Showing search results for “squat”.

Exercises You Should Be Doing: KB Goblet Squat w/ Lowering

It’s hard to imagine a more versatile and “user friendly” exercise than the Goblet squat. I think we should collectively pass it into law that anytime anyone in the fitness industry crosses paths with Dan John, he or she is obligated to give him a high-five for popularizing it. Or buy him a steak. His… Read more

Passive vs. Active Foot For Squatting Performance

There’s a lot to think about and that can (potentially) go wrong when you have a barbell on your back. Photo Credit: Elitefts.com (Julia Ladewski) Is it better to high-bar squat or low-bar squat? Big air! Are my lats engaged? Where are my elbows positioned? Head position? On the descent is it hips back or… Read more

Kettlebell Swing: How to Cue the Hinge and Never Perform a Squat Swing Again

There’s just some things in life you don’t do. 1. You don’t punch kittens in the face. That’s just common sense (and really cruel). 2. Guys: you don’t not pay for the first date. And ladies: the fake purse grab at the end of dinner makes us guys feel good, and we appreciate the sentiment;… Read more

Cueing Posterior Pelvic Tilt When Squatting and Deadlifting? Have I Gone Mad?

One of the more popular cues trainers and coaches use when teaching the squat and deadlift is to arch the lower back….hard. There’s a legitimate reason why, too. Squatting and deadlifting under load (consistently) into lumbar flexion is a major no-no, and usually results in any number of lower back dysfunctions and injuries. All someone has… Read more

Why the Box Squat is Overrated

There are a lot of things I don’t do anymore that I used to. 1. Unlike when I first moved here eight years ago, I no longer refer to Boston as Beantown. That’s a big no-no amongst locals.  Doing so is as sacrilegious as wearing a Laker hat or a Derek Jeter jersey down Boylston!… Read more

3 Ways to Improve Your Squat

Among the many gems that I gleaned this past weekend during Greg Robin’s Optimizing the “Big 3” workshop was the notion that, contrary to popular thought, the purpose of supplemental work (or exercise) isn’t so much to make an exercise harder, but rather to address a some form of “kink” in one’s technique. One such… Read more

Form Tweaking and Overreaching: Two Ways to Increase Your Squat Numbers

I’m still in Cancun…..nah nah nah nah naaaaaah. Today’s guest post comes from Justin Kompf, who’s had several articles featured on this site like THIS one and THIS one. Not only is he a professor at my Alma Mater, SUNY Cortland, but he’s also someone I feel is going to do a lot of cool… Read more

How Deep Should I Squat?

Perusing the internet can be comical.  LOLcats, Buzzfeed, and Star Wars parodies aside, where I find the most comedy (or to be more precise, the most chest thumping, blatant lies, and fibbing) are in various training websites and forums. It seems everyone on the internet – at least in training circles – is either some… Read more