Mike (Squats) Long

Posted By: Rodney Wood
Date: Sunday, 19 January 2003, at 8:40 p.m.

Mike

I hinted you needed help with your squats and I really didn't provide much info, so here it is. Don't take this as the gospel, but continue to read on how to squat right. I will give some places and people with good info at the end.

Technique

Set up

The bar should be placed slightly above the rear delts and below the bottom of the traps. The bar should rest on a bone between these two point and it will hurt for several weeks. Once the pain dissappears it will never return.

Grip should be as close and as tight as you can get it to the center of your body. My index fingers are in the rings.

Head up and upper back tight.

The walk out can be accomplished several way, but this is what I use. One step back, then the other foot set backs, one step out, and the other foot steps out.

Foot placement will depend on what the lifter likes some people are narrow, some really wide, and me in between. Toes point out to different degrees depends on lifters preference. This part will require you to experiment with and find what works best for you.

The next two points for me have made the biggest difference in my squats

Right before you start to squat you will want to flex your core to make it as rigid as possible. How is this done? Depending on how heavy the lift is will determine how much air you put into your abdominals. A light lift I just flex my abs, moderate weight a slight gulp of air and flex my abs, a lot of weight a a big gulp of air, lock my abs, hold my breath, and make my mid section like a brick and don't let it out until the lift is completed.

Start the lift break at the hips and drive the butt back before bending your knees. This is the biggest mistake made by a lot of lifters. They bend at the knees first driving the knee caps foward and drop their but straight down into the hole destroying their chances of making a big lift. This will also create a lot of uncessary knee pain.

Decend into the hole always breaking parallel. As you decend drive your knees out when you hit the bottom of the squat bounce the lift out of the hole.

As you drive out of the hole you you start the drive with your head and shoulders up and back. Open your groin trying to drive your crotch up in a striaght line. All the pressure on your feet should be to the outside of your foot back to your heels. Some lifters will even curl their toes up driving out of the hole. Push your knees out and continue to drive up ward not allowing the weight to come foward.

Finish the lift by driving all the way to the top trying to push the weight strong through the lock out. Don't relax once you are out of the hole try and push the weight as fast and as strong as you can to the lock out.

Gear

The number one thing you need is a power lifting belt. A 4" single thick buckle belt is a good investment and the double thick belt is worth every dime you spend. A good belt will make a big difference in your squats and the old BB style leather belt will not do.

A good set of knee wraps will also be a wise investment.

Suits, squat shoes, and briefs are something you look into if you decide to compete.

Routine

Warmup for a PLs are much different as compared to BBs or recreational lifters. Work set will a lot of time be limited to 1-3 sets and no more. Reps for the most part will range from 1-5. The weight will cycle up over a series of weeks by a prescribed amount or percentage. Once the cycle is done you start all over again. This is vastly different to what is printed in magazines and performed in gyms. Look on the web site under routines for examples. There are some excellent routines. When you first start out follow a simple routine and over time grow into the more complex.

Other lifters that have written extensively about the squat that are much better than I will include.

Rickey Dale Crain Info found on this web site
Louie Simmons www.strengthonline.com in the archives section
Dave Tate www.elitefitness.com
And Jason Burnell wrote an Excellent Article

Hope this gets you started on your way to a 400 pound squat.

Rodney