Back & Front Squat Tutorial w/a Barbell

Today's video is a lesson on how to squat with the barbell in the two most common ways. 

First up is the barbell back squat, before you even load the bar, make sure that the bar is at a height that can sit on your traps comfortably. Next is finding the right position to place your hands on the bar outside of your shoulders. Don’t think about gripping the bar, think about your hands balancing the bar. If you don’t have the mobility to keep your hands close, then go further out on the bar. Squeeze your shoulder blades so the bar has a strong foundation to rest on. Feet position here is around shoulder width, with your toes rotated outwards slightly. Before you come down, take a big breath and brace your core as if someone was going to punch you in the stomach. As you squat down, push your knees out so they’re stacked over your ankles. Optimally, you’re breathing out when you’re close to standing up. The reason why this is important is because your core is fighting to keep your spine stable and your upper body from collapsing with the weight. I forgot to add in the part about having your heels elevated if you’re not able to squat correctly. Here’s a demo of that video (here).

Second part of this video is the front squat. I use the clean grip, however, you can use the cross grip. Which is better? Whichever you prefer. The same rules from above apply here too. The difference here is you’re focusing on keeping your elbows high so the weight doesn’t fall forward. The front squat variation works your core a lot more and doesn’t put any pressure on your spine so if you’re someone that suffers from lower back pain while squatting, this variation is for you.

Back and front squats have been a staple in my program as well as mostly everyone that I've ever coached. The stronger your lower body is the stronger everything else can become. They are compound exercises meaning they work more than one muscle group which also means you burn more calories. I personally want to do the least amount of work to get the most amount of results so I'd rather work harder for less time than cruise through a workout and it takes forever.

How to Split Squat and What to Avoid

The magic exercise that works your inner thighs and your cellulite as as well as your trainer's patience is the split squat.

Honestly, any type of exercise done on a single leg will not only give you that “toned" look you've been searching for your whole life, but it will also build up strength.

This is important especially if you have one side weaker than the other, weak hips, or suffer from instability.

There’s more than one way to work legs & there’s more than two ways to squat.

The split squat is great for people that have lower back pain doing barbell back squats or don’t have the flexibility to do a proper barbell front squat.

The two variations explained in this video focus on your rear foot being elevated onto a bench or a hip thrust machine.

You don't have to use these two, I just want you to use a height that allows you to use your full range of motion.

What I also want you to focus on is keeping your upper body leaning forward.

This prevents discomfort in your lower back as well as allowing you to work your backside (weak side) more.

What I want you to avoid is letting your heel come off the ground. There's two reasons why this might happen.

The first is not creating enough space between your front foot and the pad behind you.

The second is not bending your back knee enough. Think of your back knee as an elevator going down to the ground but also back towards the pad.

One thing I forgot to mention in this video was creating enough distance between your feet, meaning, if your feet aren't shoulder width apart, it’s going to be harder for you to maintain balance going down and up.

Also make sure your front knee is not caving in as you're coming down and up. Use a mirror if you can or record yourself from the front  view if you think this is happening. If it's too hard to control, this is a sign that your glutes might be weak. Deadlifts, glutes bridges or any other exercise that works your backside will help fix this problem.