How to PROGRESS and REGRESS Your Barbell Back Squat

If you read my previous blog post on “How to PROGRESS and REGRESS Your Deadlift”(click here to read)which, I’d highly recommend you read it, watch the videos, and of course watch the 90-minute deadlift seminar I did with Dr. Forster.

Nevertheless, when you do, you’ll understand that I enjoy lifting heavy shit. Being able to slap a barbell on my back with some serious weight, and slowly descend down into the hole (that sound dirty didn’t it?) then with all my might drive up towards the ceiling while my entire body works as one unit to ensure I don’t collapse under the bar and start looking like Leonardo Dicaprio in Wolf Of Wall Street trying to get into his car, is one of the most satisfying things in this world.

That feeling of placing a weight on my back and being able to squat it, is like no other, and many people out there in the world love the barbell back squat exercise. But, many people don’t have the prerequisites to safely and effectively perform the barbell back squat without some sort of compensation that could eventually lead to an injury, or merely a plateau in weight that doesn’t feel quite right.

Being able to back squat is a privilege. There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to the squat, and many people just don’t know or have just ignored the fact that maybe their body isn’t built for heavy squats.

Assess then correct. This phrase pops into my mind a lot when it comes to squatting. How do you know if you’re supposed to be squatting if you haven’t assessed your squat mechanics?

Here’s a quick and easy way to test your squatting mechanics:

Also a “corrective exercise” I like using the Face The Wall Squat as it also shows the limitations of the squat pattern.

The Set Up: Approach a wall preferably with no nail pops, electrical outlets, or posters of Justin Bieber as it may affect the performance of the movement. Stand about 4 inches away from the wall using your big toe as the measurement marker. Place your hands by your side at a 45-degree angle. Having the toes pointed forward to begin the descent into the squat and stop the moment the individual touches the wall with either their knees or face.

**Be sure not to cheat by turning your head to the side or taking a step back to gain more depth**

Things to look out for:

- Neck position
- loss of balance
- valgus collapse
- “butt wink”
- knees pushing outwards — collapsed arches

The moment the client feels “stuck” or can’t go any further is their true squat depth before compensation happens. Eyeball their depth in degrees and jot it down on your recording sheet.

Pass = 90 Degree depth with no butt wink
Fail = Anything less than 90 Degrees with compensation

Two things to note when assessing movement is:

1. Was there pain? Yes? Then stop barbell squatting all together and go seek out a good chiropractor and physiotherapist with an exercise background to figure out why. No? Then you got a green light for squatting!

2. Don’t OVER analyze your mechanics. I see it way too often and people go “well their left ankle collapsed at precisely 82 degrees of depth, blah, blah, blah.” Does it really matter? When I assess clients, it’s either “can they do it? Yes? Awesome!” or “Can they do it? No? Okay, we got some work to do!”

Now, once you’ve determined whether or not you’re able to “pass” this assessment with 90 degrees of depth with no butt wink, in my eyes, you’re ready to back squat with decent movement mechanics to ensure safe and effective squatting.

You might be asking yourself at this point “my squatting mechanics are terrible after trying that assessment…Does this mean I can’t squat?”

Not at all!

You just probably need to stay away from the back squat for now and revisit it after some intervention of other exercises to get you there.

But before we get into different squatting variations, we need to take a second and look at the anatomy of the hips to better understand WHY your squat doesn’t look like a skilled powerlifting squatting 600lbs.

If you look at this photo:

You can see at the top right-hand side four different pelvis structures. As you go down and see the pelvis on a side view and front view you can clearly see the difference. Did you know that everyone has a differently structured pelvis? Do you think this would make a massive difference for people when squatting?

Of course! Your pelvis is different than the person beside you in the gym squatting than the person on the left. You shouldn’t try to mimic their squatting mechanics because yours will be different based on your anatomy.

Let’s look at another photo:

Here we have three different femur structure. If you look at all three femurs, they all have different angles provided in the way they are inserted into the pelvis.

Let’s look once again at two other photos:

Let’s throw in two more curveballs. What about knee and ankle anatomy. If you’re an individual that has had ACL, MCL, PCL, or any knee surgery and did not fully rehab it back to full knee extension and flexion, that knee will influence your squat mechanics. Same goes for your ankles. If you don’t have enough ankle dorsiflexion or have had previous injuries to your ankles that limits the range of motion, this limitation will also influence your squat.

That’s a lengthy list, isn’t it?

What if I told you I’m about to add some more things to the list for requirements of the barbell back squat?

What about having enough shoulder mobility to reach underneath the barbell with both of your arms without have your shoulders feel discomfort or pain?

What about having enough thoracic extension and mobility, so you don’t have a hunch back position underneath the bar?

A lack of extension in the thoracic spine will make motions like barbell back squats more challenging and cause the low back to move more to achieve the same range of motion. Over time this increase in low back range of motion can lead to instability and increase risk of strains, sprains and chronic low back pain. Additionally, the shoulder blade and shoulder joint rely heavily on proper thoracic mobility. When this motion is compromised during exercises like the squat, you are putting your shoulder at a higher risk for problems like impingement, tendonitis and rotator cuff injuries.

Don’t feel defeated just yet! There are MANY options for you to get your squat looking and feeling better. We just need to focus on the foundations first, build you up, then try again.

We are going to start with some squatting variations I give to clients and patients all the time that have some limitations in their back squats below. I find that most of the time if we take away the back squat for 8–12 weeks and focus on the weak links their range of motion improves rather than pushing the imaginary “square peg, into a round hole” constantly and hoping for the best.

1. Dumbbell Goblet Squat

2. Dumbbell Front Squat

3. Landmine Goblet Squat

4. Dumbbell Goblet Split Squat

5. Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat

These five are all great alternatives and can all be made more difficult with simple tricks. Many patients and clients I work with that are strong athletes that are trying to barbell back squat but are constantly injuring themselves might look at this list like “man, that’s easy, how am I supposed to get strong with a goblet squat?”

Tempo.

Imagine you grab a 100lbs dumbbell for a goblet squat, and eccentrically lower yourself for four full seconds, hold at the bottom of your squat for four full seconds, then explosively drive up. That’s one repetition; you have eight more to go. No matter who you are, that sequence will cripple your ego after three repetitions.

You can play around with tempo with all five exercises above, and you’ll find it challenging.

Now, let’s focus on some “corrective” exercises that will help improve your squat mechanics!

1. Hip CARS

2. Shoulder CARS

3. T-Spine CARS

4. Ankle Mobility

5. 90/90 Hip External Rotation PAILS and RAILS

6. 90/90 Hip Internal Rotation PAILS and RAILS

All these six will directly influence your ability to squat. Use these in your warm up, daily morning routine, while watching TV, anywhere you can fit it in!

Have any questions? Need help?

Email me! rwmatuszewski@gmail.com

I’m happy to help!