Back Squats and Overhead Squats

[Guest guest]

Mims:

<<Also, the shins should also be close to perpendicular to the floor, the

bodyweight on the heels, and the bar should be in vertical alignment with the

heels. This gives you the best mechanical advantage. Look in a mirror

and squat with a broomstick until you get it down pat.>>

Mel Siff wrote:

<The deeper the squat, the less possible it becomes to keep " vertical " shins,

so, while this may be useful advice for powerlifting type squats, it becomes

far less likely for full depth Weightlifting style squats. >

Mims:

<I appreciate the scientific reason why the knees go in. On the vertical

shins statement, I believe it is best to try and keep them vertical, even

though it is really impossible. This is a coaching point that keeps the

athlete back on their heels. As for overhead squats, I see it as a

stretching exercise. The lift is very difficult to perform and opens the door

for injury. That's just one man's opinion.>

*** Many novice lifters still allow the torso to incline too much if you

advise them to focus on keeping the shins vertical. A consistently more

effective cue is to advise them to keep the shoulders up high (and back) and,

if some leaning over tendency still persists, then they need to extend the

neck backwards.

If they struggle to locate the line of action of the weight over the heels,

you can let them try squatting with a thin plank beneath their toes, even if

this means that they will not be able to descend very deep in some cases.

This same " trick " can be helpful in correcting the " get-set " position for the

standing press, the push press or the jerk.

One can achieve a similar effect by very subtly raising the toes in one's

shoes so that their under surface is just short of touching the sole of

shoe. One has to be cautious not to overdo this " curling up " of the toes,

because it can reduce overall stability or tilt the body a little too far

backwards. Once again, we note the powerful effect on stabilisation by parts

of the periphery that are located very far from one's core.

Some people advise (like Ian King) that one starts with the neck fully

extended and eyes raised to the heavens from the very start of the ascent

from the lowest position, but this eliminates the possibility of later using

the trunk extensor reflex that is facilitated by forceful extension of the

neck. During the squat or split snatch one has to be very careful about how

one places and moves the head, because, if this trunk extensor reflex is

inappropriately invoked or incorrectly timed, the lifter can easily be

shifted too far from the bar during the pull. Far too many lifters seem to

be unaware of how important this peripheral part of the body (the head) can

be in balance and movement, which probably has a lot to do with the current

overemphasis on " core " training. That is one reason why some training in

gymnastics, diving or trampolining can be quite helpful for many other sports.

Overhead squats are not at all difficult, if one simply begins with a

broomstick or empty bar and gradually progresses with heavier loads. I think

it was Burkhardt who said that he never had his athletes overhead squat

with more than about 60kg - that is sensible advice for the average weight

trainer. Only Olympic

lifters use heavier weights and nothing ever close to what they use with back

squats. Regarding its safety, knee injuries are very rare with overhead

squats and snatches in general.

Besides its role in enhancing flexibility of the lower extremity joints and

shoulders, the overhead squat is excellent for promoting overall stability

(what some people like to call " core stability " ). It is not an exercise that

is meant to be done for more than about 3 reps at a time because prolonged

overhead holding tends to become very uncomfortable for the joints of the

upper extremity. As is the case with many exercises derived from the Olympic

lifts, it is preferable to use many sets with few reps.

Whatever you do, you would be well advised not to take seriously any

invocations to " suck in the abs " during the descent or ascent phases of the

squat (or press, or in fact any other dynamic standing exercise under

loading). No top level weightlifters or powerlifters use this misleading

advice during any competitive lifts and there is no proof whatsoever that

this enhances stability or the production of force/power during any dynamic

lifts at all. On the contrary, the cue of " sucking in " during a heavy lift

can stimulate a tendency for the abs to produce trunk flexion and compromise

trunk stability under dynamic loaded conditions (which is not the general

intention of " sucking in " , but a side-effect that can easily accompany the

cue to suck the abs in).

Dr Mel C Siff

Denver, USA

Supertraining/