Back Squat, Low Bar

The squat seems simple enough - get under a heavy bar, squat down and stand back up. There are, however, many nuances with the lift to efficiently squat for maximum power. The approach described here emphasizes lifting for maximum strength and power.

There are a few considerations I'd like to discuss before getting into the actual lifting technique.

Equipment

• Squat rack - Set the rack height to the upper part of your chest so that you can unrack and easily clear the pins without having to do a partial squat to unrack. Remember that when you have 600lbs on the bar, the bar will be bending and you'll need more room to clear the rack. If you're using a power cage, set the safety pins low enough so that you can squat to full depth without bumping them, and high enough so that they can catch you if you get into trouble.
  • Always set up the squat rack so that you can face away from the mirror. Your motion in the mirror will distract you causing your form to falter. No, you cannot watch your form and depth in the mirror while you squat.
• Bar - There are a number of considerations when it comes to selecting the best bar for your squats:
  • Condition - If the bar is bent, it has a tendency to roll as you unrack, or worse yet during your descent, throwing you out of your groove; if the bar does not have good knurling and/or has no knurling in the center it may be more difficult to keep in place on your back.
  • Whip - If the bar has a significant amount of whip it may reduce your stability as you come out of the hole, and as you lock out. It may also be more difficult to unrack as the weight gets heavy and it begins to bow, particularly if your rack has limited adjustability.
• Plates - As you start to top 6 bills, having a set of narrower kilo plates makes it much easier to fit the heavy load on the bar.
• Power Belt - Generally speaking, most people will lift more with a belt. Although I prefer to lift and coach to perform as heavy training possible before adding the belt, at some point not using the belt will limit the weight you can lift As a rule of thumb, I add a belt at around 80% of my max squat.
• T-Shirt - For squatting use a relatively tight cotton t-shirt. The bar will be less likely to slide on a t-shirt than on your bare skin, and a tight t-shirt will be less prone to sliding between the bar and your skin. For additional stability, run chalk along your back and shoulders where the bar rests.
• Chalk - Adding chalk to the hands helps you grip the bar and prevents your hands from sliding out as you squat. Chalking a swath across your back and shoulders where the bar rests can reduce the bar's tendency to slip out of place.
• Shoes - Lift in shoes with a solid sole. Running or athletic shoes have soles that will compress under the weight of your body and the bar greatly decreasing your stability. Using a squat or weightlifting shoe with a raised heel can improve your squat mechanics by lengthening the distance from your knee to the floor, balancing it with your femur length.

Positioning

• Bar Placement (low bar): There is no 'one size fits all' with respect to bar placement. I'll talk about how different positions affect your lift, and then recommend where to start out. You may need to adjust to your personal mechanics from there.
  • Moving the bar lower on your back will shorten the distance from the bar to the pivot point in your hips. This will increase the workload on your glutes and hamstrings and decrease the workload on your quads. It will also flatten your back angle, which could make hitting depth more challenging. Using a lower bar position increases the explosive power which comes from your glutes and hamstrings. It may also be advantageous for a lifter who has a proportionally long torso length.
  • Moving the bar higher on the back increases the distance from the bar to the pivot point in the hips. This shifts the workload more to your quads. It also results in a more upright back angle. A higher bar approach is generally used when seeking greater hypertrophy or quad engagement. It also may help with your squat mechanics if you have a proportionally short torso that causes a very flat back angle.
  • As a starting point when squatting low bar, set the bar in the groove between the base of your upper traps and the back of your rear delts. For most lifters this groove helps secure the bar in place and is a relatively well balanced low bar position. Shifting the bar even lower may allow you to generate more power, but can result in a very flat back making depth more difficult, and can be more challenging to hold the bar in place.

• • You may need to play with the bar placement to find the best placement for your individual body mechanics
• Hand Placement/Grip: As with many things about lifting, if you're comfortable, you're probably not doing it right. Grip the bar as close to your shoulders as you can without causing shoulder and/or elbow pain. A close grip will help you create more tension in your upper back creating greater stability. Moving your hands out to a wider grip reduces tension on your shoulders and elbows, but it will loosen your upper back reducing stability.
• Foot Placement: As a starting point set your feet with your heels just outside shoulder width and your toes pointed slightly outward. This position helps you open your hips so you can drop right into the hole, and allows a good hamstring stretch improving rebound. From this starting point, adjust your stance based on your body mechanics and mobility:
  • A wider stance reduces the lift's ROM and increases emphasis on your hips. A wider stance can make it more difficult to hit full depth and can make you more prone to knee valgus (knees caving in). Widening the stance may help improve squat mechanics for lifters with proportionally long femurs.
  • A narrower stance may help lifters with limited hip mobility and lifters whose hip structures limit external rotation - sometimes the lifter's hips are designed in a way that simply won't allow a wider stance.
    • In extreme cases of limited hip mobility, you may need a hip width stance with the toes pointed straight forward. Note that this will push the hips farther back during the squat, result in a flat back angle, and will make depth more challenging.
• Head Position: This is a topic of great debate in the lifting community - should a lifter look up or look down. My personal preference, and how I coach, is to look slightly up throughout the lift The body has a tendency to follow the head, looking down can increase the tendency to drop the chest as you come up. Whether you look up or look down, there are a few important points:
  • Your head should be inline with your neck. When looking up, pick a point 'in the middle of the room' to keep your focus on. You should not be looking straight up (or straight down).
  • Your focus should remain on the same point throughout the lift, and your head position in relation to your neck and spine should remain relatively the same throughout the lift. Don't move your head or your focus point up and down as you lift.