What's up guys and welcome back to 2 Minute Tutorials! This series will cover a broad range of training exercises to help you feel more comfortable in the gym and progress with your training. Each episode will cover one unique exercise by giving an in depth description of the muscle groups it activates, the equipment it requires, how to set it up, and most importantly, how to perform it correctly. With valuable cues, techniques, and assistance along the way, this series will deliver a quick, simple, and effective breakdown easy enough for anyone to understand. Whether you’ve been lifting for years, or if it's your first time stepping into a gym, these videos will have you feeling confident, knowledgeable, and ready to level up your training! So join the ride and let's get to work! Today's episode focuses on the barbell back squat, also known as the low bar squat, high bar squat, or barbell squat.
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CC: This exercise is gonna target all parts of your quads, with some emphasis on your glutes, adductors, and erector spinae. Now there’s 2 fundamental ways to perform this, and the difference lies in where you rest the bar. A high bar placement rested on your upper traps has been shown to slightly increase quad activation while a low bar placement on your rear delts has been shown to slightly increase activation of the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. Nonetheless, both utilize a very similar technique, so just choose the one most comfortable for you.
Once you’ve done that, it’s time to initiate the setup. First, adjust the hooks to place the bar at chest height, and clip the weight evenly onto both sides. Then, drive your palms into the bar with either your thumbs wrapped over or around it, with a grip as close as your shoulder mobility allows for. From here, slide your head down below the bar, placing your feet level directly underneath, then pull your shoulder blades down and back to create a shelf in either your upper traps or rear delts for the bar to lie on. Hold this tension in your back, then take a big breath in, and stand up with the weight by driving your hips forward. Then, take a few steps back, placing your feet just outside your hips with your knees and toes pointed slightly outwards. The starting position should look something like this, where your elbows are behind your body, the bar is parallel to the ground, and the weight is evenly distributed over your midfoot.
Now it’s time for the descent. Take another big breath in, expanding your diaphragm and pushing your stomach out. Then, hinge your hips back and push your knees forward in the direction of your toes, while keeping your chest up, your back tight, and your breath held. From the side, the bar should travel in a straight line perpendicular to the ground until your hip crease is at or below your knees, and your knees are a few inches in front of your toes.
Then, without pausing at the bottom, immediately begin the ascent by evenly applying pressure into your heels and toes so that your hips hinge forward at the same rate that your chest rises up. Remember to keep your knees pointed out, and drive the bar up in a straight line perpendicular to the ground. After you’re comfortable you’ve gotten the weight up, exhale your breath and get back into the starting position for the next rep.
Ideally, you want to control the descent for around 1-2 seconds and explode up for the ascent with as much force as possible. To incorporate this into your routine, I recommend using heavy weight for 3-5 reps if you’re lifting for strength and moderately heavy weight for 6-12 reps if you’re lifting for hypertrophy.
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About Me: I'm a college student with a passion for fitness hoping to make it my career. I started training in early 2019 and have devoted a big portion of my life to it ever since. Now, with the help of this amazing community I've been blessed to be a part of, I will try my best to give back the information I've learned for those hoping to embark on a journey of their own.
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