Here is a good example of what not to do when you belt squat, as demonstrated by one of my young bucks. I'm not picking on him here- this is the first time we put him on the belt squat and he's always eager to learn and try new things. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV9BfZZjKuY&feature=youtu.be] And most times I actually prefer to let them have at it with little instruction to see where their head is at and how they approach the movement. My feedback for Noah - and these are pretty standard issues I see with most people that belt squat...
- All hinge, no squat. Here he is reaching his hips back, but never quite opening up. Yes, this will tax the glutes and hips, but not optimally.
- Bad Patterning - As a by product, we're no longer patterning the squat, so any carryover we get to a competition squat is minimal.
- 'Soft Back' - Too much reliance on hands/assistance. Which, as you can see pulls his upper body out of position. This 'soft back' is a bad habit and will most certainly carry over to poor positioning in the squat.
- Lighten up the weight.
- Take hand assistance away - have the lifter hold a KB/Goblet during the lift
- Cue the same you would for a squat - root, external rotation, brace hard, set your back
- And you can even add a PVC pipe to it - having them 'squat' with it across their back.
