Why is front squatting more difficult than back squatting when using the same weight? Is the low-bar back squat better for your knees than the high-bar variation? These are all common questions some of us have. In order to answer these questions we have to look behind the curtain of movement and understand the scienceContinue reading The Real Science of the Squat
As coaches we often have a standard set-up for teaching the barbell squat. Toes should point out slightly, feet should be placed at shoulder width and everyone should squat below parallel. Unfortunately this doesn’t always work. No two people will squat exactly the same way. There is no “one size fits all” approach to squatting.Continue reading How Hip Anatomy Affects Squat Mechanics
The high-bar back squat is typically one of the first barbell exercises young athletes are taught today. By perfecting technique an athlete has the potential to lift bigger weights with less risk for injury.Continue reading How to Perfect the High-Bar Back Squat
Think of the squat as a movement first. The squat as a training tool or exercise is second. Technique and movement quality always trumps how much weight is on the bar. By focusing on technique, we can limit the potential of injuries to our young athletes during training and play.Continue reading When Can My Child Start Lifting Weights Pt 2
The media today often condemns the use of barbell training for young children. There are some that claim lifting weights at a young age will lead to stunted growth, fractured growth plates and limit athletic potential. Still others believe barbell training can be safe for a child as long as technique is stressed. As a parent or coach, whom should you believe? Is weight training for young athletes really as harmful as many have made it out to be?Continue reading When Can My Child Start Lifting Weights?
Proper mechanics during the squat is all about maintaining proper core stability. If core stability is compromised strength and power is lost.Continue reading 3 Core Stability Exercises For a Better Squat
Our system is broken. We are failing ourselves professionally. We have failed the athletes, coaches, parents and young colleagues around us. This would be a good time to pop some popcorn and prepare for an aging mans rant… We’ll take a break from the other well written and thought out posts of Squat University. This will be less of that and more of a conversation with your grandfather discussing how he walked up hill both ways to school in the snow and how this generation has ruined everything good.Continue reading System Failure
A proper squat is all about maintaining proper spinal stability. When we combine the coordinated bracing ability of our core muscles and harness the power of our breath we allow our body to move properly and lift tremendous weights safely.Continue reading How to Breathe when Squatting
When we talk about the squat many people often want to jump right into discussing the barbell squat. We forget the basics of the bodyweight squat. If we don’t address the movement of the squat before the exercise version of the squat we set ourselves up for failure. If we can fix the issues that present during the bodyweight squat we give ourselves a greater capability to carry the load of the barbell. We should all have the ability to perform a full depth “ass-to-grass” squat without any weight. Period.Continue reading How to Teach a Perfect Squat
Just last week, I was guest lecturing to a class of physical therapy students at the University of Missouri. I asked a simple question, “How many people here think we should never have our knees go past the toes while squatting? Following my inquiry, every single student held their hand raised. The next thing I said was, “You’re all wrong.”Continue reading Can The Knees Go Over The Toes?
