Walk into a typical high school weight room and you'll see a 1 rep max test on the squat every month.
Typically, you'll see kids hitting 315 to 495 on the squat. Kids that weigh 185 lbs are doing this, some weight 135 lbs and squat 315. Amazing.
On the bar is a THICK Pad to cushion the back. The thick pad replaces the need to build up the traps. After all, who needs a set of BIG, thick traps to support the neck and reduce chances of neck injuries while playing football?
Perhaps you'll see a bungee chord to let them know when they've performed a full squat... errrrrr, I mean half squat.
There will be 3 spotters, one on each side and one from behind.
The Coach will stand with a clip board in hand to make sure you broke last month's record.
This is the typical high school weight room, YES, there are some high school weight rooms with great Coaches in there, but they are far and few between.
If my athletes tell me they tested at 405 in the squat then they probably squat 225 - 295 on the bar when at my gym. Maybe. Often times, MUCH less.
Why?
Because full range squats are what I want to see.
The truth is what I expect, brutal honesty is what allows one to TRULY measure gains in strength.
In the weight room, you can't lie to anyone, especially yourself. Same goes for life AND business.
Technique is # 1, slow and steady progression of weights is # 2.
The half squattin', shitty technique is NOT considered a squat. Sorry.
There is NO need for a big ass pad
on your back either. Rather than make excuses for the bar hurting your back, you need to build your upper back up with the basics that ALWAYS worked:
- trap bar / straight bar deadlifts
- shrugs
- farmer walks
- 1 Arm DB Rows / Barbell Rows
- Pull Ups of ALL Variations
- Band or Gymnastics Rings for Pull Aparts, Scare Crows & Face Pulls
The full squat is becoming extinct in gyms around the world, just like Dinosaurs, they roamed the earth many moons ago.
Not sure why, but perhaps the thought of being brutally honest with oneself has become too painful in today's generation of "Now, Now, NOW!!!"
Honesty means not moving up in weight until your upper thighs are slightly below parallel.
Honesty means that if your bench is bigger than your squat, ANY extra work needs to be devoted to building up your legs, plain and simple. It hurts the ego to realize your bench is bigger than your squat, unfortunately, I've seen this MANY times. The good news is that building up your squats will help build the rest of the body.... quickly.
Here are a few critical tips for squatting properly and getting set under the bar properly:
1) Get psyched before you get under the bar. If you're unsure or scared about the weight you see on the bar you're going to get buried alive. Crank some hardcore music and get your mind in the right place. I often times play a movie in my mind, where I can literally see myself squatting the weight up and down with ease before I even perform the physical feat!
2) Set your hands on the bar evenly. Do NOT be a half asser and pay no attention to where your hands go on the bar. Each hand should be on the same spot on the bar.Nothing should be uneven.
3) Grip the bar like you're trying to crush the bar to dust in your hands. The tighter your grip the tighter your entire body will become. When squatting, it's NOT just leg work, it's your entire body.
4) Next, squeeze your shoulder blades together, pull your elbows down, arch your back and get under the bar, setting the bar in the middle of your traps. Your BIG traps should be raised up, providing a "shelf" for the bar to sit upon. If you ain't got BIG traps then follow my tips below and jack those Bad Boys UP.
5) Set your feet shoulder width apart or slightly wider. Inhale with a BIG breath and HOLD your breath to stabilize your torso. Squat the weight up and take ONE step back with each foot if you're in a power rack. If you're in a squat rack, ONLY take enough steps back to clear the rack.
6) Readjust the width of your feet if necessary, I prefer a slightly wider than shoulder width stance when squatting without a box. With a box I vary my foot stance.
7) Inhale a BIG breath and hold your breath before you squat down. Go down slow and low, aiming to get your upper thighs to parallel or slightly below. Blast UP explosively. Do NOT breath out on the up phase. Hold your breath during the entire rep to remain tense.
8) After each rep, take another DEEP breath and repeat. Do NOT lose tension in your body. Keep the back arched, shoulder blades squeezed tightly together and your entire body tight as all hell.
If you are having trouble gaining weight or packing on muscle, get busy with squats every week.
Eat like a Mack Truck, protein AND carbs at every meals, NOT just post workout.
Those who can't pack on muscle are devoid of a few critical things:
1) Not training hard enough
2) Not training heavy enough / breaking records
3) Not eating enough
4) Not eating enough QUALITY nutrition (get rid of the empty calories that won't help you build a powerful, rugged physique).
5) Consistency
6) Mental Toughness
The truth will set you free, so if I just called you out then you KNOW what you need to start doing.
You can get started today by throwing some weight on that bar and squatting DEEP.
In Strength,
--Z--
Best Selling Underground Strength Resources
The Underground Strength Coach Cert
The Gladiator Experiment on Kindle
18 Responses
Great post Zach.
I hear this all the time, “Johnny can bench 385, squat 510, deadlift 475”, the kid is 16 years old and has 30lbs of noticeable blubber around his belly. Yeah right. Now sure there are some very strong young athletes in HS, but most of what I hear is total BS.
I use low boxes with my young athletes to get them right below parallel in the box squat to teach them proper form, sitting back using posterior chain. I test their 1RM on a low box, then have them do full deep squats for medium reps (5-7) with 50% of that max concentrating on strict form for 3 sets. They always come back with “man I was sore” after that workout. I slowly start adding weight to that workout, slowly is the key.
Squats are HARD WORK! and are very humbling. I insist my young athletes squat deep using a kettlebell goblet squat as a starter then progressing to low box squats then full deep squats.
A 1/4 squat is just a 1/4 effort, period.
I have all athletes do squats to a box to ensure depth. We don’t do true powerlifting box squats as we just try to tap the box and explode up.
I agree that squatting deep (slightly below parallel) is the ultimate goal. But, would everyone agree box height varies per the individual? For instance, I have many skinny, underdeveloped 14 year olds who cannot squat past a 16inch box without going into lumbar flexion. Our goal is to work to lower boxes before we start trying to go real heavy. Usually I use 95, 135 and 185 as reassessment points for depth.
I see too many HS programs that very from “High Box Squats” and “Low Box Squats” from week to week with no regard to quality squats. To me going low with too heavy weight into lumbar flexion is only a recipe for perpetual weakness and injury.
“My name is Dustin and I use to do 1/4 squats instead of deep squats.”-Ok there is my AA moment.
I did until I flipped my safety squat bar around and did front squats with them.
Now I can perform them with a regular bar and safety squat bar normal position arse to the floor.
I did 1/4 squats because with my bum knees I thought it would be the best approach because all the research stated deep squats were bad for knees.
Then I read an article debunking that myth so I tried it.
And not only do my knees feel better. I am squatting more than ever.
Thanks for the post Z.
Z,
When I was in high school 25 years ago I remeber being turned on to squatting. I attended a BFS seminar at a high school with my coach, and a handful of my football team mates. I remember Mr. Shepard asking for a volunteer to perform the box SQ in front of the crowd. The crowd kept cheering me on as I moved up in weight ( 385 x 3). I was hooked.
Even when I competed as a powerlifter in the late 80’s, my SQ & DL were the hilight of my time on the platform. I abandoned back squats for several years and have “re-discovered” them 3 months ago. Thanks to Marty Gallagher and Dan John.
Yo Z!
Gotta give some love to the full squats! I’ve definitely seen the same problems you have though with my athletes.
Last summer, they would train twice with me (Monday and Tuesday) and have their thursday lift on their own (these were football players so other days were 7-on-7 games or recovery days). You can bet your ass that the only way they were doing squats was under MY watch! It’s a lot harder to cheat a deadlift!
And speaking of farmers walks, one my favorite thursday workouts for these kids was 1: work up to a heavy triple in the deadlift, and 2: farmers walks for 10 minutes with 50 pound dumbbells (that’s the highest they have access to in the high school gym… 3 pairs though), go as far as you can and try to beat your buddies distance.
They always thanked me for that one on Monday 🙂
Keep kicking ass man have a good one!
“Ass to the grass” squats like the photo above set the mark for for all my athletes. They are a staple of my diet when it comes to creating a strong foundation. Some of these guys who think they have strong legs can’t even perform deep bodyweight squats for reps.
Preach!!! Ass to the grass squats is directly correlated to a heightened MAN Quotient and an overall feeling of awesomeness. I prescribe them 2x’s/week to those that have deflated bodies (particularly to those that are shaped like light bulbs)…Wanna be a man? SQUAT deep…and Squat deep often!!!
You also forgot to mention the growing trend of squatting in a smith machine. They do 1/4 squats even in those and think that they’ve accomplished something.
very lucky to have Rob Isza as our strength coach. Makes sure our players get all the way down. A great strength coach is the most important coach in your program.
Hey Zach,
Your so right. You know I work in a HS and I love it when the football players tell me what they squat. It’s hard to keep from laughing when they’re so excited about there supposed numbers.
I had some random guy HAND me a pad the other day while I was squatting. For a minute I couldn’t figure out what he was handing me. LOL. I thanked him and told him I don’t need that.
What? Just cuz I’m a girl means I don’t know how or where to hold the bar? or my back can’t handle it? I guess he didn’t see me doing pull-ups right before that. 🙂
great post Zach.
Hi Guys, Squats I love them. This program below is the hardest I have ever worked in the Gym. If you max this you wont feel like doing much afterwards.
http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Weightlifting/RussianSquatProgramGenerator.html It is not an affiliate link or any thing to with me at all which is a real shame,I love it.
Stay Well Stay Happy
John
Funny story about squatting… the first time I ever squatted was my freshman year of high school and I had 225 on the bar and it was so heavy (at the time) that it sunk me all the way down to true ass to grass. I ended up getting six reps the very first time. I credit my leg strength and flexibility due to me riding my bike up this huge hill on the highest gear (most resistance) everyday for hours on end. I would ride upwards of 8 miles up and down hill to practice everyday and I guess thats where I am now. I buried 505 with room to spare before thanksgiving break and I smashed 495 ass to grass yesterday, despite being in spring practice. GOTTA SQUAT DEEP!!!!
Amen Zach. I’m only a 19 year old kid, but luckily, my coaches in the past have always pushed us to do ATG squats, and thats what I’ve been doing ever since! I’m not gonna lie though, everytime I get ready to throw some serious weight around on Front Squats I get freakin’ nervous and a little scared. It’s a good thing though, cause I ALWAYS psyche myself out and get tight as heck before the lift.
Deep squats definitely are the way to go though! Great post today.
Just like the crocodile and alligator (surviving dinosaurs), those who deep squat are dangerous and too be feared! 😉
Zach, this article is ageless, thanks for the repost. Unfortunately, in the 6.5 years since you first posted it some high school coaches have bought into the “speed & agility” myth and even the 1/4 squats have been replaced with useless drills. Then they wonder about all the injuries that happen during their season.
Beast factory!