Workout Of The Week - What Is The Best Workout To Improve Your Squat?

[Admin]

What Is The Best Workout To Improve Your Squat?

Squats are one of the big 3 lifts (bench press, deadlift, squat). Some regard squats as being the the king of all the exercises.

What is the best workout to improve your squat?

How important are squats to one's workout routine?

 

[Bench Polkov]

To put it simply, squat more. More volume, more frequency.

 

[chocchillimango]

I find doing ankle and hip mobility drills as part of my warmup routine and doing some BW work helps me a lot before actually getting ready to do my squats.
Makes a real difference compared with when I don't do them.

Perspective from someone who isn't a natural born squatter

 

[Goosey]

The squat is the key-stone to a productive workout.
My progression to teach the exercise is;
Leg-press
Squat without the bar
Goblet squat
Over head squat
Back squat

If someone just cannot squat I'll stick them on a leg-press or trap-bar to biuld some hip and leg strength.
But with any new trainee I'll have them workout every day for the first three weeks, just learning the basic exercises, before we even think about progression and increasing the intensity of work or introducing the dead-lift.

 

[0ni]

Squats are good
They are probably the only exercise that doesn't increase unless I actually perform it or variations of it

 

[kaz]

UDLs, bloody heavy ones!

 

[callan]

squat more, to squat more. simple, hone in on technique, when shit gets heavy muscling it out will mean nothing, when 1rm comes into play if its a true max the second u leave that "groove" you should fail, if u can fuck up your technique and still finish its not your true max and/or a weakness is stopping you from reaching it as you cant maintain good technique.

smash the GHR, strong hammies are the key.
deadlifts will build a stronger back and help you maintain positioning, also ab work will help u keep balance and aid in maintaining position.

the main thing is technique. if your training properly and still not going anywhere, u can almost guarantee your technique is holding you back.

learn the stretch shortening cycle, its very complex and timing is everything, it would be very hard to learn training by yourself, but once u got it down it makes squatting easy, to learn this i would say to go see someone who knows about it and how it works.

 

[Shrek]

What's the best alternative to a GHR? There's not one at my gym?

 

[Goosey]

I reckon that would be stiffies.

 

[Shrek]

Fairies nuts.
I do them frequently...Gonna smash them harder from now on.

 

[callan]

What's the best alternative to a GHR? There's not one at my gym?

i dont have one at home, so i wedge my feet under a counter top that is raised off the floor and do nordic curls.

i can feel my hammies and glutes working in hyper extensions. glute strength is also a major component, but this will be worked by deadlifts, but i guess extra work wouldnt go astray.

i guess if you got really stuck you could do heavy hamstring curls lol and hip thrusters to work your glutes

 

[Shrek]

I see if I can do those Nordic curls somehow.

Cheers

 

[callan]

I see if I can do those Nordic curls somehow.

Cheers

anything you can get your feet under that wont fall or break when u put pressure on it lol

actually just thought of a really good spot if a power rack has this sort of frame;


if not, if the safeties have holes that go low enough just put the pins on the right setting to get your feet under them

if at first you cant do them properly you could always put a block under your knees to raise them up... when i need to do them at home a grab a few pillows to kneel on to raise my knees up to make them easier

 

[kaz]

Are you doing weighted Nordic curls or body weight? They look intense!

 

[callan]

Are you doing weighted Nordic curls or body weight? They look intense!

i havnt done them for a while, but when i did do them i couldnt do a full nordic curl without my knees raised without falling on my face half way down.

just tried without raised knees.... still cant support my own weight on the way down LOL (just fail before i hit the touch the ground. they feel like your hammies are going to rip off lol

 

[kaz]

Might be worthwhile to try with an assistance band off the side of a power rack. I don't have a ghr anywhere and i hate Good mornings, like seriously hate them!

 

[callan]

ghr progresses quite fast at first, you shouldnt need assistant bands if you raise your knees with something. a nordic curl is basically a GHR on its hardest setting, so by bringing your knees up, or placing something in front of them it will make it easier

like here u can see the weight of the body it placed onto the quads as the person moves forwards. so chucking something in front of you so the weight moves up to your quads (when im at home i use the pillows for this lol) as you move forwards will make it easier

 

[kaz]

OK, have seen the ptc-ers use a broomstick to get up and down during the move

 

[callan]

OK, have seen the ptc-ers use a broomstick to get up and down during the move

lol wut

 

[kaz]

Don't ask me, ask Trent. I do good mornings against my will.