How To Add Weight To My Squat

Squats are lifting royalty for curing chicken leg syndrome' and building high-performance muscle mass. Squats develop total-body strength, stimulate tons of total trunk musculus growth, and amend athleticism. Yeah, the squat reigns king amidst bang-for-your buck exercises.

"To maximize the squat you need the mobility to reach proper position and the stability to command movement through the intended range of motion."

Squats are lifting royalty for curing craven leg syndrome' and building high-performance muscle mass. Squats develop total-body force, stimulate tons of total trunk muscle growth, and amend athleticism. Yes, the squat reigns rex among bang-for-your buck exercises.

"To maximize the squat yous need the mobility to attain proper position and the stability to control movement through the intended range of motion."

Problem is, most lifters have the mobility of a cast-atomic number 26 skillet and lack the power to squat safely and effectively. To maximize the squat you need the mobility to achieve proper position and the stability to control move through the intended range of motion.

It's time to maximize your squat potential through improving technique, mobility, and execution. With these ten tips you lot'll take your squat functioning to new levels.

1. Train for Maximum Strength

Despite the fact you demand to railroad train heavy to build maximum strength, people often neglect heavy weights.

Yes, training with submaximal loads will spare your joints and nervous system to a caste, simply fifty-fifty to maximize submaximal training y'all demand a base of absolute strength.

Preparation at lx% 1RM for speed is much more effective when your 1RM is one.5 to two-times your bodyweight.

Heavy lifting is generally defined as 85+% maximum effort for multiple sets of one to five reps. But it's best to avert missing lifts. Missing lifts consistently zaps your nervous arrangement, engrains poor technique, and wrecks your confidence.

Hit the reps you lot know you'll make and salvage yourself for the occasional max-out attempts.

RELATED: The Art of Heavy Lifting Without Overtraining

ii. Train Submaximal Reps for Power

Strength-speed and speed-strength are synonymous with power. They produce a sky-high power output compared with longer-elapsing, lower-velocity maximum strength exercises.

"Compare a tractor-trailer and a Ferrari. It's great to have a ton of horsepower, but for high performance, it's all-time to generate horsepower chop-chop."

For breaking lifting plateaus or achieving more weight-room transfer from athletes, power development is cardinal. Compare a tractor-trailer and a Ferrari.

It'due south great to have a ton of horsepower, but for loftier operation, it's all-time to generate horsepower apace. Remember: Power= Work/Time

Most research shows that maximum power is accomplished through moving moderate loads at high velocity with loads of 40-60% of your 1RM.

Depending on the athlete, at that place will be differences within this range and some experimentation volition exist needed to find what's best.

For a large squat, speed squats are ideal for power evolution and technical exercise.

These tin be used as long as a decent base of operations of absolute forcefulness is nowadays and technique isn't an outcome.

RELATED: The Expression of Strength, Part 2 – Speed Forcefulness

iii. Train Speed and Speed-Force

Speed-strength works the lower-load, higher-velocity component of the force velocity bend to train explosive power.

One time again, the greater your base of absolute strength, the easier it will be to express explosive strength. For well-nigh lifters, keep the emphasis on explosive jumps that match the biomechanics of the squat closest, i.e. jump squats.

There are tons of variations that accost speed of movement, landing mechanics, and power without too much gamble.

Your best choices are broad jumps, vertical jumps, and box jumps to increase your rate of strength evolution and explode through sticking points.

Stick to single-response jumps and ensure sound landing mechanics before moving to multi-response jumps.

RELATED: How to Box Jump, Vertical Jump, and Broad Leap Correctly

4. Squat Twice Per Week

Multiple squatting sessions per week maximizes technical and neuromuscular efficiency through preparation at variable intensities.

Squatting twice per week allows you to focus on one heavy and one speed session. Divide these sessions by 48-72 hours for total recovery.

"Targeting the squat pattern with multiple sessions per calendar week while addressing the strength-velocity spectrum leads to greater gains in power, strength, and explosiveness."

I like to combine a speed-strength method before squatting, followed by maximum strength (85-95+%) on the first squat solar day.

On the second day, I'll emphasize a pure speed movement with a submaximal force-speed squat (40-75%). Targeting the squat pattern with multiple sessions per calendar week while addressing the force-velocity spectrum leads to greater gains in ability, strength, and explosiveness.

RELATED: 6 Tips for Getting Stronger While Staying Gratis From Injury

5. Train Your Squat Depth

Yep, building a big squat is groovy and should meliorate multiple functioning parameters. Merely the central discussion is "should."

Also many coaches and athletes sell out for big totals in the "big three" and being hardcore with ass-to-grass (ATG) squats no matter what.

While ATG will earn you props on the interwebz, it doesn't mean anything if you're risking injury to the lumbar spine. If you lot squat to depth without a tuck – go on going.

But if you lot can't maintain position due to lack of core control or bony hip beefcake, don't force a deep squat.

RELATED: 4 Reasons You lot're Non Getting Deep Plenty in Your Squats

six. Wheel in Front Squats

Yep, back squats take the title equally the King Builder, but forepart squats offer a plethora of benefits:

Increased core integrity, allowing greater depth without compromised spinal position and, thus, greater relative muscle activation at lighter weights compared to the back squat.
Similar musculus activation of the dorsum squat without as much joint pinch and shear stress due to using less weight.
Increased strength requirements of the thoracic extendors to hold position – a bonus for desk jockeys with kyphotic posture.

RELATED: Front Squat Versus Dorsum Squat: Which One Is Best for You?

vii. Spread the Floor

Allowing the knees to buckle in, known as valgus plummet, is a keen manner to reinforce poor mechanics and set you up for a genu injury.

For near people, allowing the knees to buckle engrains dangerous technique, especially if information technology leads to uncontrolled valgus collapse during sport or recreation activities.

"Allowing the knees to buckle in, known as valgus plummet, is a groovy manner to reinforce poor mechanics and set you lot up for a knee injury."

Prevent valgus collapse by spreading the floor and pushing the knees out during the squat. This emphasizes hip and posterior chain evolution and will skyrocket your squat numbers.

RELATED: Moderating the Knees In Versus Knees Out Squat Contend

8. Train the Break

If you lot're squatting to depth, you demand to exist stable in the bottom position. Railroad train the pause by using submaximal loads and squatting to maximum depth while maintaining trunk integrity (this means no butt-wink).

Unless you're training for a big total and demand to striking certain depth, the risk versus advantage probably isn't worth a stone-bottom squat nether load in the presence of butt-wink.

RELATED: Get Stronger and Stay Honest With Break Reps

9. Bend the Bar

Don't be lazy with the bar. Get your Hulk on and try to bend it effectually your body.

If you're not actively applying force to the bar, the bar will act on you lot – jumping off or burying you in failure.

"If you're not actively applying strength to the bar, the bar will act on you lot."

Drive your elbows down and back to appoint the lats, provide a larger shelf for the barbell, and create additionally stability in the trunk.

Solomonow, et al ended that over 200 muscles are activated during squat performance. Use them all to maximize your squat performance.

Additionally, yous'll prevent the bar from jumping off your back during explosive squats, improving rep quality and decreasing injury risk.

You don't want to be that chump who loses a barbell behind your back during training anyway.

RELATED: Why Athletes Need to Empathise the Concept of Torque

10. Rack at the Correct Elevation

We've all seen it: a rack ready-up likewise high, a calf-raise walkout followed by the poor sap virtually cracking his skull when re-racking.

Also inappropriate barbell loading, improper rack prepare-up is the all-time way to go injured.

Gear up the rack up with the barbell set between nipple and shoulder height, depression enough to allow you to squat to weight out and hands re-rack, every bit well.

RELATED: How to Squat More Without Getting Stronger

Summary

The squat is a technical movement and squatting appropriately for your trunk blazon and goals is imperative to long-term success. Optimize your technique showtime, and and then offset piling on plates.

Take these tips into consideration and yous'll be squatting big weights without pain for years to come up.

References:

1. Solomonow, M., et al. "The Synergistic Action of the Inductive Cruciate Ligament and Thigh Muscles in Maintaining Joint Stability." Am J Sports Med. 1987 May-Jun;15(3):207-xiii. Accessed November xviii, 2014.

Photo ane courtesy of Strength Education.

Photos 2 & iii courtesy of CrossFit Impulse.