If you read my previous article on the deadlift you’ll see that I referred to the deadlift as 'the king of the strength exercises'. Well that might very well be the case but, if the deadlift is the king, the squat has to be referred to as, well…..God!

Squatting is the best way to gain all round strength with a focus on the lower body and specifically the hips, quadriceps, hamstrings, erector spinae and glutes.

Which type of squat?

There are many variations of squatting, too many for this article in fact. However, the most popular and effective types for combat athletes in my view are front squats, back squats, split squats, zercher squats and single leg squats. All of these variations will be examined in this here.

One leg or two?

You’ll notice that in the list above there are three types of standard bilateral squat (two feet on the ground), one pure unilateral squat (one foot on the ground) and a split stance squat, which is generally classed as a single leg variation.

In general bilateral squats -- such as back or front squats -- are effective in building maximal strength as heavy loads can be used which stress the system sufficiently for max strength to be developed.

Unilateral squats are very important as in sports there is rarely a time when we have two feet on the ground that are required to produce force in a uniform manner, therefore we need to train to produce force through one leg in a functional way in order to transfer effectively to the sporting arena. Split squats are another great variation that develop strength in a specific position that we often find ourselves in during combat situations, including takedown attempts and striking, therefore they have to be included in our programmes.

Front squats are generally the variation I like to use with beginners as they help to train the athlete to keep their chest and torso erect which places the stress on the lower body more so than the legs.

Leg strength and power is the main goal of the lift from an athletic performance standpoint and not simply building a massive squat, therefore front squats are a better choice initially than back squats in my opinion. Remember that you are trying to get better at your combat sport and not become a weightlifter or power lifter!

The Front Squat

Setting up the bar and rack

Firstly set up the bar slightly lower than your shoulder height with spot stands set just below the bottom position for the squat (Photo 1).

(Photo 1 - the bar level)

You should always approach the bar from the front and step backwards away from the rack. It is much easier to rack a heavy bar when you are moving forwards and can see where the bar needs to go. If you approach the bar back first you then need to reverse into the rack which is not easy when you have a large weight on your back.

In terms of spotters, it’s best if you have a partner that can support you by pushing the bar when you need that little bit of help (Photo 2) or from underneath your arms if you need more help.

(Photo 2 - assisting the front squat)

If you don’t have a partner, make sure you set up the spot stands so that you don’t need to drop the bar more than an inch or so from the bottom position, which is where you will be at your weakest and have a greater likelihood of failing the lift.

The fine details:

The squat is very different to the deadlift in that it is not completed from a static start. The squat can be divided into two phases, namely the descent or eccentric, yielding phase and the ascent or concentric, overcoming phase. However, before we even get to that it is important to focus on the health and safety aspects of the lift as well as the start position.

Let’s now look at the specifics of the front squat in more detail.

Start position:

- Approach the bar and position your shoulders underneath the bar.

- You have a choice of two grips for the front squat, the cross grip or the clean grip. (Photo 3 & 4)

(Photo 3 - the cross grip)

(Photo 4 - the clean grip)

Ideally you want to use the clean grip as it relates to the power clean very well and this is a prerequisite for developing competency before you start training in Olympic lifting.

If you suffer from painful wrists or have had injuries in the past in this area I would recommend using the cross grip.

- The weight of the bar goes across your shoulders not in your hands or fingers.

- Your feet should be slightly wider than your hips and pointed out in the 5 to 1 or 10 to 2 position. (Photo 5)

(Photo 5 - the front squat foot position)

- You then need to push your chest out, push your elbows up and take a deep breath before you start your descent.

The descent:

- Take a deep breath, push your hips back and bend at the knees. (Photo 6)

(Photo 6 - starting the descent)

- Lower your body into a deep squat position as shown in the photo. (Photo 7)


(Photo 7 - the squat depth)

- You should be pushing your hands up and keeping your chest out all the way through the movement.

- You should feel in control of the bar and not the other way round. You should be able to push back against the bar at any time.

The ascent:

- From the bottom position you should drive back up through your heels.

- Push your chest out and do not lean forward.

- Try to spread the floor with your toes as you push back up - this helps to recruit the glutes.

- You should try to drive back up as fast as you can at all times.

- Finish the lift by driving your hips through at the top position.

How deep should you go?

This is a bone of contention amongst strength and conditioning professionals. My view is that you need to go as deep as you can whilst still maintaining a neutral back alignment.

It is well documented that lumbar spine flexion is positively correlated with back pain and this is something that we certainly want to avoid in our training. Using a box is something that I do as a cue with my athletes and in my own training. The box acts as a cue to explode back up to the start position.

Control the bar down, explode back up.

Photo 8 shows the correct range for me at the current time.

(Photo 8 - neutral back alignment) 

Photo 9 shows how this neutral spine is lost when I go too low. Look out for this in your athletes.

(Photo 9 - neutral back alignment lost)

The Back Squat:

The back squat is one of the key movements in the programmes of pretty much every S&C coach worldwide. It is proven for developing high levels of maximal strength and explosive power. It’s a good option to employ once you have built some strength through the front squat.

The key points are pretty much the same as the front squat except for a different start position.

- The bar should be positioned on your upper traps for a knee dominant squat (Photo 10). You can roll the bar down somewhat for a more low back and hip dominant squat that you see from powerlifters (Photo 11). However, for combat athletes the upper trap position is preferable.

(Photo 10 - upper trap bar position)

(Photo 11 - lower bar position)

- Pull the bar into your body before you start. This has the effect of tightening up your core and activating all your key muscles in the upper body to support the lift.

- The rest of the lift is the same. However, you need to make an extra effort to keep your chest out as your body will naturally lean further forward during the descent. This is shown in Photo 12.

(Photo 12 - leaning forward with the squat)

Zercher Squats:

Zercher squats are a good option for combat athletes as they place the load in a more specific position for MMA and grappling, whilst still allowing for heavy loads to be experienced. They also tend to be a slightly more hip dominant movement, as the hip will be slightly more flexed for most people at the bottom position, thus requiring a strong hip drive to complete the movement.

In terms of the set up it is pretty similar to front and back squats. You should be starting to get the picture by now; a squat works in pretty much the same way regardless of which variation you choose to go with.

- Your bar needs to be set at just below the level of your elbows from a standing position.

- Approach the bar in the same way you would with the other squats.

- Rest the bar between your elbows and clasp your hands together then stand up keeping the tension through your body as in Photo 13.

(Photo 13 - the Zercher squat)

- Take a step back from the rack and execute your squat in the same way as the other squats.

- Push your hips back and keep your chest out. Photos 14 & 15.

(Photo 14 - Zercher squat descent)

(Photo 15 - Zercher squat position)

- The zercher grip will pull you further forward so the goal in this variation is to keep your torso as vertical as you can at all times.

That concludes Part I of 'The Squat Solution'. In part two, Brendan will look at the single leg variations and a beginner's squat programme. Until then, put into practice this knowledge and lift safely.

Brendan Chaplin on Twitter
www.brendanchaplin.com