Squat form Q-

[rahbah]

Dear Coach

My questions is in regards to Squat form as to when to perform the "knees out" action? In BBT you suggest to start the squat movement with an active knees bending and out action followed by hips back and down- is this correct because in an earlier thread you mentioned just one down that "knees out" should be at the bottom?

As well, second q- when out of the bottom - I raise the hips straight up is it done with a simulatneous chest raise or hips up and then followed by chest raise after a few inches?"

Thanks in advance and I am so grateful to you as I'm sure many others are for so wonderfully illustrating and teaching proper form on the main Barbell exercises which are the key to increased size and strength.

[Mark Rippetoe]

As is usually the case, different problems require different cues. I cue the knees out at the bottom to fix a depth problem, since this is usually enough to get another 2" of depth for a person cutting off the bottom but not otherwise doing anything wrong. Knees going forward at the bottom is another problem, and for that I like to cue the knees out at the top, since the forward knee travel at the bottom indicates a release of hamstring tightness, and if forward knee travel is finished before the first 1/3 of the descent then the rest of the movement will be hips back. Other problems may be addressed differently as well.

Raising the hips out of the bottom is always the focus. The object is to make the back angle stay constant as the hips drive up, not to let the chest fall forward which would change the back angle to more horizontal. If the hips are the cue, most people will keep the back angle constant to keep from falling over. It is seldom necessary to cue a raising of the chest, since this would change the back angle by making it more vertical, which drives the knees forward and which therefore kills hamstring drive. At no time during a back squat is it useful to raise the chest and let the knees drop forward. Just keep driving the hips up the whole time, and when the knees need to finally straighten and the chest needs to lift, it will.