back squat | front squat | overhead squat

Don’t believe the heathens who tell you that the leg press is a substitute for the squat. The leg press is but a pale and petty imitation. Not only does the squat demand (and teach) strength, but also balance, coordination, endurance, and power.

The simple act of standing up under a weight is intensely demanding for your whole body. After a set of squats, even light squats, you may feel dizzy, nauseated, temporarily deaf, light-headed, or simply a powerful need to sit down. This is normal, and means that you are challenging your body in a way that few other exercises can. This effect should diminish over time. Beginners often find squats very demanding until they are well conditioned. Be patient and persistent.

If you ever want to see a real pro squat, watch a toddler. If they find something on the floor that they want, they just squat right down with perfect form to get at it. As we get older and do more sitting instead of squatting (at least in North America), we forget this very natural movement.

The majority of people in the gym do not squat, and if they do they do not do it well; they commonly cut the rep short in order to handle more weight. You must laugh at them, because they will be doomed to weak stick legs forever. You must, however, learn humility at the squat cage. Good form and good depth are more important than heavy weight.

Next time you see someone loading up the bar to squat, watch how far down they go. Most often they will do nothing more than a gentle curtsey. But you, girlfriend, are going to learn to squat right, and that means as low as you can go.

There is a lot of folk wisdom about squats being bad for your knees, back, blah blah blah. In fact, done properly, squats can actually help your knees and back become stronger and better. I have much more on the wonders of the squat in my Learning the Squat series, as well as a handy guide to self-instruction.

Alright, enough chat. More squatting!

DORK: BACK SQUAT

To the right is my pathetic attempt at a bad back squat (in general, when people say “squat” they mean “back squat”). It’s quite lacking in atrocity: you notice I am not even rounding my upper back.

At any rate, in this photo are some common mistakes in form:

• hips coming up first, before the chest/torso so that the load is transfered on to the lower back
• heels are coming off the floor
• knees are caving inward (towards one another)
• I am leaning too far forward so that my weight is on the balls of my feet

As a good morning, this wouldn’t be too bad, but as a squat, it sucks. These mistakes put a great deal of stress on to your lower back and knees. They also mean that I am off balance and could easily tip forward. I’ve seen this happen, though thankfully not to me. When you tip forward in a power cage, metal meets metal with a loud clang. Everyone turns to look. It’s just dang embarrassing. So why not avoid it altogether?

DIVA: BACK SQUAT

To execute a good squat, your initial position should be standing with the bar across your traps (upper back), not your neck. If the bar hurts, there’s a good chance it’s sitting too high. To get an idea of where the bar should sit, bend your neck forward and feel along the back of it. Notice there are a couple of prominent bony bumps at the base of your neck, where your neck meets your upper back. The bar should sit below these by at least an inch or so.

Feet are about shoulder width in this picture series. You can go wider or narrower, as you prefer. The wider the squat stance, the more your toes are likely to point out. This is fine, as long as your knees follow your toes (i.e. if toes point out, knees should also point out, not forward or inward). Experiment to find what’s most comfortable. By the way, the army boots are optional!

Take a nice deep breath, pushing your chest up and out. This puts your back in the correct position. It also helps form what I call the “meat shelf” of your traps, where the bar sits. Note that shoulders are back, and there is a gentle curve in your lower back (aka the lumbar arch). Try to keep this back position throughout the movement. I don’t mean trying to keep your upper body straight up and down, as people commonly think. The upper body should lean forward as you descend, in order to compensate for the hips moving back. A forward lean is fine, as long as it’s from the hips, not the waist. Once you are in position, begin your descent. Through the descent, retain the lumbar arch. Hips sit back and down, just like sitting down into a chair that’s not there.

The picture on the left is the bottom of a full back squat. Ideally you should aim to go as far below parallel as you can. By parallel I mean the position in which the top of the thigh is parallel to the ground. People tend to think that they are going to parallel, when in reality they are actually bottoming out much higher. To eliminate this confusion, I just stop when my hamstrings hit my calves. Notice that my lower back is slightly arched, my heels are on the floor, and I am looking forward (this helps to keep back straight). Many beginners have difficulty making the proper depth. A wider stance is sometimes a solution. I discuss other remedies in my Learning the Squat series.

People often ask about where their knees should be in this movement. It has been suggested that the knees should not drift out beyond the toes. This is very hard to do with certain kinds of squat stances. As the forward tilt of the shin increases, so does pressure on the knee joint, but most folks can handle it. Olympic lifters have quite an acute forward lean, relative to powerlifters, and they demonstrate no increased evidence of knee damage. If it bothers your knees, experiment with a wider stance. For most folks with healthy knees, it’s not a problem. Even for folks with crunchy knees, like me, it’s not a problem. Front squats are also a good alternative.

This picture does not show the safety bars, but you should set up the horizontal safety bars in your squat cage so that if you fail at the bottom, you can just set the bar down on the pins.
As I come up in the picture on the right, I keep my lower back slightly arched. My hips stay low to make sure the drive is coming from the glutes and hamstrings, rather than the back. A common mistake is to allow the hips to pop up too early in the ascent. I’m still looking forward and my knees do not bow inward.

At the top of the squat, do not lock your knees but keep them slightly bent. Re-set your starting position if needed.

There are many variations on this basic theme. One of my favourites, which hits the quadriceps (front of thigh) as well as the middle back a bit more, is the front squat. The bar is held in front instead of across the upper back. This takes a bit more balance, but once you get the hang of it, it’s great.

DIVA: FRONT SQUAT

OK, I’m not showing this one in a power cage, obviously, but it’s probably the best place to do the front squat. Put the bar across the pins in the power cage or rack, so that it’s approximately at the level of your collarbone or a bit lower. Step under the bar so that it is sitting about the base of your neck. Bring your elbows up in front of you as high as you can. I mean really high, so that your upper arms are parallel to the floor. There should now be a sort of groove formed between your shoulders and collarbone. It’s your elbows up high that’s holding the bar there, not your hands, so you don’t have to grip it hard. To get the idea of how this works, try this: stand holding your arms out straight in front of you like a B-movie zombie. Have someone place a broomstick across them, at the level of your shoulders. Notice how you can hold the broomstick in place without using your hands. That’s the concept behind the front squat rack position.

To do the clean grip, start with the zombie arms-out position, palms down. Fold your hands back toward your face and grab the bar. Palms face up. This is known as a clean grip, because this is the position that the bar rests at in the top part of the Olympic lift called the clean. The clean grip is good for people with flexible wrists and shoulders. You may also find that the bar feels more balanced with the clean grip. I began using the crossed-wrist grip, where the bar is held with palms down and wrists crossed, but moved to the clean grip and found it much more comfortable. Experiment to find the grip that is most appropriate for you. Small adjustments in the width of your hand placement will also help.

Step back and bring the bar off the pins. For a beginner, this will feel really off balance, but that’s OK. Keep your back straight. It can lean forward slightly, but will remain more upright than in a back squat. Remember to look forward as you descend into a squat. If you look down with this one, you’re sunk for sure, as floor will meet face. I recommend learning this move with a broomstick or something, just so you get the idea where the bar should rest. Many people find that they can go deeper in the front squat than in the regular squat, and/or that the front squat helps them develop the skill, flexibility, and balance to go deeper in the regular squat. In terms of weight, your front squat will usually be around 80% of your regular squat.

DIVA: OVERHEAD SQUAT

This is a fun exercise, but I don’t recommend trying it until you’ve mistressed the squat. You’ll need every ounce of balance you own. However, this exercise is great for challenging hip flexibility and strength, upper body strength, and torso stability. Start light. I mean real light. Don’t try it with the 45 lb. bar. Just trust me on this one. I, I mean a friend of mine, wiped out on her first attempt at the overhead squat because she tried it with the full-sized bar. Luckily my friend was in the power cage so no real harm was done, just a big embarrassing clang. A broomstick is a better way to begin. Then try with a light bar such as an E-Z curl bar or a light preloaded barbell.

The key to success in this exercise is holding the bar slightly behind, not directly above, your head. Think about stretching the bar outward as you hold it, like a piece of taffy. Your hands won’t actually move, of course (I hope), but trying to stretch the bar outward will keep the tension in your upper body and provide a solid foundation for the bar.

Again, this should be done in the power cage if possible. Raise your arms overhead and note how high your hands reach on the cage. Set the bar on the pins just under this point, at about the level of mid-forearm or wrist. Set the safety bars at about the level of the base of your ribcage. Approach the bar and grab it with an overhand snatch grip. A snatch grip is a very wide grip. Your shoulder flexibility and individual body mechanics will determine exactly what feels most comfortable. Take the bar off the pins and step back. Get it into position overhead, and remember, slightly behind your head. Stretch the bar taut and keep it tight. Note also that the back must have a bit of an arch.

Descend into a squat as normal. You may find that the overhead squat stance is somewhat wider, with more toe turn-out, than your regular squat stance. The rest of this movement is pretty much like a regular squat. The difference, obviously, is the position of the weight, which demands much greater attention to balance and form.

Really focus while you’re doing this movement. Unlike many other movements, the slightest lapse in concentration can result in a wipeout. It’s a great exercise, but you have to pay attention and concentrate hard while you’re doing it.

Oh yeah, and this exercise isn’t often done except in Olympic weightlifting gyms, so expect people to give you “What the hell?” looks as they continue with their sets of one thousand leg lifts.

DORK

One of the biggest mistakes people make is doing the shoulder press behind the neck, as shown in the left hand picture. Great start for a squat, not so great for a shoulder press. While many people have been able to do the press this way without problems, many other people have experienced shoulder trauma (ranging from mild to severe) from behind the neck presses.

The problem in this case stems from the requirement of your shoulder to exert the most force (in order to stop and reverse the weight’s downward motion) when it is at the most awkward and biomechanically disadvantaged point of the movement. That position is abducted (upper arm held away from body) and externally rotated (upper arm rotated backwards).

The other common error is hyperextending (over-arching) the back, as shown in the picture on the right. Even just posing for the picture in this position made my back yell, “Noooo!”

DIVA

So, the better way to do this exercise is to begin in front of the neck, as in the starting picture on the left. It’s good to do this in a squat cage so that you can set the bar down on the pins when you’re finished or if you fail (or, learn how to hang clean the bar up to the starting position). Tuck your pelvis under slightly, and tighten your abs. Don’t suck your tummy in, just tighten the midsection as if you knew someone was about to punch you in the gut. Bend your knees just a tiny bit. Use a grip just wider than shoulder width. Look forward.

The middle picture shows the bar in its position halfway through. As the bar moves above this middle position, it becomes less of a shoulder and more of a triceps exercise. If you’re looking for a challenging triceps exercise, I suggest standing presses with a narrow grip and only performing the top half of the movement. At the top of the press, do not lock your elbows out, but keep them slightly bent. Also, if you find that your presses are getting stuck in this position frequently, try adding some additional triceps work to your routine and see if that helps.

The right hand picture shows the top position. Remember to keep the midsection tight and the pelvis tucked under just the littlest bit. Avoid locking and hyperextending the elbows.

For some extra abdominal and shoulder stabilization work at the end of the set, try holding that bar up there for a few extra seconds or even longer. Easy at first… not so easy after 30 seconds or so.

variation #1: push press

You can also perform the basic standing shoulder press movement as a push press, which means that at the bottom you give the bar a little push with your legs to get it going. This makes it a more dynamic movement and you can use more weight than you would for a regular shoulder press, if you want. It’s a great sports-specific movement for athletes who need to press upwards while jumping: cheerleaders, basketball and volleyball players, etc.

Start the movement standing, as with a regular shoulder press. Squat down about 1/4 of the way, using your good squat form, as shown in the picture to the right. Then quickly reverse the movement and explode upwards, pushing through your heels and using that upwards force to start the bar’s ascent. After arms are fully extended, lower the bar under control to the starting position before squatting down again.

This movement should be smooth, so it’ll take a little practice to get the timing right. Don’t squat then press; aim to make it a coordinated motion that takes advantage of the boost provided by the lower body. The bar should almost “lift off” on its own. One word of caution: keep your chin out of the way! With a good upwards drive you can really smash yourself nicely in the jaw. Even with diva form, it’s hard to look cool when you’re lying on the gym floor under a bar, with half your tongue missing.

variation #2: dumbbell press on swiss ball

Here are two variations in one. The first variation is using dumbbells. Remember, nearly anything you can do with a bar, you can also do with dumbbells. The second part of the variation is doing the exercise seated on a swiss ball. If you can’t do the standing press, this is a good option because unlike a bench, the ball allows your hips to shift a little to accommodate the movement. One big advantage of using dumbbells instead of a bar is that your forearms can naturally rotate to whatever position is most comfortable for you. As you can see, for me that’s facing slightly inwards.

variation #3: lying side press

Here is an option for a person recovering from a shoulder injury. Because the upper arm (humerus) is not raised over 90 degrees to the upper body (as it would be in an overhead press), people with shoulder problems can often do this lift painlessly. The only bummer is that you can’t use as much weight with this exercise as you can with a regular overhead press, as you can tell from the wuss weight I’m holding (in the name of method acting, I’d just hurt my own shoulder by being an idiot about the bench press before taking the photo… another way I go the extra mile for you site readers).

But hey, it’s something to do while your shoulder gets better. I found that the lying side press was one of the few pressing exercises that didn’t bother the joint. This one can be done lying on a bench or the floor. It’s a bit tippy, so you might consider the floor. I’ve only fallen off the floor a couple of times and both those times involved margaritas.

To begin the lift, lie on one side holding a dumbbell in the upper hand, as shown. Do whatever you like with the other hand – I like to support my head for this. Drop the elbow behind the ribcage as well as you can. This is your start position.

Press the weight straight up to the ceiling, as shown in the second pic. This will be wobbly, which is why you have to use less weight. Hold the weight at the top for a second, then slowly lower to the starting position. Be sure to monitor the dumbbell’s path carefully on the ascent and descent. It comes down faster than you think, and your head is basically just a watermelon with a target on it as far as that dumbbell is concerned. Remember the law of gravity and keep the weight under control at all times. Start light and work your way up.

DORK

Here we have the classic dumbbell row screwup.

People try to haul the weight up by throwing their obliques (side abdominals) into the movement, and twisting as they come up.

Note also the rounded back. Sure, you can pull a lot of weight this way, but as in most cases where the weight is yanked too quickly, it’s incorrect and you don’t correctly target what you want.

Many folks also focus on trying to bring the hand up to the armpit or ribcage. They clutch the dumbbell with a death grip.

DIVA

The pic on the left shows the starting position for a dumbbell row. The lower back is slightly arched, the head is up and looking forward (you needn’t strain your neck here; you can look down in front of you, if you like), and the shoulders are not allowed to hunch forward. If you don’t feel like the entire gym is staring at your ass, you’re probably doing this one wrong. You can also straddle the bench and put one hand on it, instead of a hand and a knee. As the dumbbell comes up, think about pulling your elbow towards the hip, rather than pulling your hand towards the ribcage.

Don’t pull with your arm (I know that sounds like an odd instruction); rather, think of your arm as dead weight that must be pulled up by squeezing your shoulder blades together. Relax the hand and forearm, and retain only enough tension in them to hold the weight. Think about pulling your shoulder blade back and your elbow up. Elbows stay close to the body through the movement. Above all, don’t allow yourself to twist to force the weight up. For back exercises in particular, it’s better to go with a lower weight that can be moved with precise control.

In the pic on the right, I am looking over my shoulder as I complete the rep. This isn’t necessary to do, but apocryphal knowledge has it that looking over your shoulder helps prevent you from twisting the torso. Frankly, I think strict attention to not twisting and a slow controlled rep makes more of a difference, since I can still twist plenty in that position. At any rate, I illustrate it in case any of you would like to try it. If you choose not to do so, make sure your head is up and you are looking forward, as in the pic on the left. Notice that in the right-hand pic, my lower back is still naturally arched, and not rounded.

variation #1: yates row

This is known as a Yates row, but I like to call it the Robo row, since the good Sgt. Robo was the one who most eloquently described it. The upper body is held somewhat more upright than in a bent-over barbell row. The range of motion is fairly small. This is handy if you need isometric spinal extension for something, such as postural endurance.

To begin the rep, stand with knees bent, lower back naturally arched, and take a deep breath, pushing chest up and out. Your upper body is about 20-30 degrees from upright. Head is up and looking forward. Grip is underhand, shoulder width.

Pull the bar towards you, keeping elbows close to body. Do not hunch your shoulders up as you do this; rather, push them down. The downward feel is very important to this exercise. Think about squeezing your shoulder blades, and pulling the bar to a point below your waist; the lower the better. Don’t pull up towards your ribcage, but rather down towards your groin (you won’t actually be able to pull down, obviously, but trying to do so makes a difference). At the top of the rep, as shown in the pic on the right, hold the bar there for a second or two, and really squeeze those shoulder blades together and down. Once again, I’ve got a nice fake grimace going like I’m lifting a small car instead of the bar. It’s just another way in which I go the distance for you readers, and try to convey the realism of actually exerting effort, heh heh.

Like the dumbbell row, this one should be executed with strict form and a slow, controlled tempo. Err on the side of lighter weight and better form for this exercise, since the secret of its success is in slow execution. If you find the bar is dragging across your thighs, unbend your knees a little bit (but always keep them at least slightly bent), lean forward, and shift the weight on to the balls of your feet slightly more.

variation #2: horizontal pullup

This is actually a combination of a row and a pullup, but who’s splitting hairs? This is probably one of the few good uses of a Smith machine and Reebok step. This exercise is better for an intermediate lifter, but what the hey, beginners are welcome to try it. I know I would have when I was a beginner! I think it looks cool, kind of like some weird SWAT team training exercise.

Anyway, to get set up for this exercise, set the bar of the Smith machine about 2 feet from the ground. It should be high enough so that when you hang from it with arms straight, your upper back doesn’t touch the ground. Now, for me, Ms. Stump Arms, that’s not very high at all. You will need to experiment to find the right height for you. I suggest you begin with your feet on the floor, not elevated as in the picture. That’s because the higher the feet, the more of your bodyweight you are lifting, and the harder the exercise. The simplicity of this exercise is deceiving, because it’s quite a challenge to do it right. Now, lie under the bar with feet at desired height, so that the bar is approximately across your chest, rather like where it would be if you were to bench press it. Reach up and grab the bar with a wide overhand grip. Stiffen your body out so that it is rigid and straight, as in the pictures. Then, keeping your elbows up and upper back slightly arched, pull yourself up towards the bar. Again, think of pulling your shoulder blades together and pushing your chest forward.
At the top of the rep, as shown in the pic on the right, squeeze shoulder blades together and hold yourself there for a second or two. Chest should be pushed forward and upper back slightly arched. Elbows are out. Squeeze your glutes a little to keep your body rigid, and keep abs tight. Lower yourself under control; do not allow yourself to drop.

To add resistance, increase the height of your feet with a step, weight plate or bench. Once you get really good at it, put a plate on your tummy or across your hips.

DORK

Here is the wrong way to leg press (you thought because it was a machine you couldn’t screw it up didn’t you?).

Notice my feet on the bottom of the footplate, which means that as the sled comes down, my knees go way over my toes, and that spells knee problems.

In addition, I am curling upwards to help push the weight up, putting stress on my neck and upper back.

My pelvis is tucking under, which puts pressure on my lower back.

DIVA

	This is the bottom of the leg press rep. Notice that most importantly, my feet have moved to the top of the footplate. My head and neck are relaxed and I’m beginning to breathe out as I start the push upwards. By the way, I’m grimacing in this picture like I’m pressing a zillion pounds… the leg press actually has no weight on it at all. Remember that next time you see a lot of fitness pictorials that look like the athlete is about to burst a blood vessel! Ha ha…
	As I push through the middle of the rep I am careful to keep pushing through my heels and not my toes. My head neither comes up or presses down into the pad.
	This is the top of the rep, and for many leg press machines the starting point. My knees are never hyperextended when my legs are straightened.

This demo shows the seated version of the lat pulldown with a wide grip. For more on different pulldown grips and the standing lat pulldown variation, see here.

DORK

This exercise, like the bench press or biceps curl, is where the big wannabes in the gym often show their idiocy. Screaming like banshees, they throw all their body weight backwards as they haul the bar down behind their neck.

If they were really so tough they’d be doing weighted chinups, but I digress.

One of the most common mistakes in this exercise is pulling the bar behind the neck, and this is a mistake even though you may see the exercise illustrated as “correct” this way. As in the shoulder press, this alignment of the bar can cause shoulder problems.

In addition, many people lean forward and strain, putting stress on the neck.

DIVA

This is a much more effective way to perform this exercise.

Begin seated with arms straightened above you. Don’t lock your elbows. If you’re a shorty like me, you may have to stand on the seat first to grab the bar and bring it down low enough.

Grasp the bar firmly and slowly bring the bar down towards your upper chest. As you do this, arch your back and push your chest up and out, and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Stick the buzzums right out. Once the bar hits your chest (or as close as you can get), hold it there for a second or two as you really try to pull shoulder blades together and downward. Then slowly release and raise the bar under control to starting position. Again, don’t lock your elbows at the top.

However, many folks do sports which involve knee flexion (bending), such as sprinting or cycling, and might benefit from a little additional knee flexion work, which is the second function of the hamstrings. Hamstring curls are a good isolation exercise to go along with the bigger exercises.

DORK

Actually, I’m not screwing this one up too badly. You can’t really even see the main problem because I’m wearing black (I’ll have to speak to my wardrobe stylist about switching workout wear from Don’t-Show-The-Dirt-Black to Feminine-Hygiene-Commercial-White). So, I’ll enlighten you.

The main problem in this rather undignified photo of me is that I am arching my back and sticking my butt in the air to help curl the weight up. There is some space between my hips and the bench. It’s actually a pretty natural response by the body to this movement, but not what we want because it sort of makes the movement into a full-body affair.

Another common error is allowing the knees to hyperextend – to bend backwards in the wrong direction once the leg has been straightened. Women’s knees are more easily hyperextended than men’s, so be careful of this as it’s hard on the joint, especially with the addition of resistance. The weight will drag the ankle downwards at the bottom of the rep; don’t allow the knee to cave in.

DIVA

The pic on the left shows the starting position for a good hamstring curl. My knees are not hyperextended but rather slightly bent. The pad should be just over my ankles, so make sure you adjust that properly. At the top of the rep the pad should still be in the vicinity of your ankles, not up your calf or down at your heel. Also, make sure your knees are off the pad, so that you don’t crush your kneecap as you move your leg… rather painful. My toes are pointed forward, not downward.

As I curl the weight up, I take care to keep my hips on the bench and my toes pointed forward. Make sure you move the weight through a full range of motion (ROM), and curl your feet as close to your butt as you can go. Give those hamstrings a little squeeze at the top of the rep, then lower the weight under control to the starting position.

Doing these lying down actually makes me want to barf sometimes, so I prefer to use the standing or seated hamstring curl machine. If your gym has these, the principle of use is the same. Toes forward, try not to arch your back.

variation #1: manual hamstring curls

OK kids. You thought you were tough? Let’s see what you’re made of when you give these a shot. Manual hamstring curls are an old-style strongman and woman exercise that is deceptively simple. The first time I tried doing even a controlled negative of these, I fell flat on my face. Most people begin by using a counterweight, as shown above. I warn you, they look goofy.

In the exercise, one kneels on a bench, and the lower legs are secured somehow: underneath the knee pad of a lat pull machine, as shown, or strapped down with a weight belt, or even held down by a helpful partner. Then, keeping the body straight and rigid, and bending only at the knee, one raises and lowers the body, using the hamstrings to curl upright again.

I’m demonstrating this exercise with the counterweight on a lat pulldown machine. It’s an easy one to use, since I can just slide my lower legs underneath the knee pad, set at its lowest setting. In my gym, the knee pad doesn’t go down as far as it should, so I have to bend my legs a bit more than is correct. Ideally your lower legs should be immobilized against the bench.

I suggest you do this exercise with a partner, if only to stand in front of you and help you with an upward push under your shoulders if you get stuck.
Attach the rope handle to the machine, if you have one. If your gym doesn’t have one, you can get inventive; try looping a towel through the handles. Presently I use 20 lbs of counterweight, so I just put the pin in the weight stack at 20 lbs. You’ll probably want to start with more counterweight. The counterweight should be low enough so that you can actually lower your body, but high enough to give you sufficient assistance on the ascent.
Kneel facing away from the machine, as shown in the picture on the left, and secure lower legs under the knee pad. Grab the rope handles and bring them down behind your head and over your shoulders, holding the ends against your upper chest.

Keeping body straight and rigid, shoulders back, and head up, unbend the knee, and slowly lower body towards the floor, as shown in the centre picture. Lower until body is roughly parallel to the floor (or until you run out of cable, as I do just above parallel), as in the picture on the right. Then, still keeping body rigid (don’t give in to the temptation to bend at the hips!), contract the hamstrings and bend at the knee to pull your body upright. Your ascent should look just like your descent, as shown in the centre picture.

These will feel (and look) weird the first time you try them. But with practice, you’ll get the hang of them. I now have them as a semi-permanent fixture in my routine. My goal is to do one bodyweight ham curl without a face plant!

But it’s easy to screw up lower back work, and the most common error is rounding the lower back. To get a feel for the position that your lower back should be in, stand with your back against a wall, arms at your sides. Take a deep breath, pushing your chest up and out. Then slide your hand between the wall and your lower back. Feel that space there? There is (or should be) a natural arch in your spine as it curves gently forward towards your belly button then back towards your tailbone. This is the arch you wish to maintain at all times during lower back work.

For more on low back pain and preventing it, see my article series on low back pain. Beginners might consider starting with a broomstick or holding a light weight plate to their chest for the good morning, or using another exercise such as the back hyperextensions below. Folks who suffer from low back pain should focus on improving the endurance of their low back, abdominal, and oblique muscles (for more on this, see Stuart McGill’s work). The good morning ideally should not be done as a maximal strength exercise; rather it is best done with lower weight and higher reps, stopping well short of failure or total fatigue. It is essential for this type of exercise that the spine be able to stabilize itself, and when the muscles that surround it get tired, they will be less able to hold the thing together… which is a rather bad thing when there’s a weight on you.

DORK

This exercise is known as a good morning. The bar is placed across the shoulders as if about to begin a squat. Then, one bends at the hips, keeping lower back arched, and lowers the upper body till roughly parallel to the floor, or until one is no longer able to maintain the proper lower back arch.

The two most common mistakes, which are related to one another, is keeping the legs locked and hyperextended, and the lower back rounded. I cringe just looking at this picture, which makes me wonder if good form is also aesthetic form. Perhaps the eye knows instinctively what the body wants?

As I keep harping on, this exercise can be dangerous to the spine if not properly performed. If the back is rounded during this movement, it puts a great deal of load on parts of the spine, which can lead to herniated disks and all kinds of other nasty things. I would advise anyone with a history of back trauma to avoid this exercise. However, when performed correctly, this movement is a good lower back exercise for those who can tolerate it. The key is to learn proper technique and begin with very light weight. A 45-lb bar might be too much for a beginner, who should practice the movement first with no weight at all.

DIVA

So, as I said, begin by placing the bar across the shoulders as if to begin a squat. I’m showing this exercise on the floor, but I suggest you do this from a rack instead of trying to lift the bar up and over your head to get it into position. Or have someone place it on your back for you, if you are using light weight (and you should be, in the beginning). Chest up and out, shoulders back, legs slightly bent (OK, they’re not bent in the first pic, but do as I say, not as I do hehe). As you come down, take care to keep lower back slightly arched and shoulders back. Do not hunch or round any part of your back. During this movement, keep looking up slightly. This will help you stay in position.

The pic on the right shows the approximate position of the bottom of the rep (I’m a bit high there, but you get the idea). The upper body is brought parallel to the floor, or as close as possible without rounding the back. I find I have to sort of stick my butt out and bend my knees a bit more to do this, as you can see in the pic. Some people find they have problems with the bar rolling around. Experimentation with bar position often helps with this, as does wrapping the bar in a towel.

A variation on good mornings that I almost prefer is doing them one-legged. With the bar on your back, step one foot forward in a big step. Keep legs straight with knees slightly bent. Then bend from the hips as you would with a regular good morning. Do one set, then switch sides for the next set.

back hyperextensions

Here is a safer lower back exercise, which is good for a beginner. The back hyperextension is done on a hyperextension bench, which most gyms have.

In the picture on the left is the bottom of the back hyper. For some reason, in the pics I have my hands on my hips, which I never do. I suggest you experiment to find the hand position which you prefer, though I recommend crossing your arms across your chest. Legs are slightly bent. You can’t see it too well in the picture, but my lower back is slightly arched.

Using the contraction of your lower back, hamstrings, and glutes, slowly unbend at the hips and raise your upper body. The pic on the right shows the top of the rep. At the top of each rep, take a deep breath pushing chest up and out, to get lower back in proper position again. While some exercises lend themselves well to fast, explosive reps, this is an exercise you should be absolutely fanatical about doing slowly and under control.

As you get better at these, you will want to add resistance. The best way to do this is to hold a weight plate against your chest, as shown at left. Don’t put it behind your head, as this will put pressure on the upper spine and neck, and encourage you to round the lower back.

The deadlift is one of the best exercises (second only to squats and the Olympic lifts) for overall development, particularly in the lower body. In addition, it’s a very functional lift. We often squat down to pick something up: groceries, a laundry basket, a child, the ratty couch that your deadbeat friend is making you move again, some guy with a gambling problem that your boss asked you to whack, etc. The deadlift, more than most other lifts, prepares you for “real life”. The premise of the deadlift is simply squatting down to pick something (a “dead weight”) off the floor.

It’s very important to get good form down on the deadlift, because doing it incorrectly, and/or with too much weight at the outset, can damage your lower back. Some gyms have a deadlift platform (which I am on; you notice that there are hooks at waist height to set the weight on) with some kind of rack apparatus to put your bar on when you are loading or unloading plates. If your gym doesn’t have one, just do these from the floor. It helps to have a partner who can steady the bar as you put your plates on.

Smaller plates are easier to manipulate, but do bear in mind, however, that the size of the plate will affect the height of your pull. The smaller the plate, the lower down you’ll have to squat to get into proper position. If you’re short, like me, this isn’t a huge deal. It’ll be a big advantage, in fact, when you do begin pulling with 45 lb. plates, because the bar will begin around mid-shin and you won’t have to pull it up very far. If you have difficulty squatting down properly with smaller plates, try either changing your stance, or gradually increasing your range of motion by starting with the pull higher, and progressively working your way down. You can do this by pulling the bar off the safety pins in a power cage, or you can simply put plates flat on the floor, underneath the plates on your bar, and elevate them slightly that way.

DORK

To the right, we have the classic bad deadlift.

Notice the rounded back, the shoulders pulled forward, the head down, and the hips up high. There’s a lot of pressure on the lower back here, and since the leg involvement has been minimized, it means this exercise is not only unsafe but highly inefficient. After all, the legs are much stronger than the lower back, and they should be the ones doing the work.

When the spine is rounded (flexed), the muscles that support and stabilize it are unable to do their job. They go off and have a nice coffee break, maybe even a little snooze. The load is then shifted to the connective tissues: the ligaments and tendons are forced to hold everything together. They’re strong, but much stronger when working as a team with the muscles, and eventually they’ll give out as the vertebrae are pulled apart from the shearing force.

This is the back injury equivalent of walking into a biker bar wearing a tutu, with your wallet taped to your chest, and insulting someone’s momma. You’re asking for it.

DIVA: CONVENTIONAL STYLE

DIVA: SUMO STYLE

There are two general styles of deadlifting: conventional and sumo. The left-hand pictures in each row show the starting position for both conventional and sumo deadlifts respectively. While there are general rules which apply to both, there is no right style of deadlift. It depends largely on your own comfort and individual biomechanics. Try both and see which you prefer.

Conventional: feet are placed about shoulder width apart. Hands are outside knees.

Sumo: feet are placed wide, toes pointing slightly out. Hands are inside knees, with grip slightly narrower than shoulder width.

In both cases, I’m using an alternating grip. You don’t have to, but it’s something that makes holding the bar easier. Just grab the bar with one hand overhand and one hand underhand. This minimizes the problem of the bar rolling around. Notice that in both cases, my hips are low, my back is straight with shoulders pulled back, and I’m looking forward.

The centre picture shows the mid-point of the ascent (or descent, depending on whether you’re an optimist or pessimist). Hips are still low, back is slightly arched, shoulders are still pulled back, and I’m still looking up. The leg muscles are providing the upward drive here, not the back. It helps to think of your hands as hooks from which the weight hangs, nothing more. You’re not pulling the bar up, you’re pushing yourself up. Try to drive your heels through the floor. Notice also that I’m not leaning too far forward, and that the bar stays close to my body. The farther out that bar is from you, the harder it is to bring it up. This is where the difference between sumo and conventional deadlifts really shows itself. If you have a short back and long legs, you’re more likely to take off your kneecaps trying to do a conventional deadlift.

The picture on the right in both cases is the top position of the deadlift. Notice that my hips are pushed forward, shoulders are still back, and knees are not locked. To bring the weight up through the top part of the deadlift, push the hips forward (really squeeze the glutes and contract the hamstrings to do this). When your hips extend in this way, your back just naturally comes up.

Do the reverse of this motion to lower the bar under control. Don’t just drop it at the end of a set unless you’re one of those lucky people who trains in a REAL gym with platforms, rubber weights, and all. Don’t allow your form to relax on the descent.

When learning the DL, begin with light weight—even just a broomstick—and learn the form first before adding too much resistance. Again, think of it as a squat that involves picking something up from the floor. You can do this movement with dumbbells if you like, and it’s up to you whether you hold them outside or inside your knees.

stiff-legged deadlift

Sometimes incorrectly called the straight-legged deadlift, the SLDL involves the spinal erectors (lower back), glutes (butt) and hamstrings (back of thighs), and to a lesser extent, the grip, forearms, and upper back. Since this is a compound movement but is less complex than squats, put this after squats in your workout.

A cautionary note about this exercise. This is the exercise that gave me the back injury that still challenges me today. Years ago, at the end of a long workout when my back was fatigued, I decided on the final set of SLDLs to increase the weight. This, as it turned out, was a Really Dumb Thing To Do. At about rep number four, a stabbing pain shot through my low back and down my right leg. I found out much later that this was probably a disc herniation at the L5 vertebra.

There are some important lessons here. First, never do this exercise as a maximal lift. Do not test your 1 rep max, do not go to failure, and do not use a 100% effort. Treat it as a light endurance and conditioning exercise only, rather than a go-hard-or-go-home movement like I did. Focus on using the glutes and hamstrings to drive the movement. And if you have a history of back pain and injury, especially a disc herniation, pass on this movement. There are many other options for glute and hamstring training.

DORK

To the left is a bad stiff-legged deadlift.

Aside from the fact that I’m cracking up in the picture (my lovely and talented photographic assistant was making me laugh):

• my back is rounded
• my shoulders are pulled forward
• I’m looking down
• worst of all, my knees are locked and hyper-extended

Since women tend to be able to hyper-extend their joints with ease, this is a problem we should take care to avoid.

This position puts a lot of pressure on my lower back.

DIVA

The picture on the left shows the starting position for a stiff-legged deadlift. My feet are shoulder width or narrower. My knees are slightly bent, the bar is close to my shins, my back is straight and my shoulders are pulled back. I am looking up, which helps to keep my back in the appropriate position.

In this position, I contract my hamstrings and glutes and straighten from the hips to bring the weights up, as in the centre picture. Although there is lower back involvement in this exercise, the drive should come mainly from the contraction of your hams and glutes. When you first learn this exercise, begin with very light weight, and concentrate on feeling the sensation of squeezing your hams and glutes.

The picture on the right (astute readers will notice that it’s the same pic as the top of a regular deadlift, which is kind of cheating coz it incorrectly shows my feet too far apart and hands too close together, but if you’re smart enough to read this you’re probably smart enough to figure out the difference) shows the top of the SLDL movement. I have used the contraction of my glutes to push my hips forward which helps to bring the weight up. My knees are still slightly bent and I never lock them. Shoulders are back and chest is up and out.

Biceps curls, and biceps exercises in general, are highly overrated and overused. But what the hell, we all love to flex and make that little baby pop out.

The function of the biceps is to flex (bend) the elbow, as well as to rotate the forearm and flex the shoulder (if only a minor role in the latter two). Heavy sets of rows, pulldowns and/or pullups are more demanding than this isolation exercise, but nevertheless it can be a decent part of a good workout.

Biceps curls, especially if done using a preacher bench, carry a risk of injury if done too often and too heavily. Typically this is just an inflammation of the tissues around medial epicondyle of the elbow, or involves an accidental hyperextension of the elbows. Women’s joints are usually more floppy than men’s, and the majority of women can hyperextend their elbows (i.e. bend the elbow backwards even more after the arm is straight). Avoid the temptation to do an ElastoGirl impression at the bottom of the curl.

Finally, if you make the mistake of bending your elbows during a heavy deadlift (or something like moving a heavy couch), you also risk a biceps tear. Luckily this type of injury is relatively rare. If you are at risk for elbow injury or are recovering from one, consider abstaining from biceps curls. Put biceps curls, and other isolation exercises, at the end of a workout, such as a pulling workout that involves rows and pulldowns.

DORK

Biceps curls have to be one of my favourite “moron in the gym” exercises.

We’ve all seen the guys who apparently train only chest and biceps, giant torsos perched unsteadily on scrawny chicken legs, heaving away on their umpteenth set of swinging biceps curls.

These are also likely to be the guys who yammer about this or that exercise giving them a “great peak on their biceps” or “massive pump”.

These people, dear readers, are an offense to the Goddess of Form.

In the pic to the right, I demonstrate the classic biceps curl heresy.

Using the laws of physics to get that bar up, I enlist a big swinging thrust at the bottom, hurl my back into it, push my knees forward, and generally throw my entire body into assisting the near-light-speed arc of the bar. I end up with the bar smashing into my collarbone, and my lower back distended.

I can lift a lot of weight this way, but it’s wrong.

DIVA

The picture on the left shows the starting position for a correct standing barbell biceps curl. Take a deep breath, tighten the abs (don’t suck in, just keep the area tight, as if you know someone is about to punch you in the gut), look forward, and bend knees slightly. This helps you keep your balance, and a proper curve in the spine. Arms are straight, but elbows are not locked. Curl your palms inward towards your wrists just slightly.

The picture on the right shows the midpoint of the curl. My back is still in the right position, and only my arms are doing the work. My wrists are straight or curled slightly inwards, but never allowed to bend backwards.

The key to the success of this exercise, at least for beginners, is a slow and controlled tempo, both on the up (positive or concentric) and down (negative or eccentric) parts of the rep. This lets you concentrate on making sure the arms are the only parts providing the momentum. Also make sure you take the curl through a full range of motion. This means straightening (but not locking) the arms at the bottom. You might also want to pause for a second at the bottom of the rep, so that you are not tempted to bounce the weight up.

If using the classic palms-up position bothers your elbows, consider a variation known as the hammer curl. This can be done with dumbbells held with palms facing your sides, as you would hold a hammer. The curl movement is the same. You’ll also get a little more forearm involvement this way as the brachioradialis muscle kicks in to help out.

This is the basic flat bench barbell press. It has many variations. It can be done with dumbbells, or using a swiss ball instead of a bench, or with the bench set at an incline. You can even press one hand at a time with dumbbells, twisting the torso slightly like a punch.

Each variation changes the exercise slightly so that different muscles are recruited in different ways. For example,  the closer to vertical the press is (think overhead press), the more the shoulders are involved.  Thus the incline press involves the shoulder muscles more than the flat press. The closer the elbows are held to the body, the more the triceps are involved. Thus a close grip press, with elbows tucked close to the ribcage, will involve the triceps more.  For grappling, I’ll even use a variation where I press a heavy punching bag off of me, to simulate pushing away an opponent who has me on my back and is trying to control my side.

All presses have a risk of shoulder injury in susceptible people.  However, I (and others) consider the flat barbell bench press to carry a relatively higher risk of shoulder damage relative to some of the variations. In part this is because the scapulae (shoulder blades) are fixed against the bench as your body presses down on them. Unlike dumbbells, a barbell doesn’t allow much individual movement from each arm, although a machine is worse as it may force you into an arc or even a straight line that may not be right for your unique structure.

No need to be scared of it, just be aware, be careful, and be mindful of any pain that emerges. Don’t keep pressing through it. And be aware that a potential danger of this lift is that you must exert the most force while your shoulder joint is in a stretched position, so keep things tight at the bottom of the lift and don’t allow the supporting “structure” to collapse or go floppy.

If you want to start with something gentler that involves a similar type of pressing movement, check out my article on pushups.

DORK

In this pic I’m doing several things wrong.

• My feet are on the bench (a temptation for those of us with short legs).
• My back is arched off the bench (which presses my head into the bench, likely causing me to tense my neck muscles and give myself a helluva headache).
• The bar is about to strangle me, it’s up so high.

People will often try to get extra leverage by bouncing the bar off their sternum at the bottom. That works great, until your ribcage cracks in half.

The only thing I’m missing is a buddy standing over me, hauling the bar off me with all her strength while screaming, “It’s all you, man!!”

You think this looks ridiculous? I’ve seen it, and worse!

DIVA

In this series of shots, it looks as though the bar is traveling in a straight up-and-down line. In fact, the actual path of the bar looks more like an upside-down rounded J. The bar travels up and very slightly backwards in an arc, beginning over the sternum and moving in a vaguely semicircular path to finish above the head/neck.

Here is the starting position of your bench press. Notice that I have made sure in advance that my pins are at the lowest setting, so I don’t get the surprise of realizing that they’re too high and I can’t re-rack the bar. My feet are off the bench (this bench has little rails for us stumpy chicks, but if the bench at your gym doesn’t have them, just put a plate or two on the floor underneath your feet, or one of those Reebok steps… after all what else would you use those things for?). Place your feet at a level where they’re lower than your hips, but not so low that you’re arching your lower back excessively. If you find you don’t have the hip flexor flexibility to put your feet on the floor, work on stretching those muscles. My elbows are not locked, and the bar is approximately over my collarbone. My grip is fairly wide, to maximize recruitment of the pecs. The narrower your grip, the more you rely on shoulder and tricep strength to push the bar up.

This second pic shows the middle of the ascent or descent. I prefer to bring the bar to my sternum (mid-chest) since bringing it higher on my chest, closer to the collarbone, irritates my shoulder. My elbows are almost at right angles to my body. Find an angle that’s comfortable for you… to hit the pecs most effectively, bring the elbows as close to 90 degrees as you can, and to bring in more tricep and shoulder involvement, tuck them in a little closer, at maybe a 75 degree angle. Be aware that flaring the elbows out puts you at a higher risk of shoulder injury, so choose what feels best to you.

This final pic shows the bottom of the rep. The bar is brought right down to the chest, without bouncing it off my ribcage (watch for how many people give the bar a little extra push by smashing it into their sternum… you can bide your time till they crush their internal organs, and then laugh as you dial for the ambulance). Keep everything tight and resist the urge to relax the upper body when the bar is on or near the chest. Once you relax, you lose the residual elastic energy in the tissues, and that bar ain’t going anywhere. Keeping things tight will help you drive the bar up more effectively. In this bottom position, squeeze your shoulder blades together and push your chest up slightly. Then begin the bar’s ascent.