How To: Deep Barbell Back Squat

[DeltaLimaNiner]

Don't breathe out when going real heavy (80% +). Letting the air out dissipates the tension in abs/torso that is supposed to be there to help support the back.

[deathseeker411]

its coz his legs are skinny as shit

[bebIessed]

@deathseeker411 how are his legs skinny?

wheres ur legs at?

[deathseeker411]

@bebIessed yea im saying his legs are skinny coz my legs are at least as big as his. cmon man lets be honest, his legs are skinny (by natty bb standards)

[tacticalgolf]

press 9 repeatedly for epic smile

[Diwvsen]

I really hate the type of people who only work out their arms and chest. So many bodybuilders tend to ignore working out their lower body, not realising that they are missing out on the biggest and most powerful muscles. Biceps, for instance, is such a small, overrated muscle.

[Irgendeinidiot]

@Diwvsen

People who don't workout their legs can't be called bodybuilders bro ;-)

[jamends1220]

I tried doing barbell squats for the first time the other day. Managed only 100kg and bruised the back of my neck. Did i have it up too high on my shoulders?

[em2241992]

So far I have the form of squat down, but I am wondering, does it matter if I have my elbows pushed backwards more than you do in this video? I push my elbows back more to help me squeeze my back tight.

[bambarby]

I used to squat, but then I took an arrow to the knee

[Elseba0287]

@bambarby idiot

[luisespinax]

@bambarby I used to laugh at this joke, but then i took an arrow to the knee

[platanom3n]

@bambarby lame

[HinduismIsHeretical]

I've ben squatting ATG for 10 years, and my knees are in perfect condition

[grumpyguts1967]

ive never done a squat in my life without wearing a belt for back support , and a half inch piece of wood under my heels..oh , and some foam around the middle bar to cushion the weight...works well for me.

[MuzzaTheViking]

@grumpyguts1967 You are a fag.

[grumpyguts1967]

@MuzzaTheViking I'm a fag? lol thats rich coming from a fat Aussie who could only push out one military press while trying to film himself , you should be embarrassed to even post that clip , pussy lol

[MuzzaTheViking]

@grumpyguts1967 Have you eveer done one military press with double over monster mini bands? The second the tension kicks in the weight almost doubles.

Lawl, but there's no such thing as doing heavy singles, lawl, I'm a gym idiot.

[Jock5tar]

For anyone out there who 'claims' that squats, especially deep squats wreck your knees, you are totally wrong. What DOES wreck your knees, is weak hamstrings and glutes. Reason why is because these muscles are the primary load-bearers during the squat, and if these muscles are weak, they have a tendency to transfer the stress onto your knees.

Painful knees? Work your GLUTES and HAMS, forget your quads for now!

[BigUriel]

Scott are you bipolar? Some of your instructional videos are great and some are just complete crap (don't get me started on that smith machine hack squat...).

This is a great one btw.

[Aarie101]

Nice deep squats Scott.

To anyone who says squatting is bad for your knees, that's a very narrow minded statement. Squating correctly, ATG, keeping your knees behind your toes builds strength. Strength prevents injuries.

Also ATG puts less stress on your knees.

To anyone who says that as they're getting heavier the bar is putting lots of pressure on them, that's great. It means you're progressing your weights. Eat more, gain weight and this won't be as much of a problem.

[Koseiku]

@Aarie101 Good that you at least aknowledge that ATG is good, but you messed up the part with the knees. Actually they can and must pass your feet, keeping them behind the feet only puts you into a uneccessary position. Also keeping them behind your feet means you have to lean more forward which results in a not so deep squat.

[henkeman94]

I can't do that deep without something under my feet because my hamstrings are to "tight" or "short" Is that how you say that, anyway i can stretch it but... still...

[kevange8]

nicee.. i remember your leg workout video and was like why isn't he going lower. These are way more effective then going down halfway. Push through your heels too, you don't want to lose your balance.

[ThePumpmeup]

hey scott, my only problem in squatting heavy weights is there is a pressure on my shoulder. How should I avoid that? Thanks!

[KTMONEY100]

@ThePumpmeup Warm-up, stretch the shoulder. One really good stretch to get shoulders ready for squats is keep your elbow against your side, and use a wall or rack to gently rotate the shoulder out wards (lightly pulling the hand towards the rear of your body)

[EricRushOSU]

Bro! You're squatting in my curl rack! Not cool man... not cool.

[killaesien3]

hey scott can you do a video on how to do zercher squats?

[Fir3fly798]

First real squat video by this guy.

[PThug911]

you sound like a hydraulic machine lol

[JeffTibb]

Scott,

Nice video but you never mentioned anything about hip drive.

That really needs to be your focus on the way out of the hole.

[MrFrazzle1990]

to be fair. it was a decent demo. scott, are you experienced in S+C at all?

[irishlegendnumber8]

i think u should definitely do full squats because it engages the glutes but over a long period of time it damages the tissue over ur knees would a knee support or something help this? thanks in advance :)

[xxILoveRPSKingPelexx]

I have always been really tight in my shoulders and back, this including the stress it puts on my neck prevent me from ever squatting. Do you have any suggestions on how to relax and loosen my muscles? Or any tips on how to put less stress on my spine? Thanks

[liamtiger1]

I tried these in the gym last week with a lot lighter than I do normal squats but the muscle on the front outside of my shin has been tight for a few days from it..

Any extra tips or am I going too deep?

[bobharrisa]

why do you make those retarded sound effects?

[Shaneil002]

Scott your a legend

[Grimbas08]

Herman you really need to start training your wheels.

[blackvapour]

@Grimbas08 His legs are in proportion with everything else. You've been watching too many guys on gear train. Naturals don't have huge quad sweeps.

[israelsito07]

@blackvapour i disagree bro....it all depends of what your goal is and how big you want to be...Steve Cook, Greg plitt, Rob riches, Hodge twins (to name a few) are in a sense natural (no roids or illegal "testboosters) and they have a very well proportionate big legs bro..(no homo)...so yeah naturals can have huge legs as well lol

[Ajaxjasper]

@israelsito07 stfu greg plitt 4sure ist a natural or wasnt a natural and rob riches neither

[israelsito07]

@Ajaxjasper i believe they are...at least gregg is...rob is natural,,,uses some sort of natural test booster but that is considered natural...

[justinjb3]

I've heard (from everywhere) that you're knees aren't suppose to go past your toes as it puts too much pressure on the knees. Is this true in your opinion?

[sXeCanadianBoy]

That stupid South African guy made 9 accounts to dislike this GREAT video.

[trojanguy85]

You have really good form. I squat in Converse for the flat surface. I don't think I would walk around my gym barefoot. Maybe with socks

[mikeypz1993]

Heh, the sound you make kinda reminds me of when buses stop and open doors :D

Oh yeah, and you're the man Scott! Freakin' love your videos.

[sked209]

Hey Scott can you carry out this exercise on the smith machine?

[jackbartrem]

@sked209 Would advise NO

[TheParm1990]

perfect form

[sidhu2711]

@ ScottHermanFitness Scott is it better to do these kind of exercises on machines or using a barbell or free weight?

[israelsito07]

@sidhu2711 barbells and free weights all the way! :D

[sspainhour15]

I love your videos bro but....Why do you wear the same shorts in every video?

[cajunveggie]

sweet, about to do these deeper from now on.

Might get a superset of front squat with it. Time to get some Wheels of Steel going.

[xXpliCTx]

Scott you're my hero

[coolboy065]

wow

[partiepistol]

i love it how your bicep and chest workout vids have millions of views, while your leg workout vids barley break the hundreds of thousands. Scott you should make a leg motivation video or a NEW video of why leg training is important

[Exorcized1]

@partiepistol Most of the ppl train legs rarely , or NOT train them at all for some reasons . I'm training about just few months , however a "friend" of mine gave me an advice like this " don't waste your time with training legs , develope your upper body first u retard ". I guess that's how most ppl think of it , I see soooo rarely anyone training legs at my gym , that's so SAD . Anyway , if i skip my leg day , I'm really feeling like I didn't train that week at all !! YES FOR THE LEGS !!!

[roy3805]

@partiepistol most men dont care about their legs...they only think about what the woman would like....

[JermeisterHD]

@partiepistol His bicep and chest videos do not have millions of views..

[kenkol33]

@partiepistol Does hundreds of thousands look like millions to you? Learn2readproperly!

[icegoguma]

@partiepistol thats good, less people occupying the squat rack...

[ivan1215]

I love your video demonstrations Scott!

[TheFreebieLOVE]

SOOOOOOO many of my friends have bad form doing the squat and I try to demonstrate, but dude you got it down. Thanks for showing the great examples. YOU ROCK Scott, keep up the great work!!

[ben123462]

I did deadlift yesterday and i could barely get out of my bed this morning my back is killing me..

[AnotherAvenger]

Oh well one day Scott will find his shirt

[cokiesQ8]

it's like a bus , tsk

[MedicineManMehdi]

That's the Squat I do :D

[KingUnderARoof]

I thought these were just simply called squats... I learn new things everyday. ^^

[deadmanwsm]

Loved the demonstration. I like doing those...feels amazing. Great job as always!

[burn625]

much better than your old squat video Scott. In my opinion telling people to keep their core tight is the wrong advice though, you should focus more on keeping your low back arched and lead with your hips. And the bar technically should rest across the rear delts just under the spine of the scapula, a little lower on the back. But that might be up to personal preference too

[kevvi]

Love it when you are barefoot

[Damithe909]

@kevvi your weird

[rwkibbee]

You ever use Vibrams for training? (Most gyms don't allow bare feet). I love mine.

[eyesthatwatch69]

@rwkibbee most gyms allow socks

[Griffinltd]

@eyesthatwatch69

Really? No gym I've been to has allowed anything but closed-in shoes.

[eyesthatwatch69]

@Griffinltd in the uk every gym ive trained in allows it, get a new gym if it pisses you off, or just explain to staff that its better for you knees etc to not wear shoes



[skullboy1967]

@Griffinltd try five finger shoes from Vibram ;-) the closest to bare feet

[levi1989LEVI1989]

I have a question for you guys: isn't Scott's lordosis too prominent here? Just a question, I'm not an expert...

[xSkyDiamond]

Thanks Scott!

[CableMayo]

hefffff, TSSSSSSSSSSH

[huyaha]

platz would be proud!

[gtmodelt]

Putting a shirt on would help.

[0jackieonfire0]

You sound like a machine! hahaha! Thanks for this one!

[bigdaddy71355]

sweet form, boss!

[MightyAdelaideCrows]

@915olivares11 yes the Barbell Back Squat hits most muscles in the body besides the major upper body muscles, its only second to the deadlift

[blekidud]

scott whats your take on creatine? Do we all need to use them? do you use any of them? thanks

[CruzPui]

perfect form!

[Chaming91]

sounds like a factory machine at work. "tshhhhhh, tshhhhhhhhh, tshhhhhhh,". Good exercise tough. :)

[MrLilmushy]

Woah you need to give those under arms a trim

[bigmodaco]

Do you always have to fucking scream Scott

[oldskoolrap69]

This doesnt really hit your calves though. Great video nonetheless

[lilwayyne]

hey i was just wondering is it true that your knees shouldnt go past the tip of your toes? Theres a lot of people at my gym that tell me about this, but i saw your video and your knees were going past the tip of your toes. Thanks

[pkidro]

scott plz help me, i have this question that no one yet gave me a straight answer for. How long you suppose to be in the gym? is going over an hour bad?

[jadstation]

can i do it by smith machine?

[abstractjem]

"glutes engaged!" lol!! Sorry Scott 8o[

[Ismokekushbitch]

Wtf dats juz squats dat go deeper down -_- i always done these

[SoloHova]

@Ismokekushbitch Learn to spell fucking retard.

[cptobvious64]

LOL Scott, was the cameraman hissing instead of you??

[cinnawaffls]

Ey scott... just wondering, why don't you wear any shoes for extra support in some of these videos?

[ScottHermanFitness]

@cinnawaffls because the heal of the shoe can cause your leg to tilt forward and put pressure on the knees while not allowing for 100% proper form

[jakeo96]

@ScottHermanFitness what if you use converse shoes?

[WillCovy]

@ScottHermanFitness That's why I wear my minimalist running shoes when I squat, they are completely flat.

[WtfItzHuy]

@ScottHermanFitness I have heard that some people uses wrestling shoes, due to the flat sole of the shoes, to do leg workouts like deadlifts and squats.

[anhisking]

@WtfItzHuy flat soled shoes like chuck taylors would be a cheaper alternative

[tfelbo]

@WtfItzHuy There is actually such a thing as squat shoes.

[WtfItzHuy]

@tfelbo I looked it up, and some of them are pretty expensive. An average wrestling shoes can start out at around $50 bucks, while squatting shoes are like $90+ from what I saw?

[TeamEspada]

Scott will this make you taller ??

[XNZish]

doing squats with weights like that hurt my traps

[jayMbodybuilding]

scott ive heard that deep squats are bad for your knees, is this just some bs?

[rgmcall]

@jayMbodybuilding yes squatting is a natural movement for the human body its fine. ive been deep squatting for quite some time and i love it nothings happened to me.

[xAznnique]

@jayMbodybuilding it actually strengthen your knee joint if done with good form.

[jayMbodybuilding]

@xAznnique hmm interesting. thanks!

[aaronothepea]

Do these instead of that awful exercise called the leg extensions.

[Cristian31602]

hey scott, Do you really practice all these exercise videos uploaded here? I mean, you have a great body but I think If a I do all that I'll become a Hulk Hogan soon.

[Jiyuugo]

do a clean and press vid, cuban shoulder press clean and press....thx bye

[medoimad1]

what is your max in squats?

[tsharma20101]

Shouldnt our upper leg portion be parallel to the floor when we go down?

[Rueyful]

@tsharma20101 This is deep squat

[XTheUnexpectedTruthX]

Im really liking the deadlift and squat videos :) Im sure im not the only one, would be awesome if you could do more heavy compound excersise videos including your personal bests, its fun to watch!

[miamiwestchester]

Excellent, gave me something to work on with my squats. Thanks Scott. You are the best on the net.

[sbowesuk]

I've always done my squats atg/deep. Just feels more natural and beneficial. Going to parallel just feels like a partial rep to me.

[xAznnique]

@sbowesuk Lol same here, "deep" squat is more like a proper regular squat to me.

[MarlaisO]

nice squatz bra

[Tompa531]

"keep your core nice and tight" classic

[ImdboandrllyfatXD]

Scott idk if u gained a little weight or what but it seems like you are losing your ab definition and dont look as you did in previous videos.

[xiongjames1]

scott did u ever think about getting into CrossFit?

[rswaryah]

Hey Scott i have seen some guyz doing squats with plates under their heels does that actually help build gluteus and bigger hamstrings?

[eyesthatwatch69]

@rswaryah it only helps if you have poor hamstring flexibility, althougth once youve PERFECTED the technique of the lift it can add some weight.

[viddikaka]

@eyesthatwatch69 And also if you have reduces ankle movement, for reasons like handicapped achilles or other joint damages, it would help with a plate under the heels. Or just use a smith machine. take a step more forward then usual and lean back on the bar.

[eyesthatwatch69]

@viddikaka NEVER USE SMITH MACHINE FOR SQUATS it damages you knees and you back

[viddikaka]

@eyesthatwatch69 huh.... never thought of that...

But when I use the smith machine, I usally take a big step forward and then just lean back on the bar. Would that help from getting hurt?

[arecill]

@viddikaka I NEVER THOUGHT OF TAKING A STEP FOWARD BUT I WOULD TOO SUGGEST NOT TO USE IT.

[viddikaka]

@arecill OKEY!!!! THANK YOU FOR THE ADVICE!!! :P

Love the caps lock thing btw ;)

No, but seriously; thanks!

[arecill]

@viddikaka lol np. i realized it halfway through. google: why not to use smith machine. the first one should answer some questions. keeping that arch is key in any exercise and you should not be going up and down.

[rswaryah]

@eyesthatwatch69 Cool that technique actually helped me to increase weight in squat. So that is why i was curious if others have tried too.. Or our best person Scott have tried it or not.

[eyesthatwatch69]

@rswaryah its probabley not good to do it long term though, invest in some lifting shoes, which have higher heels for a similar effect as it provides a more stable platform

[PatrickKane95]

Where are you?

[Mrxeverlasting]

I wouldn't squat with a rusty bar with my shirts off.

[MasterOfPES]

glad it's not on the smith machine, well done scott.

[tennisboy1314]

Aren't these also called ATG squats? Once I started doing those instead of the normal 90 degrees I've noticed a lot more muscle development...and extreme muscle soreness the first couple of weeks haha...great vid as always, Scott

[pangeyi]

I just did this exercise this morning. good video.

[leonardlim10]

Do a video on all the different squats all in one video!!!

[blkrican2009]

so is this how you get a nice round bubble butt?

[jauske]

are your groin muscles suppose to hurt from this?

[ScottHermanFitness]

@jauske nothing should "hurt" if done correctly

[kinggogeta123]

@ScottHermanFitness nothing? arent your muscles supposed to hurt the next day ? :P

[boby6]

@jauske you have tight hip flexors. Search stretching exercises

[ToraJutsu01]

@jauske what kind of pain and at what time during or after the exercise?

[hxcnoah]

@jauske your groin muscles will hurt at the beginning because they are a little behind your other muscles -> likely before this if you did any leg work it was only hamstrings, calves, quads and glutes

as you get stronger, it will hurt less, but its cool they are good muscles

[0jimihendrix0]

@jauske I've heard of people getting groin pains when squatting, due to a lack of salt and sodium in their diet.

[mmacl4ncy]

this was good

[almostconcerned]

I filmed my squats today. I'm not getting as deep as I thought I was. I'm also positioning the bar too high, it needs to be back on my shoulders more. Everybody that is a beginner at this exercise ought to check their form IMHO. Thanks Scott.

[gokusupersayayin3]

I did enjoy haha

[eyesthatwatch69]

scott i like that you explained the staying in the rack thing so the trolls had less food

[ScottHermanFitness]

@eyesthatwatch69 haha thanks man :)

[DripsGaming]

Tickle me timbers!

[walshy0001]

OP IS A PHAGGOT

[Rafreakydeeky]

first comment!!!!