Back Squat and Med Ball Complex

By bringing your hands in closer to your shoulders, your upper back and traps “bunch up,” so to speak. Not only does this help give you a nice shelf to set the bar on, but it also activates the synergists in the upper back, creating an extension force that helps keep you more upright and your chest from caving in. Obviously, this is limited by the flexibility in your wrists/forearms, anterior deltoids and pecs. As you work to get your hands in closer, do so gradually over the course of several workouts. Even if it’s just a finger-width closer each workout, it’s going to make a profound difference in your posture. 2) Back Together and Tight! Once you have your hands in nice and tight, think of pulling your shoulder blades back and together, squeezing as hard as possible. This will again help to “bunch up” your upper back and give you that nice shelf to rest the bar on. If you’re skinny or don’t have a lot of meat on your upper back, this can really make squatting more comfortable. Set the bar on top of this muscle shelf and you’re ready to rock. If your upper back isn’t very developed, you’d be well-served to put some beef on this area. Exercises to help develop your upper back include Olympic pulls, cable rows to the neck or face, and prone shrugs. 3) Comfortable Stance with Toes Out Slightly Once you’ve unracked the weight and are getting set-up, you want to set your feet with a comfortable stance. Those with longer legs and shorter torsos (dolicomorphs) will probably prefer a slightly wider stance, while those with shorter legs and longer torsos (brachiomorphs) are usually more comfortable with a narrower stance. Find something that suits you and stick with it. Toe position is something that can be argued with regards to pointing the toes straight forward or out slightly. Usually those with a closer stance prefer pointing the toes straight forward, while those with a wider stance need to toe out more. When you squat with a very wide stance and point the toes forward, it’ll be very hard to go deep with the weight. Beyond that, you might have some balance issues as well. Toeing out more can usually solve 99% of the depth issues seen with wide-stance squats. MetCon 5 Rounds @ 85% effort 15 Wall Ball Med Ball Clean Complex 10 Jumping Lunges 10 Situps ]]>