Squatting Raw VS Equipped

—DISCLAIMER—

If you don’t all ready know how to execute the squat with proper form, this article may not be helpful to you.

Squatting in gear and squatting naked are different animals to conquer. If one is completely oblivious to what supportive equipment does for a lifter, it may be time for this person to brush up on their reading comprehension skills. Supportive gear supports the lifters body in such a way to relieve pressure on the lifters joints and muscles in positions that are the most strenuous during a lift. For the squat, the most support is felt when the lifter is in the hole. So how do we alter our technique to move the most weight possible throughout the legal range of motion that our federations allow? Does technique need to be modified at all?

“Back Back Back Back — UP”

This is a pretty common cadence amongst powerlifters during the descent of a squat, but what exactly does that mean?

Sitting “back” into a squat is optimal for a geared lifter, because there is actually something to sit back into. If a lifter sits way back into a squat wearing shorts or a singlet, the lifter may suffer from joint pain in the hips and doesn’t have the best leverage to come up out of the hole. When the lifter sits back into the squat, the load shifts to the hamstrings, glutes, and hips. While the entire body comes into play in the squat, these muscle groups are the money maker for a big lift. Supportive equipment helps the lifter achieve this optimal position in the hole and supports the lifter tremendously when the lift is reversed.

When squatting in gear, set the squat up, and shift your glutes and hips back, and sit– BACK. Keep sitting back until the hip crease is lower than the knee cap, then ascend to the starting position. There are many benefits to executing the squat in this manner. One, the load is more evenly distributed amongst the back, hips, glutes, and quads. Two, sitting back into the gear maximizes the equipment’s effectiveness. It will support the lifter very well and help to maximize the lifter’s carry-over from a raw squat.

When squatting raw, the top of the movement should be exactly the same as a geared squat–ass and hips back— then descend— DOWN. Once depth is achieved, ascend back to the starting position and wait for your rack command.

Now go hit a PR and don’t worry about the softness of your chest hair.