How to Squat
Like a Pro
how to squat like a pro
how to squat like a pro
If I took a group of experienced strength coaches and personal trainers and
I asked them the following questions: “Which exercise, on its own builds the
most total body muscle and strength? Which exercise creates the most carry
over functional strength to most sports? Which exercise boosts the
metabolism better than any other?” Without hesitation the vast majority of
them would answer all of them and say “the barbell squat.” Out of the
thousands of resistance training exercises that exist for the body only one of
them is widely considered “the king of all exercises.” In my opinion the squat
definitely deserves this moniker. It trains some of the biggest muscles of the
lower body AND it strongly engages most of the muscles of the upper body.
Squatting itself is a primal human movement…we evolved to be able to sit
comfortably in a squat, for thousands of years women delivered babies in a
squat, and it’s the ideal position to rid your body of waste (poop). Most of us
in modern western societies LOSE the ability to comfortably be in this
position, but this is literally the consequences of never squatting. We sit down
in chairs when we rest, we sit on toilets when we rid ourselves to get rid of
waste and most women can’t deliver a baby in the squat position because of
anesthesia (epidural) or lack of strength. MUCH of the physical ailments that
torment modern humans in western societies can be placed squarely at the
feet of our lack of SQUATTING.
how to squat like a pro
That being said, when people finally do learn to squat and then squat with resistance the
results are truly remarkable. When I train a new client one of the main goals I have for them
is to first be able to squat, and then to become stronger at squatting regardless of WHO
THE CLIENT IS. Of course, sometimes we never get to the point of being able to squat (my
elderly clients or those with permanent dysfunction) but even training to be able to squat
produces amazing results. For those clients that do reach that point of being able to squat I
can draw a clear line between the days they didn’t squat and the days they finally could. As
soon as we start squatting and start adding weight to the bar their bodies literally transform
at almost twice the speed.
how to squat like a pro
Among hard core lifters and strength athletes its well known that how much
you can squat gives you more bragging rights than any other exercise
(except maybe the deadlift which is a close contender). No one really cares
how much you can bench or curl or row, however impressive, because all
experienced lifters know that a big squat means a strong human. It’s a core lift
among most experienced strength athletes. Olympic lifters do tons of squats,
powerlifters compete in the squat, strongman and strong woman competitors
do them regularly, and body builders even do them for their aesthetic effects.
Its even a core lift for Crossfit competitors. Basically, if you are serious about
muscle gain, metabolism boosting, fat loss and lower body aesthetics you
should probably squat and get strong at squatting.
One of the best and clearest ways to judge whether or not your exercise
programming and diet are on point is through the signal of strength. Its not
the only signal to pay attention to, however if you are getting stronger in the
gym its highly likely you are doing many things right. Since we have
established that the squat is the king of all exercises then it also makes sense
that trying to get strong as hell at squatting is a good way to push overall
progress. In this guide I am going to cover the three most basic but also
most important tips on how to gain serious strength in the barbell squat.
how to squat like a pro
TIP ONE
get good mobility
Being strong means you can lift heavy objects. Bigger muscle fibers contract harder and
produce more “strength” than smaller muscle fibers. However functional strength is much more
complicated than that. Functional strength is the kind of strength that you can summon and
use for most activities. Just having big strong muscles does NOT mean you will be able to lift a
lot of weight. Strength is as much of a skill as it is muscle contraction. Your body’s ability to fire
muscles in the right way, have stability and be able to move joints in optimal ways is key when it
comes to strength. Your central nervous system also has safe guards that prevent your muscles
from contracting with full force if it doesn’t feel you will be safe doing so. This is why working on
CONTROLLED mobility is so important.
Good mobility is the ability to move within a specified range of motion with control, tension,
minimal injury risk and the ability to fire with close to full force without risk of injury. In other
words, your muscles are only able to move as much weight as your mobility will allow.
Working on controlled mobility ALONE will add serious pounds to your squat and inches to your
range of motion. I’ve experienced this myself first hand. Since making mobility work a
priority I’ve been able to squat on average 15lbs more WITH deeper range of motion. A
great side effect of this has been more muscle growth and less aches and pains.
If you are serious about being able to get a big squat you need to make mobility work a
priority. Work on mobility in your spine, shoulders, hips and ankles. Spend at least 30 minutes
three times a week on mobility and watch your squat weight increase without even having to
change your workout. For specific and individualized mobility work reference MAPS Prime Pro.
how to squat like a pro
Tip TWO
squat often but not hard everytime
Decades ago the silly notion that you had to absolutely destroy
muscles in order to get them to respond became common
knowledge. This was due to bodybuilding. The first and still
most influential “muscle sport” for the mainstream person is
bodybuilding. Resistance training machines, workout
programs, and the typical big box gyms are mostly influenced
by bodybuilding. It isn’t until relatively recently that you
now see people using squat racks.
Although most strength sports are muddied with anabolic
steroid use, bodybuilding really takes the cake. They have
been experimenting with steroids and pushing up steroid
doses for decades. Steroids change how the body responds
to exercise. When a natural lifter works out his strength and
muscle building signal spikes quickly and then drops quickly…
often times within 72 hours. This doesn’t happen to steroid
taking athletes, who’s high levels of anabolic hormones keep
the muscle building signal elevated for MUCH longer. This is
why bodybuilders have pushed for hammering a muscle group
once a week and then letting that muscle group rest for a week.
This doesn’t work that great for the rest of us. If you’re natural
and you want a BIG squat you need to squat OFTEN. Like 3-4
days a week often. Advanced Olympic lifters will sometimes
squat as often as 7 days a week!
The problem with squatting so often, however, is the issue with
recovery. If you squat really hard AND really frequently you
will likely over train and regress in strength. The key is to squat
frequently but with judicious intensity. Here is an example: Let
say you squat 4 times a week. I would make one of those
workouts heavy and hard, one of them moderate to hard and
two of them easy. This frequent squatting will build muscle,
strength and squat skill MUCH faster than just destroying
squats once a week. I had a client literally add 50lbs to his
squat in less than 2 months from squatting 4 days a week with
proper intensity vs when he squatting his brains out once a
week.
how to squat like a pro
TIP THREE
use varied resistance
Powerlifters are arguably the strongest squatters in the world (although some could successfully
argue that Olympic lifters are right up there). Of all the tools that the best squatters in the world
use, one reigns supreme. Powerlifters literally COMPETE in the squat which is why they are such
experts in getting big squats. They use all kinds of tricks and hacks but none of them create the
biggest response in terms of increasing squat poundage like using varied resistance.
Your body adapts in VERY specific ways. Squat a particular way and your body will become
strongest in exactly the way you train your squat. If you only ever squat to parallel depth (how
dare you) and your absolute max 1 rep squat weight is 315lbs I can pretty much guarantee that
you would get stuck on your ass if you just squatted 2 inches lower. In fact you would probably
have to take around 20-30lbs off the bar just to complete 2 more inches of squatting.
Although this seems to present us with a problem, its actually an opportunity!! It means that
there is a whole new level that can be trained or tapped into for strength increases. Most of us
are stronger at the top of a squat than at the bottom. In other words, your max squat is
predicated on the WEAKEST part of your lift. Your training is limited by this fact. Although the
weakest part of your squat (presumably the bottom) is getting trained with adequate weight, the
other parts of your squat (mid-range and the top) aren’t. Imagine if you could apply an equal
amount of subjective stress on the whole squat. What do you think would happen?
Your strength would explode.
how to squat like a pro
Enter chains and bands. When used properly these tools help
you increase resistance where you need it and reduce
resistance where you don’t. Attach chains to the end of the
squat bar so that they hang to the floor almost touching it.
Imagine these chains weighed 15lbs each for a total of 30lbs
and your squat bar is loaded with 300lbs. At the top of the
squat when you are standing fully the bar weighs 330lbs (bar
plus weights plus chains). When you start squatting,
however, the chains hit the ground and the bar gets lighter
(as the chains are supported by the floor). At the bottom of
the squat half of the chains are on the floor making the squat
bar only weigh 315lbs. Its lighter where you need it to be and
heavier where you need it to be. Now you are training and
challenging your squat throughout the entire rep. Anecdotally
this technique (when applied properly) is EXTREMELY
effective at increasing squat strength. Studies also support this
as lifting with bands or chains is superior for strength gains vs
just weights. Bands can be used in similar ways.
That all being said this technique is intense and can be
overdone. I recommend using chains and bands no more
than 2-4 times a month total. Use this technique in an intelligent way but use them consistently for best results.
The above tips are based on my over 20 years as a
professional trainer and on my experience working with and
interviewing some of the strongest people on earth. Apply
the tips above and watch your squat explode.
about the author
sal di stefano
Sal was 14 years old when he touched his first weight
and from that moment he was hooked. Growing up
asthmatic, frequently sick and painfully skinny, Sal
saw weightlifting as a way to change his body and his
self-image. In the beginning, Sal’s body responded
quickly to his training but then his gains slowed and
then stopped altogether. Not one to give up easily, he
began reading every muscle building publication he
could get his hands on to find ways to bust through his
plateau. He read Arnold’s Encyclopedia of
Bodybuilding, Mentzer’s Heavy Duty, Kubrick’s Dinosaur
Training, and every muscle magazine he could find;
Weider’s Muscle and Fitness, Flex, Iron Man and even
Muscle Media 2000. Each time he read about a new
technique or methodology he would test it out in the
gym. At age 18 his passion for the art and science of
resistance training was so consuming that he decided to
make it his profession and become a personal
trainer. By 19 he was managing health clubs and by 22
he owned his own gym. After 17 years as a personal
trainer he has dedicated himself to bringing science and
TRUTH to the fitness industry.