You Asked

Brad Morris Sports Scientist, Strength and Conditioning Coach and PhD candidate

“I’m strong and a fairly experienced lifter, but moving significant weight when I squat is still a challenge. How can I improve my technique to start hitting big numbers?”

Stability starts with your feet: Maintaining the weight of the squat across your entire foot will help make you more stable. If at any time you feel as though the weight is forward and in your toes, it’s a sign you’re not stable and could be overloading your lower spine. Focus on pushing through your midfoot and heel to enhance your strength.

Keep your knees tracking in the same direction as your toes: This is important for stability and maintaining healthy knees. Ensure your knees do not sway inwards (knee valgus) or outwards

(knee vargus) – by staying aligned you can safely control more weight and get stronger, faster.

Sit into it: Try bending at your hips and knees simultaneously at the beginning of your squat; as you bend at the hips, send your hips backwards – as if you’re going to sit onto a chair, but keeping your torso mostly upright.

Think about how you finish: Once you’re at the bottom of the squat and ready to move the weight upwards, think about simultaneously pushing the floor away and the bar up.