Weightlifting Technique: How to Perform the Squat

Muscles Exercised

Although primarily a leg exercise, the squat is your core strength building and mass building exercise. When performed correctly, it taxes nearly every muscle in your body and hammers your cardiovascular system, leaving you slumped over a bench heaving for air. The emphasis, however, is on your glutes, hamstrings, and quads. Your lower back and hips will also be heavily worked during a good squat session.

Exercise Technique

At first glance, the squat seems like a simple exercise. It is, however, quite complex. There are many nuances to the lift that will make the difference between a good squat and a great squat. The approach described here is primarily aimed at building power:

• Step under the bar, letting it rest across the back of your delts. Make sure the barbell is centered on your back. If it is resting on your neck and traps it’s too high. Placing the barbell low across the delts gives you greater leverage and power.

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Bar Placement

• Grip the barbell tightly. Bring your hands in as close to your shoulders as you can comfortably. Bringing your grip in tighter will keep your upper body tight throughout the lift increasing your stability and help keep your back flat.
• Place your feet close together directly under the bar. Take a deep breath into your chest and lift the bar out of the rack with your legs.
• Take at least two, but no more than three short, quick steps back from the rack to set up. I prefer to take one foot straight back, move the other back into the lifting position, then move the first over into lifting position. The fewer and shorter steps you take, the less energy you will expend.
• Use a foot placement that is comfortable for you. Different placement of your feet will have different advantages and disadvantages. Find the one that is most comfortable for you and your body style.
• Point your toes in the same direction your knees are pointed – with a narrow stance they should be pointed forward, with a wider stance they will be angled out. This will prevent binding in your knees and hips.
• When ready to squat, take another deep breath into your chest and hold it. Tighten your abs.
• Your descent should begin with your hips breaking before your knees. Sit into the squat as if sitting into a chair.
• Keep your head and chest up, and your back flat throughout entire lift.
• Descend until your thighs are parallel with the floor.
• Drive the weight back up explosively. Keep your head and chest up and drive down through your heels to maximize the use of your hamstrings and glutes. Force your knees out as you drive through the lift.
• Complete the lift by locking out your knees, forcing your hips forward and bringing your back fully erect. Exhale as you begin locking the weight out.
• Select a weight that you can perform all of your repetitions using proper technique. On your last 1-2 sets, your last repetitions should be very difficult, but you should maintain good form.

Author squatting 584lbs 

Common Mistakes

• Partial squats: performing squats without descending until your thighs are parallel with the floor reduces the effectiveness of the exercise. Reduce the bar to a weight you can control through the full range of motion.
• Leaning forward: if you allow your torso to lean forward during the lift you will be unable to get to the proper depth, will reduce the workload on your legs, and increase the tension on your lower back.
• Allowing your knees to buckle in: don’t let your knees buckle inward during the lift; this puts unnecessary strain on your knees; forcing your knees out as you lift gives you greater stability and power.
• Rounding your back: keep your back flat throughout the lift.
• Taking too much time to set up: set up quickly and get into position to squat; the longer your setup takes with the weight on your back, the less weight you will be able to squat.

Exercise Safety

• Always use a spotter when squatting. Make sure your spotter knows how to properly assist you if you get into trouble.
• Perform your squats in a squat rack or cage with safety bars in case you have to dump the bar. Before starting, make sure the safety bars are set properly for your height. You should be able to complete a full squat without touching the bars, but with the barbell on the safety bars you should be able to easily get out from underneath the barbell.
• Never dump the barbell onto the safety bars unless your spotter is aware and able to get out of the way.
• Perform your squats with proper form. Use weights that you are able to control each repetition with strict form. Performing squats with a weight that is too heavy to perform correctly can lead to injury.
• Keep your back flat. Don’t let your lower back round.

Variations

• Placing the bar on your traps versus delts reduces your leverage and power, and works your muscles more strenuously.
• I emphasize technique here to build strength and raw power. Although these techniques will help you build muscle size and burn off fat, if those are your primary goals, you may need to adjust the technique and training slightly.

Additional Leg and Back Exercises

• Stiff Leg deadlifts
• Leg Press
• Deadlifts
• Good Mornings

Powerlifting Squats and Deadlifts

• Powerlifting Basics: The Squat
• Squat Video Demonstration
• Powerlifting Basics: The Deadlift
• Conventional Deadlift Video Demonstration
• Sumo Deadlift Video Demonstration

Author’s Opinion: If you’re new to lifting weights, keep your exercise routines simple. You don’t need complex routines and exercises to build significant strength and size. Your basic compound lifts, such as the squat will give you a great foundation to build on.