Posted by Andy Petranek : Monday, Mar 01, 2010

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Are you "squish at the bottom" of your squat? You know... You accelerate as you move down toward the floor and when you reverse direction, your chest and upper torso keep moving down while your legs, butt and hips stop and start moving up, causing your former "good squat position" to disintegrate. Or, your body looks like a piece of wet spaghetti as you go down in the squat and it's simply a miracle that you don't get smushed by the bar and weight as it tries to continue it's gravitational momentum down as you're trying to change direction and stand back up?

If this sounds like you, remember, a strong squat begins with your breath. It's your "12th man"... the thing that is responsible for maintaining tension in your torso, helping you to transfer the weight from the bar down into your legs, and transfer the force production from your legs back up into your shoulders. When you squat, you should NOT be breathing. Inhale, hold your breath, tighten your gut as if you were about to receive a punch. Then squat. Only release your breath after you're finished ascending.

By the way, if you don't believe me that you shouldn't breathe when squatting (or moving any appreciable weight for that matter), try to get your car/truck/suv rolling by pushing it - hard. Try it twice - once while holding your breath and once while exhaling. What do you find?


Lulu's CrossFitting at CFLA

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Today's Workout

4 rounds for time of:
800m Run
8 Clean & Jerks (135/95)