TRAIN TO GAIN
EXERCISE
OF THE
ISSUE
BARBELL SQUAT
If you think you know it all but don’t use this exercise, you
don’t know squats!
By Ariana Bel, ACE CPT
Do you know squats? If you equate the word squats
with nothing, you couldn’t be more wrong. Why?
There may not be a more significant move you’ll do
in the gym than the squat.
Squats are an incredibly functional movement used
in a myriad of situations and strengthening. They
can help you prevent injury and become more ef-
ficient. Because it affects so many different areas of
your body, it’s important that you maintain proper
form throughout the exercise. You’ll find many dif-
ferent variations of the squat. That includes the
sumo squat, goblet squat, bodyweight squat and
the one we’ll be highlighting this issue: The barbell
squat. When squatting, you’ll want to keep the fol-
lowing tips in mind.
Tip 1 – Your feet should be
shoulder-width apart. Keep
your shoulders straight
and face forward. The bar
should be on your back,
across your shoulders.
Don’t put it too high up
on your neck, as you’ll
risk injury.
Tip 2 – Keeping your head
up and looking forward,
bend at your knees, push-
ing your butt back. Make
sure your knees don’t go
too far over your toes,
but don’t try to force your
knees back because it’ll put
strain on your hips.
Tip 3 – Squat down until
your knees and hips are
parallel to the floor. Pause
when you reach the bot-
tom of the squat, then
push upwards through
your feet, engaging your
quads and glutes.
10 SEPTEMBER 2017 | ironmanmagazine.com
Tip 4 – Make sure you
keep your core engaged
throughout the movement
to prevent pelvic tilting
while you are moving. This
will help you prevent lower
back pain.
Tip 5 – Breathe. A lot of
people tend to hold their
breath when squatting
with heavy weights. Make
sure you breathe so that
you don’t put yourself at
risk of passing out.