The Chest Up Squatting Cue Is not a One-Size-Matches-All Fix

Plant your feet. Engage your core. Look straight. Stick your butt out. Keep your chest up.

These are only a couple of of probably the most common squatting cues I attempted to bear in mind as a newbie lifter, and yet, despite following all of them religiously, my barbell squat all the time felt a little bit… off. While I used to be in a position to leg press 450 kilos without breaking a sweat, I could barely squat the barbell by itself. My lower back would cramp up after a single rep, and my hips would ache on the ascent.

It wasn’t until I began working with a lifting coach and commenced filming my workouts that I discovered the basis of my squat woes: I used to be keeping my chest up an excessive amount of. That’s right—in my effort to have a “perfect” squat form, I used to be actually hyperextending my spine, causing what’s referred to within the lifting community as a “butt wink,” or a pelvic drop at the underside of my squat.

Because it seems, proper form actually varies greatly from individual to individual, and in accordance with USA Powerlifting competitor, powerlifting coach, and North Dallas Strength gym co-owner Joe Miller, cues like “keep your chest up” aren’t exactly golden rules to lift by. Here’s why.

Why the “keep your chest up” squatting cue isn’t right for all and sundry

Once we keep our chest up an excessive amount of throughout the descent of a squat, we are inclined to arch our backs and create a “C” shape in our spines in an effort to compensate for the unnaturally upright posture. This places an immense amount of pressure on the lower back, shifting the burden load from our legs to our lumbar region.

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In line with Miller, this overcorrection actually places the barbell behind our center of gravity and might result in the aforementioned dreaded “butt wink” on the descent—and might eventually result in a nasty lower back injury.

“I actually think most of the time, it’s counterproductive,” says Miller concerning the chest-up cue.“I feel loads of people just make the error of believing that there is a one-size-fits-all squat form that involves a really upright torso. Plenty of your problems may very well be solved by just fascinated about it less and putting your body right into a position that it’s naturally going to wish to be in, in an effort to stay balanced.”

Just as our fitness goals are wholly unique to us, so are our anatomies. While some individuals are comfortable squatting with their feet pointing forward, a few of us have to position our feet at an outward angle in an effort to “open” the hips, depending on how our femurs connect in our hip sockets.

“In case your femur bones are oriented to the skin of your hips, that is where your hip socket head is, and you are not going to comfortably squat along with your legs simple at a shoulder-width position—and there is nothing incorrect with that,” adds Miller. (Psst: When you need assistance checking out which foot placement is best for you, try this easy physical screening).

As an alternative of specializing in keeping your chest up during your squats, try the following tips below.

4 squat rules to try as a substitute of “keep your chest up”

1. Do a body squat to seek out your stance

Before loading up your barbell with weights, do a couple of body squats in front of a mirror, says Miller. Place your feet roughly shoulder-width apart, make your hands into fists and place them next to your shoulders as for those who were performing a barbell squat. Adjust your stance as you perform the squats until you may comfortably reach a degree where your thighs are no less than parallel to the ground.

“Your body is more more likely to find yourself in the best position than someone telling you what to do,” says Miller. “Practice body weight squats and see what feels good. When you can reach parallel without anything crazy happening during a body weight squat, that is often a great start line.”

2. Keep your head up, not your chest up

Keeping your head up and directing your gaze directly in front of you’ll assist you to drive your movement upward throughout the ascent without compromising the burden distribution in your lower half. When you’re squatting in front of a mirror, avoid watching your body while performing the squat. Keep your eyes locked forward and have interaction your abs, back, and legs as you perform the squat.

Those with longer torsos and shorter femurs may find yourself in a mostly-upright squat position, but those with longer legs and shorter torsos can have to barely tilt their torso forward in an effort to keep the bar in its vertical path.

“It is a matter of your bone structure,” says Miller. “Different people must squat in another way.”

3. Imagine the barbell can only travel in a straight vertical path

Reasonably than contorting your posture to maintain your torso straight-up-and-down, imagine that the barbell can only travel in a vertical path that’s perpendicular to the ground. Adjust your foot width, angle, and torso as obligatory to remain balanced and to maintain the barbell on this vertical path.

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4. Push through the ground

Reasonably than specializing in your chest lifting up during your ascent, give attention to pushing through your feet, as for those who were attempting to push the bottom away from you. This can assist you to keep the stress focused in your quads, hamstrings, and glutes, relatively than your chest and back.

When you still struggle with weight displacement during your squats, consider asking an expert trainer or lifting coach to look at you as your perform your squat. Remember: Proper form can vary from individual to individual, and for those who’re feeling an excessive amount of pressure in your lower back, you might need to regulate your stance to redirect the burden load back onto your legs.