One of the new members at Strength Sports Gym was squatting today, as you do. He wasn't gripping the bar very effectively (he had it in his fingers rather than his palms) and his elbows were staying completely vertical through the full range of motion, rather than remaining in line with the body. This contributed to a general lack of tightness through the upper body, and lack of tightness makes it harder to transfer force from the legs to the bar, while also increasing the potential risk of injury.
The coach gave him the following instruction:
- Get the bar in the plams when you set up and keep it there as you pull yourself under the bar before unracking.
Without wanting to steal the coach's thunder, I mentioned to the coach a cue I use, which is to do a pull up with the bar when squatting (ie use your lats and arms to squeeze your elbows into your side and the bar into your back, all while keeping your chest up). The coach forwarded this cue right away to the new member, along with a second cue to try touching his elbows together behind his back.
Some combination of these cues and instructions worked, and the next couple sets were some beautiful, tight squats.
Different cues work for different people, but if you're having trouble keeping your back tight while squatting, give these a try and see how they effect your technique and your workout.
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