Weighted Squat

Description

How to Do Weighted Squat

1. 1
   Setup

   Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly angled out. Rest a barbell across your upper back, just below your neck, gripping it wider than your shoulders.

2. 2
   Setup

   Engage your core, retract your shoulder blades, and maintain a neutral spine with your chest proud.

3. 3

   Initiate the movement by pushing your hips back and bending your knees simultaneously, as if sitting into a chair, while inhaling.

4. 4

   Descend until your thighs are parallel to the floor or slightly below, ensuring your chest remains up and your back straight.

5. 5

   Drive powerfully through your heels and midfoot, extending your hips and knees to return to the starting upright position, exhaling as you rise.

Tips

• Focus on "spreading the floor" with your feet to actively engage your glutes and maintain knee stability throughout the entire movement.
• Breathe deeply, inhaling as you descend and exhaling forcefully as you ascend, using a Valsalva maneuver for core stability with heavy loads.
• Keep your chest proud and eyes focused slightly forward to help maintain an upright torso and prevent rounding of the upper back.
• Ensure your knees track in line with your toes; avoid allowing them to cave inwards (valgus collapse) during the descent or ascent.

Common Mistakes

• ×Rounding the lower back during the squat can lead to spinal injury; maintain a neutral spine by bracing your core and keeping your chest up.
• ×Allowing knees to cave inward (valgus collapse) reduces glute activation and strains knee joints; actively push your knees out in line with your toes.
• ×Not squatting deep enough limits glute and hamstring engagement; aim for thighs parallel to the floor or deeper while maintaining good form.