Wide Stance Back Squat
The Back Squat is a variation of a bodyweight strength exercise that allows for adding extra weight onto the upper back and is one of the most important and most beneficial exercises in all of weightlifting. It dramatically stimulates the metabolism, increase growth hormone (which accelerates fat burning in the body), builds total body strength, requires total body flexibility, requires coordination and cooperation between almost every muscle in the entire body, and it moves the body through space in a natural functional motion.
There are two primary versions of the Back Squat: the Olympic Style (deep, narrow/medium width stance) and the Powerlfiting Style (wide stance). The more commonly used of the two is the Powerlifting Style because it does not require quite as much flexibility, however, it still requires a fairly high degree of flexibility. Most untrained individuals cannot just walk in from the street and perform a proper Powerlifting Style Back Squat. This is primarily due to a lack of inflexibility.
That being said, it has been my experience that nearly everyone can eventually master the Powerlifting Style Back Squat after working diligently on improving their flexibility, muscle coordination, and overall functional range of motion for their muscles. This takes time and patience BUT after the exercise is finally mastered, simply performing the exercise frequently in its full proper range of motion is typically enough to maintain the flexibility that has been obtained (assuming the individual continues regularly foam rolling and stretching regularly as well).
For those individuals who have already mastered the Powerlifting Style Back Squat, the next step in increased flexibility is the Olympic Style Back Squat. To master this version of the Back Squat, even more flexibility must be obtained. This process could take months or even longer and, quite honestly, some people's physical structure prevents the mastery of this level of flexibility from ever actually being obtained (such as a person with extremely long femur bones in the thigh combined with an extremely short torso). However, most people can eventually obtain the level of flexibility required to master the Olympic Style Back Squat if they are willing to put in the time and effort necessary to achieve it.
Now, for the exercise technique required for each of the versions of this excellent bodyweight strength based exercise that can build incredible levels of total body strength when performed and utilized properly...
Overall Back Squat Technique
To perform a Back Squat you will load a barbell with the desired weight at a height that is slightly below your shoulder level. You will step up to the rack, duck your head under the bar, center yourself under the bar to be sure that you are right in the middle of the barbell, put both hands on the bar to stabilize it, place your feet in a strong stance, and then steadily stand up under the bar to lift it off of the rack. After you have removed the barbell from the rack, step back far enough to give yourself sufficient space so that you do not bump the rack during the exercise.
Now that you are set, place your feet at about shoulder width (you may choose to stand wider for a Powerlifitng Style Squat), keep your chest up, keep your face looking straight ahead or slightly up, keep your upper and lower back arched, push your butt out slightly, and begin to squat down towards the ground. As you lower yourself down, there will eventually be a point at which you are unable to go any lower without rounding your lower back (you will be able to see this in a mirror easily from a side view because it will appear that your butt is "tucking under" your torso and no longer sticking out). It is critical that you do not go continue to go down when you reach that flexibility limit. You must maintain an arched or neutral spine at all times. DO NOT allow the spine to round at any point during the exercise.
For some untrained people, the back will not round at any point during the exercise and they will be able to squat all the way down completely in an Olympic Lifting Style Back Squat without any issue at all. These people are one in a million. The majority of people will only be able to squat down partially before the back begins to round. Basically, do not try to push your limit. Simply work within the flexibility limits your body currently gives you. With proper training, over time your flexibility will increase and your body will allow you to squat lower and lower without round your back. But do not force it. Be patient. The proper range of motion for a Back Squat is relative. Your current proper level may not be the same as someone else's proper level. This is not a one-size-fits-all kindof thing contrary to popular opinion. As your flexibility increases or decreases, your proper squat depth will increase or decrease as well. There are a couple schools of thought out there that try to apply the one-size-fits-all method to Back Squats and they both make the same mistake, but from opposite views:
Both of these simplistic approaches fail to take into account the individuality of people, their abilities, and their flexibility. A proper approach to Back Squats is that you should simply use your current flexible range of motion as your current Back Squat range of motion. When your flexibility increases, so does your safe range of motion for Back Squats. As this occurs, you may safely increase the range of motion you utilize when you perform Back Squats. Sounds very simple of course, but it does require observation of your own body and your own current abilities. Simply observe yourself carefully and work within your current capability...no more, no less.
Once you have reached the point (on the descent of your squat) at which your butt is about to tuck under your body and cause your back to round, push firmly your feet into the floor using the strength of your hips and thighs to push up and stand back up. Your core will also come strongly into play here and it is important that you keep it tight as you push yourself back up to the full upright standing position.
Now for the differences in the two primary types of Back Squats...
Wide Stance (Powerlifting Style) Back Squat
Deep (Olympic Lifting Style) Back Squat
Disclaimer - We do not recommend performing any exercise without the supervision of a highly qualified bodyweight strength professional present with you. This detailed exercise description is for informational purposes only. Consult your physician before attempting any strength training program or attempting this exercise or any of the other exercises on www.bodyweight-strength.com
There are two primary versions of the Back Squat: the Olympic Style (deep, narrow/medium width stance) and the Powerlfiting Style (wide stance). The more commonly used of the two is the Powerlifting Style because it does not require quite as much flexibility, however, it still requires a fairly high degree of flexibility. Most untrained individuals cannot just walk in from the street and perform a proper Powerlifting Style Back Squat. This is primarily due to a lack of inflexibility.
That being said, it has been my experience that nearly everyone can eventually master the Powerlifting Style Back Squat after working diligently on improving their flexibility, muscle coordination, and overall functional range of motion for their muscles. This takes time and patience BUT after the exercise is finally mastered, simply performing the exercise frequently in its full proper range of motion is typically enough to maintain the flexibility that has been obtained (assuming the individual continues regularly foam rolling and stretching regularly as well).
For those individuals who have already mastered the Powerlifting Style Back Squat, the next step in increased flexibility is the Olympic Style Back Squat. To master this version of the Back Squat, even more flexibility must be obtained. This process could take months or even longer and, quite honestly, some people's physical structure prevents the mastery of this level of flexibility from ever actually being obtained (such as a person with extremely long femur bones in the thigh combined with an extremely short torso). However, most people can eventually obtain the level of flexibility required to master the Olympic Style Back Squat if they are willing to put in the time and effort necessary to achieve it.
Now, for the exercise technique required for each of the versions of this excellent bodyweight strength based exercise that can build incredible levels of total body strength when performed and utilized properly...
Overall Back Squat Technique
To perform a Back Squat you will load a barbell with the desired weight at a height that is slightly below your shoulder level. You will step up to the rack, duck your head under the bar, center yourself under the bar to be sure that you are right in the middle of the barbell, put both hands on the bar to stabilize it, place your feet in a strong stance, and then steadily stand up under the bar to lift it off of the rack. After you have removed the barbell from the rack, step back far enough to give yourself sufficient space so that you do not bump the rack during the exercise.
Now that you are set, place your feet at about shoulder width (you may choose to stand wider for a Powerlifitng Style Squat), keep your chest up, keep your face looking straight ahead or slightly up, keep your upper and lower back arched, push your butt out slightly, and begin to squat down towards the ground. As you lower yourself down, there will eventually be a point at which you are unable to go any lower without rounding your lower back (you will be able to see this in a mirror easily from a side view because it will appear that your butt is "tucking under" your torso and no longer sticking out). It is critical that you do not go continue to go down when you reach that flexibility limit. You must maintain an arched or neutral spine at all times. DO NOT allow the spine to round at any point during the exercise.
For some untrained people, the back will not round at any point during the exercise and they will be able to squat all the way down completely in an Olympic Lifting Style Back Squat without any issue at all. These people are one in a million. The majority of people will only be able to squat down partially before the back begins to round. Basically, do not try to push your limit. Simply work within the flexibility limits your body currently gives you. With proper training, over time your flexibility will increase and your body will allow you to squat lower and lower without round your back. But do not force it. Be patient. The proper range of motion for a Back Squat is relative. Your current proper level may not be the same as someone else's proper level. This is not a one-size-fits-all kindof thing contrary to popular opinion. As your flexibility increases or decreases, your proper squat depth will increase or decrease as well. There are a couple schools of thought out there that try to apply the one-size-fits-all method to Back Squats and they both make the same mistake, but from opposite views:
- One of these approaches is that a perfect Back Squat would be defined as when someone squats all the way down and then comes all the way back up. Since that is a perfect Back Squat, everyone should go all the way down in the squat regardless of whether they are flexible enough to do so safely or not. (This is obviously not a safe approach and yet it is widely applied by many strength coaches and trainers).
- The other school of thought says that since most people cannot safely squat all the way down because of their current lack of flexibility, no one should squat all the way down.
Both of these simplistic approaches fail to take into account the individuality of people, their abilities, and their flexibility. A proper approach to Back Squats is that you should simply use your current flexible range of motion as your current Back Squat range of motion. When your flexibility increases, so does your safe range of motion for Back Squats. As this occurs, you may safely increase the range of motion you utilize when you perform Back Squats. Sounds very simple of course, but it does require observation of your own body and your own current abilities. Simply observe yourself carefully and work within your current capability...no more, no less.
Once you have reached the point (on the descent of your squat) at which your butt is about to tuck under your body and cause your back to round, push firmly your feet into the floor using the strength of your hips and thighs to push up and stand back up. Your core will also come strongly into play here and it is important that you keep it tight as you push yourself back up to the full upright standing position.
Now for the differences in the two primary types of Back Squats...
Wide Stance (Powerlifting Style) Back Squat
- The bar will often sit a little bit lower on the shoulders/upper back than on the Olympic version of the Back Squat.
- The torso will typically tilt forward more (but do not allow any rounding to occur in the back of course).
- The "bottom" of the exercise is when the top of the thighs are parallel with the floor (this is the rule in Powerlifting meets and is the reason that this is part of the definition of the Powerlifting Style Back Squat BUT, as stated earlier, never ever squat any lower that your current flexibility allows you to do safely).
- The stance chosen is often wider than shoulder width to increase strength (be aware however, that choosing a wider stance can cause the groin muscle (inner thighs) to gain significant quantity of muscle tissue and bulk up..some people do not want this aesthetically).
Deep (Olympic Lifting Style) Back Squat
- The bar typically sits high on the shoulders, much higher than on the Powerlifting version of the Back Squat.
- The torso will tend stay a little more upright than on the Powerlifting Style.
- The bottom of the exercise is well beyond the moment when the thighs are parallel with the floor (again, as stated above, never perform a Back Squat beyond the safe range of motion that is available from your current level of flexibility).
- The stance is typically a shoulder width stance with the toes pointed outwards so that the thighs goa outward at an angle as you squat down beyond "parallel" allowing your torso to fit between your thighs without bumping into your abdomen.
Disclaimer - We do not recommend performing any exercise without the supervision of a highly qualified bodyweight strength professional present with you. This detailed exercise description is for informational purposes only. Consult your physician before attempting any strength training program or attempting this exercise or any of the other exercises on www.bodyweight-strength.com