Chad Wesley Smith addresses 3 common Squat mistakes.
- Rounding Over (my biggest fault): create more upper back tightness, hands close, elbows pushing in & forward -> helping thoracic extension. Front Squats are also a great tool to improve this.
- Loose Mid Section: you want “360° pressure”, cue =”breathe into your lower back” + flex glutes to align pelvis and create a neutral spine
- Lack of Commitment to the Descent: “Treat 135 like your Max and your Max like 135”.
More Squat Tips from Chad:
I think rounding is something most of us struggle with who don’t have great leverages for squat, but I think #3 is the most common problem I see in more experienced lifters. You can’t really take advantage of your stretch reflex if you are scared of descending. Of course this is less of a problem for oly lifters, since they are used to divebombing squats, but if you are keeping tight (per #2), then you should be able to take advantage of a quick descent.
My favorite example of this? Jon Krogman, with 317.5 kgs @ 110.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njYCKoTUI4I
Wow, what a squat!
I love how nervous the spotter on the right is… look at his twitchy hand. Krogman did 305 kgs on his second at this meet I believe, so the spotter knew how fast he drops into the squat. It is awesome to watch squats with such a quick descent, but it would be nerve-wracking to spot on such a lift.
That was a huge issue for me and something I’ve worked on a ton. I was essentially doing paused reps I was descending so slow. Squat has really taken off once I got “committed” to the lift, only took half a year haha
it depends: if youre a powerlifter or an oly lifter looking for the most weight lifted or an athlete who needs a stretch reflex in his sport (think of slalom/downhill skiers!) then by all means use the stretch reflex hard!
but if youre lifting for strength gains, are risk-averse, not the youngest or just a free time athlete – then you dont need or maybe even should use it.
Unless you have a lifetime of lifting under your belt, please don’t dive bomb your squats.
Define “dive bomb”? My definition would be a quick descent that utilizes stretch reflex–basically what 100% of Oly lifters do. If you’re lifting slowly, you probably won’t lift much.
Research by Dr Tom McLaughlin (former powerlifer with PhD in exercise biomechanics) found that you need to “ride the brakes” in the descent of a squat. A few inches from parallel, you allow the bar to accelerate. This sets up the stretch reflex allowing you to “recoil” out of the hole with more power.
Data from McLaughlin found that when you allow the downward speed of the bar to accelerate from the start of the squat, magnified the reversal force need to stop the bar and then reverse direction.
McLaughlin found that the bar force from dropping to quickly increased the bar load 149%. That means an individual squatting 300 lbs would encounter 447 lbs of force (300 lbs X 149%) to stop the bar and convert it to a concentric movement.
Lifters who “ride the brakes” from the start of the squat increase the bar load by 112%. That means a individual squatting 300 lbs would encounter 336 lbs of force (300 lbs X 112%) to stop the bar and convert it to a concentric movement.
Summary
1) Ride the brakes in the descent of a squat during the majority of the downward movement.
2) Allow the bar speed to accelerate the last couple of inches to elicit the stretch reflex.
Kenny Croxdale
Should one adopt the circumferential breathing technique when doing back squats without a belt, or is it belt specific? I’ve been taking my breath using my diaphragm and expanding my belly outward, as seen here: http://youtu.be/PJX1CyjbMic