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Squat Training Articles

Articles Tagged with Squat Training
Four Weeks to a Squat PR: Week 4

Four Weeks to a Squat PR: Week 4

A coach's training methods must account for the dynamic nature of sports practice, sports competitions, and daily life. As a coach, if you want your athletes to be as successful as possible, you must be able to design a training plan that meets the athletes where they are currently, not where some pre-written plan expects them to be.  

Thu Dec 14, 2023
Four Weeks to a Squat PR: Week 2

Four Weeks to a Squat PR: Week 2

It is now the second week of our four-week squat PR plan. Last week, we performed a 2" mat deadlift, working up to a top-set single. We selected this exercise for two reasons. First, we typically want to perform a deadlift variation once every four weeks. However, with a max effort squat attempt scheduled, we want to ensure we arrive at that day with as little accrued fatigue as possible. 

Mon Nov 27, 2023
Four Weeks to a Squat PR: Week 1

Four Weeks to a Squat PR: Week 1

Successful Conjugate Method training depends on proper recovery management. Our methods require athletes to perform exercises at specific levels of volume and intensity with specific training intent. Maintaining an optimal balance of training volume, intensity, and recovery time is crucial to ensure this is possible. 

Wed Nov 15, 2023
The Anderson Squat

The Anderson Squat

The Anderson squat is a variation created by the late great Paul Anderson, a world-renowned Olympic weightlifter and strongman. Paul was an Olympic gold medal winner and is known as possibly the strongest man ever to walk the earth. The Anderson squat was one of his preferred ways to develop lower body strength. 

Sun Sep 17, 2023
How to Squat Correctly

How to Squat Correctly

Finding the form and technique that works best for you is integral to your success in the gym. You do not want to waste time using techniques that are either ineffective, place you at a disadvantage, or increase the risk of injury. Don’t fall victim to one-size-fits-all approaches to barbell training form and technique. Do the work, develop your style, and reap the benefits of optimal squat training. 

Sun Aug 20, 2023
The Low Bar Squat

The Low Bar Squat

As the name suggests, the low bar squat is performed by carrying the bar lower on the back. This bar positioning allows the weight to sit lower on the torso, providing an athlete with improved balance in the squat due to the weight being carried closer to the trunk. Improved balance means increased levels of force production.

Sat Jul 15, 2023
Troubleshooting Dynamic Effort Squat Training

Troubleshooting Dynamic Effort Squat Training

Dynamic effort training must be performed for an athlete to reap the maximum rewards of max effort training. Max-effort training improves absolute strength, which is the maximum amount of force an athlete can produce. Dynamic effort training improves the rate of force development, which is the amount of time it takes to produce that force. When you effectively combine the two, you have an extremely strong and explosive athlete.

Thu Jan 26, 2023
Differences in High Bar vs. Low Bar Squats

Differences in High Bar vs. Low Bar Squats

If you observe the different strength sports, you will notice that athletes typically prefer one type of bar position in each discipline of lifting. For instance, in sports like Olympic weightlifting and CrossFit, most athletes prefer to carry the squat bar in the high bar position. However, most athletes carry a mid to low bar position in sports like powerlifting or strongman.

Fri Dec 16, 2022
Exercise Progression: The Barbell Squat

Exercise Progression: The Barbell Squat

The law of accommodation states that if an athlete wants to continue progressing in their training, the stimulus must change regularly. Athletes can achieve this in a few ways; by increasing the intensity and volume or by creating an exercise variation. It’s a simple concept and the most important law of training.

Tue Sep 13, 2022
Max Effort Deadlift: Proper Exercise Selection and Organization for Consistent Gains

Max Effort Deadlift: Proper Exercise Selection and Organization for Consistent Gains

No matter the athlete, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to strength training. As a coach, it is vital to have the ability to manipulate the exercise selection and programming to allow an athlete to make consistent gains in strength and power without worrying about gains becoming slow or stagnant.

Mon Jun 27, 2022
Understanding the Anderson Squat

Understanding the Anderson Squat

Like the box squat, Anderson squatting will positively impact your rate of force development. Additionally, by eliminating the stretch-shortening cycle and emphasizing the concentric phase, this exercise will greatly improve absolute strength. 

Mon Jun 20, 2022
Dynamic Effort: Building Your First DE Lower Wave

Dynamic Effort: Building Your First DE Lower Wave

At Westside, we refer to our dynamic effort squat and deadlift training as DE lower day. A typical DE lower training day will include squats and deadlifts, with squats being the primary focus and deadlifts being performed as the main accessory exercise.

Wed Jun 15, 2022