If you’ve read anything I’ve written before, chances are you know that I don’t think linear progression is possible – especially if you’re not doing things other than adding weight to the bar to help your cause. The more compound the movement, the more this rings true.
In the case of squatting, it’s typical to cut range of motion, add more weight, or elevate the heels while gearing up in order to trick oneself into believing they’re “stronger”. But if you want to truly improve your squat numbers, it makes sense to examine your programming, technique, and frame.
Tip 1: Squat to a Daily Max
In previous work, I’ve mentioned the importance of cumulative volume to develop strength or size. The body tends to respond well when applying the SAID principle – specific adaptation to imposed demands. Relating this idea to the squat, it’s simple: the more frequently you do it, the stronger your body will become, and the faster it will recover from it.
The central nervous system will also be exposed to heavy weights in that movement 4 times as frequently as it would be without implementing this method. Squatting to a daily max sounds daunting, and even a little dangerous, but if we look deeper we can see a number of benefits.
If you do 4 or 5 workouts per week in an isolation split format (i.e. back, chest, leg, shoulder, and arm day), this would be a great addition to your program. At the end of each workout aside from legs, simply perform a low-volume ramp up to a max single or double for the day. These numbers don’t have to reflect your true, absolute 1RM numbers, just use your intuition to know when to call it a day. Since you’ll have just performed an entire workout for another muscle group before attempting this, it’s important to keep technical proficiency as the priority given fatigue is at an all time high.
Remember, it's about low volume. It’s unrealistic to think that you could squat to a 1-RM 4 or 5 times per week, especially if you haven’t done this before. For your warm up sets, you should seek to perform the least number of reps possible in order to converse energy for your maximal weights. We want to avoid muscular fatigue and the onset of soreness in days to follow – remember, this technique is primarily used for neurological stimulation and strength gains. Check out the video below:
A few things for reference: At this time, my true max effort back squat was 420lbs. With that said, 385 was definitely heavy, but didn’t scratch my true max, simply because of how I felt that day. Second, the ramping sets that led up to this weight were minimalistic in their thoroughness. See below:
135x5
185 x 3
205x 3
225 x 2
255 x 2
275 x 2
295 x 2
315 x 2 (done with my 11-rep max, as seen here)
335 x 1
365 x 1
385 x 1
There you have it. Follow a similar structure and be aware of how you feel in order to maximize the benefits.
Tip 2: Get Your Back Strength Up
People immediately think “legs” when they think “squat”. It’s one mistake that’s easy to note when watching novice lifters unrack the bar. Right from the second a heavy bar is on their back, they’re shaking like a leaf, and it’s causes a noticeable contortion of their typical standing posture.
Of course, a heavy bar placed on the back will compromise the ability to stand as tall as possible, but the effort you make in combating that obstacle is invaluable. Simply put, engage your upper back by applying tension through your hands, pulling the bar apart, and maintaining a high ribcage. Don’t let the bar force your body to collapse downwards.
Take another look at the squat videos above; you’ll see that I maintain an upright posture due to the fact that I’m keeping my back muscles tight, creating a “shelf” for the bar with my traps, and holding on to this all through my set.
Secondly, we have to remember that when we’re referencing the human body, everything is connected in some way or shape. The fascia (a sheath that covers muscle bellies) of the lats crosses over the glutes and across to the opposing hamstrings to create a giant “X” shape. With this being known, engaging the lats will enhance contraction and tightness through the rest of the posterior chain, making your squat stronger and safer.
But you can’t achieve any of the above with a weak back, or with no muscle. My go-to exercises for a strong upper and mid back are really framed around thickening and strengthening the muscles that directly surround the scapulae, and improving the stability and strength of the lumbar region. With that in mind, I like the following:
- Barbell Bent-Over Row
- Inverted Row
- Single Arm DB Row
- Chin Ups (Supinated - palms facing in)
Tip 3: Learn to Squat for your Body Type!
Everyone isn’t built to back squat. It’s that simple.
If you’re a taller lifter with longer femurs, your squat mechanics are going to be quite different than a shorter lifter with a long torso.
If you have wide hips, chances are your stance will need major adjustments compared to that of a lifter with very narrow hips.
If you have limited ankle mobility, your depth will suffer compared to someone with great ankle mobility.
You get the idea.
Overall, you will do well to think about what promotes proper technique, coupled with the best depth possible. Test your stance width, hand position, high bar/mid bar/low bar back positions, and even front versus back squats with lighter weight to determine which promotes a neutral spine and comfortable repetitions.
The back squat in leg training is like the 100 meter dash in sprinting events – it’s the most glamourized variation, but your build and frame may mean a different squat variation would suit you better and maximize your chance of success.
Moreover, training the squat “technique” can’t involve blanket cues that don’t take your body type into consideration. A perfect example is the use of the wall squat drill to teach an upright torso, relatively vertical shin, and flat heels. In the video below, you’ll see why this doesn’t work out as planned.
The truth is, regardless of your bar position, internal cueing, or stance width, the key is to ensure proper depth and a linear bar path while keeping the heels flat, spine neutral, and allowing the knees to track over the toes. Given the amount of individual differences within the human skeleton, you must analyze each squat on a case by case basis.
Wrap Up
Taking a second to think critically about the squat and how the information in this aritcle applies to you. Generic articles full of throwaway cues will give a novice lifter novice results. Look deeper into the subject to tailor things to your needs. You’ll be glad you did, and so will your wheels!
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