Brilliant Friends,
So the principles of the body weight squat can be used for the barbell squat. Only progress to the barbell once you have become quite comfortable with the body weight squat, holding a pole or broomstick on your back.
Bar Grip
For the squat, you will want to grip the bar right into the groove of your palm and at the base of your thumb.
Start with your palm over the bar, and thumb under.
Press the groove between your thumb and palm against the bar. Wrap your thumb down under the bar, and then wrap your palm and fingers down over the bar. Secure your thumb over the rest of your fingers.
Here’s what it looks like from below:
Press the groove between your thumb and palm against the bar. Wrap your thumb down under the bar, and then wrap your palm and fingers down over the bar. Secure your thumb over the rest of your fingers.
Here’s what it looks like from below:
1. Grab the bar first
- Stand in front of the bar, which should be racked at mid-chest height.
- Grip the bar white-knuckle tight with both hands just outside of shoulder width, at extended arms length.
- Pavel Tsatsouline, the father of the kettle bell, emphasizes that a tight grip radiates strength to the rest of the connecting muscles.
- Move your head forward and tuck it down under the bar and, bending at your elbows, bring your head forward on the other side while pushing the back of your shoulders snugly up against the bar. As your arms bend and your shoulder blades tighten up, you will feel a sweet spot on your upper back where your muscles will scrunch up and act as a shelf for the bar.
- Do not move the hands or loosen your grip on the bar as you get under it. This may take some mobility work on your shoulders and pecs to be able to do. It should be very snug.
- The bar should be below the cervical vertebra, or that pointy neck bone just above your shoulder blades, but high enough that you can support it without bending too far forward when standing. Use your legs to drive yourself against the bar and position it tightly against your upper back.
2. Unracking the bar
- Take in a breath and tighten your abs, ribcage down. Bend at the knees to swing down and position yourself directly under the bar with a straight torso in the ready position. Place feet shoulder width apart under the bar, and lift the bar off the rack by straightening your legs and squeezing your butt.
- Step back from the rack, one step back for each foot, making sure you are approximately parallel to the rack.
3. Rack the bar
- After completing your set, return to the starting stance.
- Take one step forward at a time, screw feet into ground, touch the bar against rack, lower yourself down with the quiet torso until the bar rests on the rack.
To summarize the Squat Barbell Grip:
- Secure your grip on the bar before getting under it.
- Unrack: Duck under, squeeze shoulder blades, tuck the bar against upper back, breath in and create the torso pillar, stand up and step back.
- Rack: step forward, screw feet, pull down until bar rests on rack.
Let me know if you have trouble doing this, or if you do it differently.
To powerful living.
Steve
The Brilliant Beast Blog 
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