Weight Training Tips and Articles

Proper Squat Form

April 30, 2008 on 10:57 pm | In Proper Lifting Form, Weight Training Exercises, Legs, Quadriceps, Hamstrings |

  The squat is quite possibly the most important weight training exercise you can do to build overall muscle strength and size throughout your body. While squats are considered by many to be a great exercise for the quadriceps and hamstrings, they’ll also help you gain mucscle just about everywhere else as well. When you squat you’ll get a big testosterone boost that will help you gain more overall muscle size. If you do high rep squats you’ll be forced to breathe heavily, which will increase your lung capacity and help your upper body look bigger. Doing squats while you weight train will also affect the muscles of the lower and upper back.

  To avoid injury and get the most out of them, it’s important to learn proper squat form. You’ll want the barbell you’re squatting to be placed on your trapezius muscles - not on the back of your neck. It may take some experimentation to find the best spot to place the barbell when you squat and when you do you may not even need to put a pad on the bar - especially if you have developed traps.

  When it comes to squatting you need to arch your lower back, not bend it, as you lower into a squat rep. Get your behind as far behind you as possible and stop when your upper thighs are parellel to the floor. Then use the muscles of the quadriceps, hamstrings, and hips to squat the weight up. You can squat deeper if you want, but this depends a lot on how flexible your ankles and other lower body joints are.

  Where you place your feet when you squat depends on how tall you are and whether you’re weight training in more of a bodybuilding style or more of a powerlifting style. Either way, you need to concentrate on using your hips and not your knees as you lower into a squat rep. Putting to much stress on your knees when you squat isn’t good for them.

  Once you get your squat form down you should be able to build a lot of size and power from it and get the gains in overall muscularity you’re looking for.