How things have changed. Five years ago, all you ever read were articles on how to use your gear, how to use your bench shirt, squat suit, knee wraps, etc. Now people want articles on how to train without gear. Very strange. But since I’m a ***** to the masses, I’ve decided to give some of our readers exactly what they want. Since many articles that are on EliteFTS are based for powerlifting (and thus wearing a suit), I decided to take a look at raw squatting and how things should be altered.

...Now what I am about to say may go against what you have previously read or experienced, but I believe it to be true. Remember what I said about a squat suit helping a lifter to sit back into a squat? Most squat suits are designed for a lifter to sit back into a squat. Sitting back is still recommended, but you MUST squat down at some point. This will take advantage of your quads. So the first movement of your squat should always be back – your hips should shift to the rear much like the start of a good morning or a Romanian deadlift. Beginning a squat by breaking at the knees is a great way to injure yourself, develop some serious knee problems and limit the amount of weight that can be used. This is fine if you believe that a 225lbs squat is OK and you think tendonitis and other sordid maladies are signs of being a man.

Once you have reached about halfway, open up your hips (push your knees out or “open your groin”) and squat DOWN. This will ensure that your knees are still safely inline with your ankles or the midpoint of your foot while still maximizing the strength in your quads.

Once you’ve reached parallel or slightly below (I’m not even going to approach the subject of squat depth; that’s what forums are for), maintain the same knee alignment, and begin your ascent by thinking of two things: leading with your head and chest and driving your elbows forward. It should be like a violent explosion, but not so much that you fall out of the groove.

There are many powerlifters that still squat like this and some of the best examples are Ed Coan, Travis Mash and Brent Mikesell. All three of these guys are tremendous squatters and it would behoove you to check out any kind of video to see how these guys squat.

...I mentioned how a squat suit gives you the feeling of tightness. Anyone that has lifted weights for any period of time has heard the term, “Stay Tight!” Since you are sans gear, developing a very strong back and abs is crucial.

Notice that I did not say “low back”. When squatting raw, your entire back, from your traps to your low back are being taxed. Many times a properly worn/fitted suit will help you lock everything into a strong position. But since you don’t have that option, you have to make up for it. In order to maintain proper position (and prevent injury) your entire back must be strong.

...The main way a suit and/or briefs can help prevent injury is by keeping your hips healthy. Anyone that has used these can attest to this fact. The best way to keep your hips healthy is by altering your stance and my performing mobility work for your hips, dynamic stretching for your entire body and static stretching.

...To sum it all up here are some main points you need to look at:

# Don’t just sit back; sit back and down.
# Train your quads.
# Limit bands and chains, but don’t eliminate them.
# Make your torso as strong as a squat suit.
# Act, don’t react, to injuries.

Now go buy a squat suit.