Barbell squats on the shoulders – addressing weak points

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2012-01-22

As with any other exercise, squats with a barbell have weak points that limit further growth in performance. By weak points, I mean any muscle group that lags in development.

It is known that four main muscle groups are engaged during squats: the front and inner thighs, the spinal extensor muscles, and the glutes. Generally, if a person systematically performs barbell squats, they don't experience issues with the quadriceps (front thigh). This muscle works at maximum capacity here, so it develops faster than the others. Thus, we need to look for weak points in the remaining three muscle groups.

Therefore, we see that for consistent growth in squat performance, it’s insufficient to just squat. Sooner or later, the athlete faces situations where at peak weights their technique breaks down, and they cannot increase their squat for an extended period.

A key moment here is how exactly the technique "breaks down." By understanding this, we can identify which muscle group is lagging behind the others in development. So, let's examine the common mistakes in squat technique.

Knees Caving In When Attempting to Stand

This indicates insufficient development of the inner thigh. It’s well known that the wider the knees are pointed outward, the greater the load is on this part of the thigh. Weak muscles cannot handle the assigned workload. Thus, to stand up, the athlete is forced to allow their knees to cave in, shifting the load to the quadriceps.

This issue is usually corrected with the following exercises:

For enhancing sports performance in squats, I would draw your attention to:

All of these exercises effectively load the inner thigh.

Pelvis Rising When Attempting to Stand

What actually happens here? The knees start to extend actively (since the quadriceps is doing its job well), but there is no change occurring in the hip joints. As a result, the pelvis rises while the back bends, and (as you can understand) standing from this position becomes nearly impossible. The cause is weak glute muscles, which are responsible for hip extension.

This misunderstanding can be corrected with the following exercises:

Rounding the Back When Attempting to Stand

In this case, everything is much clearer. A rounded back indicates weak spinal extensor muscles. The more the torso tilts forward, the harder it is for the muscles to keep the back straight. This is often observed in those who place the barbell high. The higher the barbell, the greater the lever (the distance from the bar to the hip joint).

In such cases, it is necessary to strengthen the back, and exercises like the following will help:

Conclusion

If you want to squat a lot, then simply doing squats is not enough. Our body is a complex biomechanical system of links and levers. Only by strengthening each link can you build a strong chain without weak points. Good luck!