Let me tell you a secret.
Four weeks ago, I couldn’t squat to parallel. It was impossible. If I did, my lower back would start to flex, take over the load, and be painful. This is bad news. Luckily, those days are over for me, and I have Dan John to thank.
Lower back flexed vs Neutral Spine
So what did I do?
It may seem just too logical to be true, but I started squatting every day. Loaded (with a neutral spine), unloaded, front squats, goblet squats, and bootstrapper squats…I did them all (and still do). Some people may think it’s ridiculous to squat every single day. The people who say this must stand up when they take a number 2. It’s the only logical explanation I can think of.
Here’s what I started doing:
- I have a kettlebell on the floor in my room. Every time I walk past it, I pick it up and do a couple of goblet squats (videos of everything are below). Sometimes I just sit deep in the squat, other times I do a few quick reps. Nothing fancy, but I’m still afraid of ripping my jeans.
- During my warmup, I started adding a set of: bootstrapper squats, hip hinges, Cossacks, and quadruped rocks. If you do the quadruped rocks in front of a mirror, you can visually see yourself getting better at getting deeper in that “squatting hole”.
- I revamped my diaphragmatic breathing, and I always make sure that I have a full breath of air in my stomach whenever I lift anything.
Four weeks later, I’m hitting squats to parallel (barefoot). Anyone who’s ever squatted barefoot knows that it is much tougher than in shoes with a raised heal.
If your squat form has much to be desired, try out what I suggested above. It’s fun. It’s easy. And it’s SUPER rewarding. Let me know how it goes!
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