Starting Strength

Likewise, it is common to see the hips shift backwards instead of straight up out of the bottom. When this happens, the back angle will have become more horizontal, the hip angle more closed, and the knee angle more open, all in the absence of upward movement of the bar. This means that the hamstrings have not done their job of anchoring the back a

The key to learning the correct position for the lower back is to assume a position that is correct, and then memorize the way it feels so that you can reproduce it every time. The best way to do this is to lie down on your belly on the floor, put your hands behind your head, lift your elbows, and raise your chest up off of the floor. This is how i

A common error is the tendency for some lifters to drive the hips forward instead of upward (Figure 2-41). If your hips go forward, your knees will too, causing the weight to shift forward to the toes. This shift is bad for power because anytime the knee angle closes, the hamstrings have shortened from the distal end, and a slack muscle is not a so

This means that for the front squat, the back angle will be nearly vertical, the hip angle will be open, and the knee angle will be closed. For the back squat, when the bar is in the position advocated here, just below the spine of the scapula, the back will be at a much more horizontal angle, and the knees will be at a point just in front of the t

The correct bottom position is identified by definite anatomical position markers: The spine will be held rigid in lumbar and thoracic extension. The bar will be directly over the middle of the foot. The feet will be flat on the ground at the correct angle for the stance width. The thighs will be parallel to the feet. The hip joint will be in a pos

the top of the patella.

Remember that the back angle will not be vertical at all; sit back, lean forward, and shove your knees out.

PUT THE BAR BACK IN THE RACK BY STEPPING BACKWARDS. NEVER.

Place the bar in the correct position, just immediately under the bone you feel at the top of the shoulder blades – the spine of the scapula – and then secure it in place by lifting your elbows and chest at the same time (Figure 2-20). It should feel as though the bar is resting on a “shelf” under the traps and on top of the posterior deltoids.