I love Squats, especially when I see someone doing them properly. But I'll be brutally honest, I get fired up hearing the athletes we work with at The Underground Strength Gym telling me what they do at their high school weight room with subpar sipervision.

Why do I get fired up?

• Because the standards have been dropped due to lack of knowledge and lack of education.
• Outreach to Sport Coaches is declined. I've done it for 20 years and I hear from other Strength Coaches offering FREE help to sport coaches who either don't reply or say, "No thanks, we're good."
• The technique has been given a lower standard. Again, this is due to poor knowledge and lack of education.
• Because standards are dropped and technique is ignored, the results that come from the squat are dramatically reduced.

For countless years now, I hear stories like this:

I squatted 250 for 10 reps.

My response, "How? You haven't squatted 250 for 1 rep here?

We maxed out & I squatted 365 today.

My response, "How, last week you squatted 275 for 2 reps here?"

As Louie Simmons says, there are 2 ways to train. A right way and a wrong way.

When I view the squat, I want to see a few simple things for us to consider this a quality, correct repetition:

• Flat back (this is a stable back vs the arch back or the collapsed back when squatting too heavy)
• Top of thighs to parallel or slightly lower
• Knees lined up with toes / knees not caving in
• Stable torso

These are some simple standards.

As soon as you let the standards slide, it is easy to cheat yourself. Cheat yourself and lie to yourself in the gym and that low standard now carries over to practice and eventually game time / competition.

NOTE: The Video below is NOT WFS so do NOT watch it if you're offended by this language. I get fired UP when kids are put in danger because coaches refuse to accept FREE help.

My passion in training is to empower and give this young generation the opportunity to succeed, hence my intensity for what I do.

High standards are the ONLY standard.

Squat low. Choose a proper load that doesn't put the athlete in a shitty position anatomically as well as psychologically. Young athletes are NOT experienced weightlifters. They d0 NOT understand or know how to max out for 1 rep with proper technique unless they have an early foundation of strength training.

Most kids have ZERO strength foundation.

They do NOT need to test their 1 rep max every 6 weeks.

There are MANY ways to test and track their strength numbers as well as numbers beyond the weights, such as various jumps and sprints which I will cover in another article.

High School kids for the most part are NOT physically OR emotionally ready to test their 1RM, unless they've been trained for several years by an expert Strength Coach. And ultimately, you must ask yourself, what is the benefit and reason for a 1RM? Is this safe and intelligent for this athlete?

If you're a Coach or Parent, share this article and share it with Coaches who are doing half squats, round back squats, knees caving squats, etc. No Coach is ever "good enough" and given a free pass from learning more.

As a Coach, the better YOU get, the better the athletes become. We owe it to the kids to get better everyday.

Live The Code 365,

--Z--

The High School STRONG Program

Details HERE