So you’ve been putting in work on your squatting now for a while, yet the weight on the bar still isn’t going up.
You’ve tried all the programs; Squat Everyday, 5/3/1 and even those crazy Russian squat cycles but it’s still not working for you.
So you try squatting more again, double your volume, more days per week.
You only end up with shitty knee pain and more disappointment when you retest it again.
Here’s the thing… More squatting isn’t always the answer.
When it comes to building the squat people forget about the fundamentals and just want to go crazy with the volume and hope it comes off.
Developing strength in the squat requires solid technique, bracing and breathing mechanics and building the weak points to allow for a bigger squat.
So how do we do this?
Here’s 3 of our key training methods to develop the squat
Learn to Breathe and Brace Correctly
Take a deep breathe in right now…
What expanded first?
For most people you will pretty quickly notice your chest rising up.
If you did you probably have more in the tank on your squats than your core allows you to. Chest breathing creates very little stability in the core and your brain often will limit the strength output of the muscles surrounding it. Look at the best lifters in the world and they spend their time focusing on getting deep diaphragm breaths to create expansion through the midline and stabilise their core.
Take note next time when you’re getting ready for a squat how you breathe while prepping for the rep. If you feel your chest rise and very little expansion through your stomach then take a step back and work on your bracing for a little while and watch your squat build without too much effort.
Check out this video if you need some help.
Slow Down For Strength Gains
We’ve all seen those ugly squats where you see guys dive bomb into the bottom of the squat only to narrowly avoid their kneecap bouncing off the squat rack in front of them. These guys get out of the bottom resembling a zombie off The Walking Dead.
Not only is the longevity of your joints going to be severely compromised following this method but there is no development of eccentric strength through the squat to teach better movement mechanics, develop connective tissue strength. Likewise they might be lucky to spend 1/10th of a second in their weakpoint which definitely isn’t enough to build any strength there.
Try This…
Next squat session do 3×5 with a 5s eccentric and 3s pause (start light, you’ll need to), add 5-10kg per week for a few weeks. The first time you do this your lower back will be blown up as you probably don’t have the core or hamstring strength to stabilise the weight under control but in a few weeks your squats will be feeling super consistent, core will be strong and legs will be able to power through.
Stop Cutting Your Accessory Work
Honestly, this is the one I’ve been the biggest culprit of in my training when I’ve been stuck.
You just worked you’re butt off on squats and your program calls for RDL’s, Split Squats, Core work and you just don’t feel like you have the energy for it.
You just pack up your squats and head off telling yourself you will do them next time.
Here’s my experience with doing this, this is the quickest way to injury and plateau’s. Last time I checked those are my least favourite things in training (along with treadmills and ellipticals). So if you’re stuck and in pain, it’s about time you actually do your accessory work.
My 3 favourite accessory exercises for squats are Stiff Leg Deadlifts (also my favourite Deadlift accessory), Lunges and Split Squats of all types and Deadbug Variations. These all tend to keep me healthy and also build up my squat. The thing with accessories though is you need to find what has transfer to squatting for you. Some of my clients do very well with these accessories but others get more from exercises like Hip Thrusts, GHR’s and Belt Squats.
A great starting point is to have some direct posterior chain work, unilateral movements and anterior core stabilisation work. Play around and find what works for you.
Wrapping Up
Sometimes we just need a few different methods to break through your plateaus and get moving in the right direction again. Here’s a few that we have found effective for our clients and ourselves. If you found this helpful then make sure to share this with a friend who’s struggling with their squats and hit us up if you have any questions on our facebook page.