Back Squat and Toes to Bar

Today’s Strength workout is the 5 cycle of the 5/3/1 template for Back Squats. The Back Squat is what most people think of when they think of squatting. Truth be told the Back Squat is about 5 progressions down the line of squatting. The squat is an easy exercise to butcher because there are lots of moving parts and mobility requirements stacked with requisite stability. The complexity of the movement can scramble the process and leave the upper back vulnerable to tightness and injury. Picture this: As you start your squat descent, your hips glide backward with control and your knees show no sign of caving. Everything feels on par until your depth approaches parallel. Then, without warning, you collapse forward into a grotesque hybrid between a rounded-back squat and a good morning. This causes the exercise to go disgracefully awry. The unfortunate truth played out in the above scenario is that upper-back tightness wasn’t sufficient. Descending into the bottom squat position requires a somewhat upright posture. Tension built by the lats and the upper-back musculature keeps the spine rigid while squatting. If you lose tension, you bend forward and expose your upper back to injury. Creating a lower-back arch while squatting has been dubbed the most important back attribute, but this conversation has led lifters to overemphasize their low-back arch without concentration on the rest of their back and spine. It’s a foolish error. The lower back must be set in the neutral position so it works in conjunction with the hips. Set it at neutral and hold it in place with full-back tension by aligning your elbows under the bar and squeezing the bar as hard as possible. When you set tension, pull the bar into your back by squeezing the lats. This will create a solid resting place for the bar and a spine stable enough to keep the load on your hips and legs. Strength Workout (SWOD) 3 x 5 Back Squat Workout of the Day 20-15-10 Front Squat (95/65) Jump Squat (BW) Strict Toes to Bar ]]>