No half measures
■If you’ve spent any time in gyms
you’ll probably have seen people
loading up the bar and doing half
reps in the squat rack. They might
be pleased with themselves but
they’re wasting their time. “A
proper squat requires the hips to
come down at least until they’re
levelwiththeknees,”saysWright.
“You’ll hear the phrase ‘past
parallel’ and this refers to the
thighs being in line with the floor.
Fail to go deep enough and your
muscleswon’tgetthestimulus
they need to get bigger and
stronger.Workonyourmobilityfor
five to ten minutes before any
squat session — this will give you
extra depth, making a huge
difference to your results as well
as helping you to avoid injury.”Wholebodybenefit
■Whilethesquatisprimarily
a legs exercise, the upper body
is also involved and becomes
increasingly important the
heavier the weight you’re trying
to lift. “An easy way to improve
yoursquatistomakesureyour
back is tight and your chest is
high,” says Wright. “Grip the bar
andpullitdownontoyour
shoulders.Raiseyourchestand
push your elbows forwards. This
will give you a stronger platform
forthebartositonandmeansless
workforyourcoreandlegstodo.
You’ll be surprised at the difference
this makes.”Split the difference
■An imbalance of strength
betweenyourleftandrightsides
islikelytoleadtopoormovement
patterns and, ultimately, injury.
Doing an exercise that develops
strength unilaterally will help
guard against that. “Once you
have done your squats, move on
to some Bulgarian split squats,”
saysWright.“Holdingapairof
dumbbells, take a split stance with
onefootaheadofyouandthe
other behind, and place your back
foot onto a bench. Perform a split
squat by lowering your back knee
while keeping your front shin
vertical. This will develop your leg
strength as well as balance and is
an excellent assistance move for
the back squat.”PERFECT FORM
Take the bar out of the
rack with it resting
on your rear shoulder
muscles. Take two big
steps back and stand
with your feet roughly
shoulder-width apart,
toes pointing slightly
out. Keep your spine in
alignment by looking at
a spot on the floor about
two metres in front of
you, then “sit” back and
down as if you’re aiming
for a chair. Descend until
your hip crease is below
your knee.02.Back squat
TARGE T SQUADS, GLUTES AND HAMSTRINGS
Walk in to any serious
gym and the one
question you will always
be asked is, “What do
you squat?” Like it or
not, your strength will
generallyalwaysbe
judged on the squat
numbers you can put
up. “People new to lifting
fixateonbenchpress
but the truly strong
guys will go straight
below the belt,” says
Wright. “The reason
the squat is a great
measure of strength is
becauseitworksboth
lower and upper body
at the same time while
connecting the two with
a strong core.”
“A proper squat
requires the hips to
come down at least
until they’re level
with the knees.”