Squats Up?

by Paula Jager Updated: May 13, 2018 Affiliate linksFitnessComments: 2

How’s it going? Is everyone doing well learning these new exercises? Good, then that means we are eating healthy, moving well and getting fit! We thoroughly covered the bodyweight squat in another post as well as had a visual demonstration. When you are ready to progress to a more challenging squat there are a few ways to do this. . .

One is obviously to add some weight, in the form of barbells or dumbbells. The most common of these would be the back squat where a barbell would be placed on the back and one would follow the exact instructions for the bodyweight squat. The dumbbells could be held at arms length or shoulder height. If you really want to engage your core and take your squat to the next level let’s take a look at these 2 variations.

Front Squat

Set Up:

Stance = shoulder width
Full extension at hips and knees
Bar “racked” on the shoulders (create a shelf with the shoulders for bar to sit on), hands outside shoulders, loose fingertip grip
Elbows high, upper arm parallel to the ground

Execution:

Weight in heels
Lumbar curve maintained
Chest up
Elbows high; arms stay parallel to the ground throughout the whole movement
Butt travels back and down
Bottom of squat is below parallel (hip crease is below the top of the kneecap)
Knees track parallel to feet
Return to full extension at the hips and knees to complete the move
Head position is neutral

Overhead Squat

Set Up:

Stance = shoulder width
Full extension at hips and knees
Bar held overhead, in the frontal plane, with a wide grip
Active shoulders
Elbows locked

Execution:

Weight in heels
Lumbar curve maintained
Chest up
Maintain constant upward pressure on the bar, and active shoulders, to support the load
Bar remains in the frontal plane or slightly behind
Butt travels back and down
Bottom of squat is below parallel (hip crease is below the top of the kneecap)
Knees track parallel to feet
Return to full extension at the hips and knees to complete the move
Head position is neutral
Return to full extension at the top of the movement

As with any new movement that you are learning, form and technique are of the utmost importance and should be mastered before using a load. I would recommend first learning these exercises using your pvc, wooden dowel or broomstick. It is amazing how effective they can be with that tool alone.

Incorporate them into your workout as you would the squat, varying between back, front and overheads progressing to a load appropriate to your level. Not only will your legs get stronger and more toned but your back, core and posture will greatly improve. This equates to better sports performance and function of activities of daily living. So get your squats up and your glutes will be too!

Paula Jager

Paula Jager CSCS and Level 1 CrossFit and CF Nutrition Certified is the owner of CrossFit Jaguar. Her exercise and nutrition programs yield life changing results.

https://crossfitjaguar.com/