On Saturday we were at the XPC meet in Columbus Ohio, Ken was helping handle Bruce Mason who did an amazing job qualifying for the Arnold's with a 1005 Lb Squat, at 650 Lb Bench and a 700 Lb Deadlift. Did I mention Bruce is only 26 years old ?Top 10 squat mistakes
1. The bar not centered on back and hands. (If you don’t have a handler, get one or ask your back spotter to centre you. You need to make sure the bar is even on your back and your hands are in the same position on the bar, so many people weren’t centered and the weight was lopsided almost helicoptering)
2. Rush set up. (Be ready, the announcer gives you plenty of warning, you have one minute to un-rack the weight from the time they say the bar is loaded, rushing causes errors, be ready and take your time setting up, once you un-rack the bar the time stops, you can take as much time as you want now, be set, let the weight settle and if you aren’t sure, re-rack and start again)
3. Head Down. (Your head should be in a neutral position or slightly upward position, it is important to keep your neck in an anatomically correct position, in line with the spine during squats)
4. Elbows up. (Your elbows should be under the bar parallel to your wrists if possible, if your elbows flare up and back the weight will come forward and put you in a good morning position, work on your shoulder flexibility to keep your elbows down)
5. Knees buckle in. (Force your knees out during the entire squat, if you are a new squatter and not used to pushing your knees out buy a strength band and squat with a band around your knees for a couple hundred reps, program your knees so they want to push out on your entire squat)
6. Adjusting the rack. (I watched so many new lifters not look comfortable with the rack position, have it moved in or out to suit your flexibility, don’t crush your fingers setting the bar back down because the rack isn’t in the right position, you have the choice. This should be determined when you get your bar height before the competition but if you walk up to the bar and it’s not right, get the loaders to fix it, never squat when you are not comfortable)
7. Breathing. (So many people let their air out on the way down on their squat. This will cause your entire core to loosen up and you will loose your squat in the bottom, stay tight and keep that air in the entire squat).
8. Depth. ( The XPC was certainly holding most accountable for their depth. Practice your depth, train for depth, use below parallel boxes to squat on. If you are unsure if you reach depth have someone call your depth, nothing worse than missing a squat because of depth, especially if you can’t continue the meet)
9. Too Heavy an Opener. (An opener is simply that, an opener. Choose an easy weight you can handle so you are in the meet and have some confidence moving forward. There should be no reason to take too heavy a squat opener and miss because of it, be smart, get in the meet and get the jitters out with a nice easy opener)
10. Toes Pointing straight. (It is very difficult to squat with your toes pointed forward, this makes your knees go in front of your ankles which is bad for your knees, depth and back. Try pointing your toes out and have your shins track straight up and down)
These are some of my observation from the meet, again I love watching this sport growing, if any of these tips help just one person then this log will be worth it. If you don't have a coach and want to pursue greatness in powerlifting I suggest you find one or find a company like Elitefts who gives you all the education and knowledge you need to be a successful lifter.
The highlight of my day was watching our good friend Bruce Mason squat 1005 lbs, this young man is amazing strong for a 26 year old. Keep your eyes on Bruce, you will see great things in powerlifting world from him.
Best of luck in your training and your next competition, squat safe, squat to depth, and squat everyday !
#teamelitefts #driven #strongher #livelearnpasson