If you want big legs you have to squat.
Girls who want a shelf like, bangin’ ass have to squat.
For the first few years of your training you should squat, squat and squat some more.
A good goal is to squat double bodyweight.
I’m talking about real, full squats, at least to parallel.
Read on and you’ll learn exactly how to squat properly.
Before we get into technique I have to tell that the one thing I recommend to 99% of people out there is a good pair of high quality squat shoes.
These will make a TREMENDOUS difference in your form and keep you safer. Guys usually benefit more from these than females do but anyone with a minor tuck can usually eliminate it instantly with a pair of these.
On with the squatting lesson…
The Set Up
Grab the bar with an even grip, wider than shoulder width and be sure to squeeze it as hard as you can. You should be making white knuckled fists and the tension should radiate from your forearms to your upper arms and all across your back.
Everything must be drum tight.
Duck under the bar and jam your shoulder blades as far back as you can. This should be uncomfortable.
The bar should sit on your mid traps, not the top of your spine or your neck.
By keeping your hands in a little closer you can create a bigger shelf for the bar to sit on.
By close I mean 6-10 inches wider than shoulder width. If you have shoulder problems, this is not an option and you will need to grab the bar wider.
Never grab the bar with an extremely close grip or extremely wide grip if you can help it. Moderate grip width is best.
Now, to engage your lats, pull down on the bar. You should feel your lats flare out to the side.
With your head straight, chest up and back arched, take a deep breath and hold it then unrack the weight and take two steps back.
Your feet should be a bit wider than shoulder width apart. Think of an athletic stance.
For example- the stance you would play linebacker in or guard someone in basketball. That’s usually about the exact width you want your stance to be.
The Descent
Before beginning your descent exhale and get into position. Now take a huge breath and fill your belly with air.
Hold the air in your abdomen, not your chest. Basically you want to push your abs out as far as you can while also bracing them like you’re going to take a punch.
If you wear a belt simply drive your abs out into the belt.
With your chest up and back arched, you are now going to push out on the sides of your feet like you are trying to spread the floor. This doesn’t have to be dramatic; just enough to engage the hips and glutes.
To begin your descent, break at the hips by pushing your glutes back and then squatting down as low as you can go without allowing your lower back to round or butt to tuck under.
If your butt tucks under and you go into spinal flexion the injury risk increases dramatically and you lose a lot of strength. You need to maintain a neutral spine throughout.
If you can’t you need to seriously work on your flexibility and mobility.
The goal is to be able to break parallel while maintaining a neutral spine.
One thing you need to remember is to keep your knees tracking your toes.
So on the way down you need to consciously drive your knees out. Probably the best coaching cue I have heard that makes this easy to remember and grasp is that squatting takes place BETWEEN the legs, not above them.
Getting Out of the Hole
When you can get to parallel without spinal flexion the fun is just beginning. Now you have to get back up.
When coming out of the hole be sure to lead with your head, driving backward into the bar but NOT looking up.
In other words you drive straight back into the bar but keep staring straight ahead. Don’t cock your neck back.
This will make you weaker and throw off your form.
The chest should be high and you should drive your elbows forward and under the bar and push your hips forward while consciously engaging the glutes.
On the way up you need to keep that deep breath held until you are at least half way up. At that point you can start hissing the air out as if you’re blowing it through a straw.
Never let your air out before that or let all of it out before reaching the top position.
Pause at the top, let all your air out, gather yourself, go through the checklist, take another huge breath and do your next rep.
Do not do piston style pump reps when squatting.
Now you know how to squat properly.
Good luck.
Squat big.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP
If you enjoyed this article please hit the LIKE & TWEET buttons below.
30. Mar, 2010
at 10:48 am #
how can i improve my front squat and my overhead squat
03. Mar, 2011
at 10:10 pm #
good article, except i have noticed some people including me cannot keep there spine in the correct position without looking up, not straight up but at a 45 degree angle. mainly just so I’m not staring at the mirror in front of me. although i know i could just turn around but then i would have to watch the fat ass on the stair climber. But what i was wondering is how much should your knees open up during a squat? i have noticed some really good squatters doing it both ways. so does it matter?
04. Mar, 2011
at 8:53 am #
Awesome article Jason, straight to the point, easy to read. in short, simple!
When you say a neutral spine, do you mean a natural curve or flat spine, basically not spinal flexion? I can squat to parallel with an arch in my lower spine, but never go lower as I lose that and go into a flat/neutral spine. Am I cutting myself short?
04. Mar, 2011
at 9:22 am #
@joe- Cocking your head back is not the answer. That actually leads to more problems and doesn’t help maintain a neutral spine as much as you may think. You need to really open up the knees and have them tracking the toes. Squat between your knees; not above them.
@Jonny- Thanks. Right, you want to avoid spinal flexion. What you’re doing is exactly right.
04. Mar, 2011
at 12:48 pm #
Cheers Jason, appreciate the info and the feedback. have an awesome weekend
04. Mar, 2011
at 3:45 pm #
What do you recommend for people with short torso and extremely long legs? Smith Squat, Leg Press? I try squating on 5 or 10lb plates to increase range of motion, but that’s almost a dangerous circus act trying to balance and get into position.
04. Mar, 2011
at 11:50 pm #
Thanks Jason… thanks! Another great article
Oh, also thanks for the link to the Jessica Biel article…double thanks
05. Mar, 2011
at 5:46 am #
hey jason, you didn’t talk about feet width. I normally squat with my feet at shoulder-width, as I learned how to squat from Mark Rippletoe’s Starting Strength DVD, although I know that neither powerlifters and olympic lifters squat like that.
06. Mar, 2011
at 2:29 pm #
Jason could you share a video on this one?
24. Mar, 2011
at 11:51 am #
@Vaclav Gregor: Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore’s lifting bible “Starting Strength” devotes something like 50 pages just to the squat. There is a companion DVD available on Amazon.com if you are interested.
11. Mar, 2011
at 11:46 am #
got it. thanks
24. Mar, 2011
at 12:23 pm #
Thanks, I like the post. Do you recommend Chucks for the squat shoes? I use nike free’s but i like to try to squat barefoot sometimes. When I squat barefoot, i feel like my body is better aligned. I’d enjoy your thoughts.
24. Mar, 2011
at 4:14 pm #
Jason, thanks for explaining this so well, love to learn….which shoes do you recommend?
28. Mar, 2011
at 8:27 am #
Hi Jason, yup agree with the previous poster, could you share a video on the different kinds of squats? I have seen a few variations of squats but I don’t really know which is more effective. Thanks.
28. Mar, 2011
at 9:14 am #
Jim- That could be tough. Not everyone is built to squat. I recommend trying out these squat shoes- http://jasonferruggia.com/do-wins
Another option would be to try box squatting.
Clement- Thanks for pointing out that over sight. I will fix that. Slightly wider than shoulder width, although it will vary from person to person.
AJ- I prefer the Rogue Do Wins- http://jasonferruggia.com/do-wins
26. Aug, 2011
at 5:19 am #
Jason – Do you recommend going past parallel? I always squat to parallel, but I won’t go past that. My reasoning is my physio told me that at parallel it is my quads, hams, glutes are the brakes stopping me, past parallel he believes that your knees are the brakes that stop you, are brakes wear out. What are your thoughts?
30. Aug, 2011
at 4:38 am #
Jason, or anyone else, can u tell me what exactly is meant by :
“…keep your knees tracking your toes. So on the way down you need to consciously drive your knees out. Probably the best coaching cue I have heard that makes this easy to remember and grasp is that squatting takes place BETWEEN the legs, not above them.”
Does it mean the knees should NOT move beyond the toes, or they should?
And what’s meant by “…squatting takes place BETWEEN the legs…”? A beginner like me can’t understand that without elaboration.
04. Mar, 2012
at 10:54 am #
I have a question regarding squat shoes. I have very, very flat feet…no arch whatsoever. I need a lot of foot support when walking, working out, etc. Do shoes like this offer that kind of support? I’m thinking they probably don’t. What do you think?
26. Apr, 2012
at 12:45 pm #
Squats are king but does it matter what type of squat I.e. front squats, back squats or all versions of it are king? Can I alternate front squats and back squats every other workout or week? Currently on Renegade basics version 2 in the minimalist training ebook. Thanks!