29/09/2017
The king of all exercises in the weight lifting world would have to be the barbell back squat. Set the bar up at the appropriate height for you and load some weight onto the bar. Squatting should always be done in a solid base shoe and not your favourite runners! To perform this lift, remove the barbell from the rack so it’s sitting just on top of your rear delts and across your traps. The comfortable stance here will differ from person to person due to different leg lengths, mobility and various other factors but most are okay with a stance approximately shoulder width apart with the toes pointing slightly outwards. Now, take a deep breath and brace your core to create intra-abdominal pressure before commencing the lift and ensure you stay tight in the back. Maintaining correct spinal posture and keeping your chest up, lower your hips until they are well below knee height and then return to the starting position by driving through your heels and mid foot while engaging your core and leg muscles. During the movement, think about screwing your feet into the ground and driving your knees outwards to keep them tracking over the feet. This will help to activate your glutes and all the muscles in your legs.
