Press Your Way to a Squat PR!
Written by Hunter Britt
This tip is to address one fault, but to help two types of people. If you are someone who misses their back squat because your back rounds or if you are someone who determines the success of your squat you just unracked by how heavy it feels walking it out then this is for you.
Get tighter!
Often we focus on the lower body or core to make a good squat. Of course that is important and maybe more important than what I am saying now, but ignoring the upper back is holding you from that next PR.
Here is what to do:
- Set up under the bar for your back squats.
- Often the closer your mobility allows your hands to get, the tighter you can feel so work on inching them in towards your body.
- Under tension, rotate your elbows to be nearly directly under the bar.
- Press up! The bar really shouldn’t move from your shoulders since you are trying to press your squatting weight. This is just how to gain tension for a tighter upper back during the squat.
- Keep that tension then squat!
Follow these steps to focus on squeezing those upper back muscles and create a stronger shelf. This should make you feel more solid walking the bar out of the rack which means more confidence going into the rep. And, it should keep you tighter as you start to grind that heavy squat when you stand up.
Get tight and hit some PRs!
