Back squat
3-3-3-3-3
Then, as many back squats as possible in 5 minutes @ 65% of 3 RM. Bar must stay on back for full 5 minutes.
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*This Friday we have an abbreviated schedule in observance of 4th of July. Please see MBO. The 1:30pm open gym will be ending at 3pm. Verve will be closing at 3pm for the rest of the day.
*Next weekend (July 11th-12th) Verve will have a 7am class only and be closed the rest of the day for a seminar.
Squat Technique By Louie Simmons
Lifters must learn proper squat technique before anything else. The importance of proper technique should be stressed in each and every workout. But what is proper squat technique?
Let’s start with the feet and work up. The feet or stance should be as wide as possible as long as you can break parallel. This means the feet should be as straight as possible. Larger men and women will have to point their feet out to the sides to some degree to allow them to reach proper depth. You should wear Chuck Taylor’s so you can push your feet apart, not down. Pushing the feet apart properly engages the powerful hip muscles. It also allows you to reach depth more easily by shortening the squat stroke. Next, push the knees out to the sides. This forces the hip muscles to engage more powerfully.
The first movement on the descent is to push the hips and glutes backward. Never bend the knees. The shins must remain vertical at all times. By pushing the glutes backward, you are now descending. The stomach must be full of air and pushed in front and out to the sides where the oblique muscles are located. The spinal erectors must be tight and arched. The chest must be full of air with the upper back tight and the shoulder blades pulled together. The chin should be raised because this will tighten up the lats and the traps, which is where the bar rests. As you lower into a squat, your eyes should be fixed on something. This will allow you to raise your head slightly on the descent.
To recover from parallel, keep the eyes fixed on the same point as before. To rise from the squat, first push your back into the bar. Remember, this is what we are trying to lift, so push against the bar, not the floor. If you push against the floor, you will tip backward. Then push your knees apart and arch the spinal erectors as much as possible. You have now recovered from the squat for a three light success.
The above passage is Louie’s description of the powerlifting squat performed at Westside Barbell, and can be found in his book, Westside Barbell Book Of Squat and Deadlift.
