The squat is one of the best exercises with which to strengthen and exercise the most muscles.
It can be used to develop excellent leg, glute and core strength, and requires upper body stabilization in order to prevent the barbell from sliding around.
However, despite the fact that you are simply squatting down and then standing up, it can be quite a complex exercise.
This article will explain how best to squat, what to keep in mind, and by doing so maximize your gains.
The first thing you do is get under the bar with your chest high and your upper and lower back tight.
Check to make sure you're balanced equally on both feet, and then grip the bar and make sure your grip is equally balanced.
Make sure to grip the bar as close to your shoulders as possible, since this will test your shoulder, elbow and wrist joint flexibility as well as ensuring that your upper back muscles are tight so as to improve how the bar rests on your back.
Don't use your thumb.
All your hands are doing are holding the bar tight down on your back, not lifting.
Leave that to your legs.
Finally, try to push your elbows back as far as they can go, giving your chest muscles a good stretch.
At this point your chest should be out, elbows back, hands gripping the bar close to your shoulders, and feet shoulder width apart.
Take a deep breath, and squat the bar out of the rack by rising just a little.
Keep your back straight, and make sure you don't lean forward.
Stand fully upright, the bar snug against your lower traps and rear deltoids, and take three steps.
One forward with each foot, and the last to the side so as to position your feet shoulder width apart.
Adjust so that the body is perfect aligned, heels shoulder width apart, toes 30 degrees outward in order t maintain proper patellar alignment with the thigh bones.
Keep your chest high and the bar directly above your midfoot, take another deep breath and lower into the squat.
Look straight ahead, not up, not down, just straight ahead.
Stick your butt out, get your thighs parallel with the ground, keep your knees tight.
Don't hang out there at the bottom, and also don't bounce back up, but rather cleanly rise using your tailbone to do so.
Imagine a hand pressing down on your tailbone, and you're pushing that hand up as you stand.
Curl your toes up to make sure you're not using the wrong muscles, and rise cleanly so that you're standing straight.
Only exhale when you are near the very top so as to not lose tightness.
And there you have it.
Key ideas to keep in mind: you are lifting with your tailbone.
Keep your eyes straight ahead.
Keep the bar over your midfoot.
Elbows back.
Shoulders and chest upright, even as you lean your upper body forward as you descend.
Down smoothly, back up smoothly, no pause, no bounce.
Hands grip the bar close to the shoulders, and always, always be sure to only use an amount of weight that you're comfortable with.