Powerlifting Basics: The Powerlifting Squat

Why should you focus on your squat? The chest-a big bench press and big arms are what get all the attention right? For strength athletes the squat anchors your entire strength training program. The powerlifting squat works some of the largest muscle groups in your body. If you do it right, after a good set of powerlifting squats you are left exhausted, your chest heaving for air.

What makes the squat so important?

• In powerlifting competition, your first lift is the squat; it gets you into the powerlifting meet and sets the tone for your entire competition
• A strong powerlifting squat will make the difference between setting the bar for your competitors and playing catch-up for your remaining lifts
• You are not going to win a powerlifting competition with a strong bench press alone
• In training, once you start making gains in your squats, your other lifts will start to jump as well
• The squat taxes your entire body, as your squat weight increases your other lifts will as well

The purpose of this article is to help lifters improve their technique on the squat, increasing the total weight you can lift. If you are new to the squat, the tips here may help you perform the squat, but I would recommend working with an experienced lifter or trainer on the basics of the lift before jumping into the squat rack.

If you’d like a demonstration of the lift, I’ve added a link to a video clip of a powerlifting squat at the end of this article.

The Lift

Competitive powerlifting is different than other forms of strength training or body building. The focus is not on working the muscle as hard as you can for every repetition of every set. The key is to lift as efficiently as you can. Your goal is to lift the most weight you can with as little effort as possible. You are likely to see significant gains in the amount of weight you can lift simply by improving your lifting technique, even if your strength remains constant.

You should train just as you will compete-from your first warm-up set, to your last working set. To help you with this mindset, I’ve injected the competition commands into the lifting sequence below. Treat each repetition as a competition lift, keep your form correct and pause briefly between each repetition. This will train your mind and your body to complete lifts that will get white lights from the judges in competition.

Setup

The setup is the most crucial part of your squat. If you set up incorrectly, you will be left in a poor position for your squat, and will likely burn excess energy unnecessarily preparing yourself for the lift.

Watch most lifters setup for a squat. They lift the bar out of the squat rack, take several steps back, and then shuffle their feet until they are comfortable. In a competition, the judge is not going to give you the “squat” command until you have the weight under control and locked out. The longer it takes to get that command, the more energy you will burn even before starting your lift!

You should practice setup in every set you perform, even your lightest warm-up sets. Take two or three short, quick steps back from the squat rack. Practice placing your feet exactly where you want them with just those two or three steps so you are not shuffling your feet for a good position. The position of your feet should be natural and you shouldn’t have to even think about it during your competition lifts.

Select the width of your stance based on how you are comfortable lifting. I have found that getting depth is somewhat easier with a narrow stance. Hip flexibility can hinder depth somewhat with a wider stance. With a wider stance, however, I have found that I can get the hips more involved in the lift-the more muscle groups you have involved in your lift, the more power you will be able to generate. I am, therefore, able to lift more weight with a wider stance.

Assuming a wider stance, just outside shoulder width, your toes should be pointed outward slightly, in alignment with your knees. If you have a narrower stance, they should point more forward. If your feet, legs, and hips are not in alignment, you will not have as much flexibility, and you will put a greater strain on your hip and knee joints during the lift.

Particularly if you are an equipped lifter, breathing is going to be more difficult the moment you step under the bar, the wraps on your knees will be impeding blood circulation, and your strength will begin draining out of your body. You therefore want to complete your lift as quickly as possible. A quick, clean setup can be the difference between getting a good heavy squat and staying in the meet, and bombing out.

My setup is a quick sequence of crisp motions: make sure the bar is evenly spaced on the squat rack and hand placement is also even so I am sure to get the bar centered on my back. Step under the bar, letting it rest across the rear delts and back-if it rests on the traps or neck it is too high. I take a deep breath and lift the bar from the squat rack, shuffle one foot straight back, then the other foot back into the position I will lift from, and finally shift the first foot into lifting position. Once in position, I make eye contact with the head judge and take short quick breaths waiting for the “squat” command, the indication to start the lift.

Eccentric (The Descent)

Once the head judge gives you the “squat” command, take a deep breath into your lungs and hold it. As with other powerlifting lifts, you want to avoid burning excessive energy during the eccentric portion of the lift. The descent should be quick, but controlled. Descending too slowly will use up a considerable amount of energy and reduce the total weight you will be able to lift. Descend to quickly and you may lose control of the weight and possibly injure yourself, or worse yet garner snickers from the kids squatting in the squat rack next to you when you lose your balance and fall over (of course I have never done that, and anyway no one I know saw it!).

From your lightest warm up sets focus on strict form throughout the lift, gauging the speed of your descent on the lighter reps to make sure you have the pace right for the working sets.

Keep your head and chest up as you descend to avoid leaning too far forward during your descent. That’s a mistake I see too many lifters make-they think they’re getting depth, but as their upper body and the bar descend by leaning forward their hips end up stopping above parallel. By keeping your head and chest up, your upper body will remain more erect and force your hips lower. You will get to the proper depth more easily and force your legs to do more of the work. Leaning forward also puts additional, unnecessary strain on your lower back.

Proper depth is judged (per International Powerlifting Federation rules) when you reach at least parallel. The top of your thigh where it meets your hip should be lower than the top of your knee. You need to get the feel for where proper depth is throughout your training so you don’t have to “feel for the bottom” during a competition lift. There is nothing worse than trying to force yourself lower in a meet because you are unsure of just where proper depth is (see my article on bombing out of a meet…).

Concentric (The Ascent)

There is no command to begin driving the weight back up. As soon as you’ve hit depth, begin the concentric portion of your lift. Continue to keep your head and chest up just as you do during the eccentric part of the lift to prevent leaning forward. During the concentric portion of the squat, a common mistake I see is a lifter kicking their hips back as their legs extend without significantly raising the weight. This leaves them leaning forward and forces them to lift the bar with their lower back. To help prevent this, thrust your hips forward as you lift the weight. This helps keep your upper body erect, and engages more muscles in your lift.

Don’t let your knees buckle in. Drive them out as you lift, again keeping your feet, legs and hips in alignment throughout the lift.

Once you’ve locked the weight out, make eye contact again with the head judge and listen for the “rack” command. You cannot move your feet until the command is given. I have seen too many competitors lose a good lift because they took that first step towards the squat rack before getting the command.

If you would like a demonstration of the squat, I’ve posted links to a couple video clips at the end of this article.

The Basic Squat Training Program

• As with any exercise, always start with your heavy compound lifts first. Once warmed up and stretched, the core of my own leg workout consists of the squat, then leg press and straight leg deadlifts. If done effectively, there’s typically not much energy left for isolation exercises, such as leg extensions and leg curls.
• Don’t neglect your hips. Many guys will look at the hip abductor and hip adductor machines as something a man should never use, let alone a powerlifter! As I mentioned earlier, however, involving your hips in your squat can add significantly to your lift. Wait until no one is looking if you have to and knock out a few quick sets.
• Focus on peaking in strength for your competition. There are a lot of articles out there describing more complex training routines, mine has been effective for me, yet relatively simple. I’ve stuck with roughly the same program since training on a powerlifting team consisting of national and world class powerlifters.

I begin my training cycle with a conditioning phase. With weight roughly 60% of my last max lift, I perform sets of at least eight repetitions. After the conditioning phase, my core strength building phase consists of sets of four to six repetitions at 70-80% of my max. During the final phase as the competition nears, I’m performing sets at near or just above my max for one or two reps.

Each phase lasts at least three, but no longer than four weeks so that my body doesn’t adjust to the training and I continue to make strength gains. As I enter the final phase of training, I drop most of the supporting exercises, performing only squats the last one or two training sessions before a meet.

• Rest and recuperate before your competition. As the weight on the bar increases, I reduce the number of exercises I perform as well as the number of repetitions. It’s important also that you don’t perform any heavy lifting the week prior to your meet-let your body recover from the abuse of the heavy weights so you go into the meet rested and strong. I typically do not perform any weight lifting activities but do include some very light cardio that final week such as walking (not running) on a treadmill. That way I don’t feel sluggish on the day of the competition.

Putting it All Together

A mentor in my first powerlifting team once told me “you”re not going to win a competition on the bench’. If your squat is weak, you’re going to find yourself in a deep hole for the rest of your lifts. The squat is the most intense, draining exercise you will do in the gym. Train it hard, and it will be the other lifters trying to catch up to you!

Click on the link below for a video clip of a fully equipped squat (squat suit, belt, knee wraps):

• The Powerlifting Squat

You can find the introduction to this article series, providing an overview to powerlifting at the following link:

• Powerlifting Basics: An Introduction to Powerlifting

About the Author

For more information about my strength training background and an index of other related articles I’ve written, you can visit the following link.

• Author’s Profile

2008 USA Powerlifting Nationals

“Life’s too short to be small!” (original author unknown)