into their body, I always think about pulling my body up into the bar. Pulling anything down into me while trying to stand up never resonated with me. When un-racking the bar, take it seriously. Maintain upper back tension, inhale, and walk it out with 2 short steps. Don’t fidget with the bar. This only works with light weight. Which leads me to my next point.

TREAT LIGHT WEIGHTS AS IF THEY ARE HEAVY

Too many people unrack the bar mindlessly, and do crazy looking high speed reps that resemble a seizure. This continues until the weights become heavy and then they get pissed because they get pitched forward on heavier sets. They then say stupid things like It wasn’t heavy, I just lost my groove. No, Stupid, you didn’t have a groove to begin with. Each warm-up set should be treated like a working set. Many strong people get injured with weights that are way less than their maximum.

STAY TIGHT

I believe Dave Tate said “if you think you are tight enough, you’re not.” This is the most under applied aspect of the squat. From wedging underneath the bar, walking it out with calculated steps, the active descent, and the way up, your upper back should be engaged throughout. Not for one second should you lose upper back tightness. Working with lighter weights and pause squats is a great way to practice this.

ACTIVELY CONTROL THE DESCENT; ACCELERATE ON THE ASCENT

Actively pull yourself into the bottom of the squat. The downward movement of the squat isn’t about you losing to gravity. As the weight gets heavier you will need to be in charge of that weight from the time you place your hands on the bar at your set up till you rack it after completion. Pulling yourself into the bottom is crucial for a big squat. When coming out of the bottom driving hard and explosively is a must. This doesn’t mean reckless movement, but maintaining control and thinking about getting faster as you get up. Powerlifting isn’t about moving everything slowly and feeling the burn. Grinding out lighter weights is a sure way to miss the heavier weights.

SLOW REPS ARE A SIGN TO STOP

This piggy backs on the last section. If your squat reps are slowing down and you are fighting to get the next rep, just rack it. There is a time and place for a good widow maker 20 rep squat routine, but those programs shouldn’t be the staple of your training. Ninety percent of your training should be between 70-80% of your 1RM lifted in smaller reps broken into multiple sets. If you are grinding out your squat every week you may get a little stronger in the short term, but it is nearly a 100% guarantee that an injury, strain, burnout, or really long plateau is right around the corner.

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