If you’re looking to stay up right in the squat, the following three exercises can potentially help clean that squat up. Regardless if you’re an Olympic Weightlifter, athlete, or fitness enthusiast, I believe a full range of motion and upright squat is an optimal position for executing the squat. With that said, this isn’t for everyone, those with mobility issues may need more of a torso lean, but if you have the requisite mobility I strongly believe the upright position is optimal for a strong & safe squat.
Upright Squats
I’m not quite sure what to call this exercise but this movement is great to help you fire the correct muscle pattern sequence and positioning to stay upright in the squat.
How to:
Stand up next to the squat rack, making sure the ‘J’ hooks are off, then have the partner press the bar against the rack as you squat down and up. The partner resistance will force you to stay upright and help you fire the correct muscle sequence for an upright squat.
As for weight selection, I’ve had guys warm up to 60k before but it’ll be dependent on the lifter, just be smart and not go too heavy. Mobility is also a key note that you need to be aware of, if you have bad mobility and have trouble getting down in the squat, this may NOT be the best exercise for you. The guys that I implement this for, generally can squat all the way down but have a hip kick out issue.
Low Cable Pulley Split Squat
This may not be as glamorous as hitting a heavy squat but I’ve found this auxiliary movement to be extremely beneficial for stability in the squat. The low cable pulley split squat help with uni-lateral strength and trunk stability via multifidi and the smaller stabilizing muscles of the back.
Give it a shot, I generally recommend to do higher reps with a controlled tempo, anywhere from 3-5 sets of 8-15 reps with a 2:0:2 tempo. Keep in mind that this is a movement focused on positioning and tempo vs. lifting as heavy as possible. I wrote more about the low cable pulley split squat HERE.
Tempo Stop Squats
Part of the reason lifters can’t stay upright is weakness through a specific joint angle. Strengthening the muscle groups through auxiliary exercises such as the Low Cable Pulley Split Squat, isometric sit ups, isometric back extension etc… can help but just squatting (specificity) can help too!
This is where the Temp Stop Squats come into play. To do so you’ll choose a light weight (50-70%) and lower it down with a slow tempo (3-5sec), pause in the bottom (3-5sec), and then squat back up (you can add a tempo, but I rarely do this).
This method will allow you to focus on positioning, as long as the weight is light enough, and strengthen the correct muscles to maintain that upright posture. Keep in mind that we are focused on QUALITY reps here, grinding it through isn’t the objective, the objective is to stay upright and strengthen the correct muscle groups to obtain this goal…so stay on point! With that said, the reps scheme can be anywhere from 1-5 reps, it’ll be dependent on the athlete/lifter and how they look throughout the sets.
Stay strong,
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