Originally Posted by
Charles Poliquin from Ed Coan
A very common question that came up during my webinar: how to recuit the knee extensors more? The answer: simply by changing the position of the hands on the bar and the elbows.
If working the quadriceps more is what you are looking for, I advocate the use of a closer-grip on the bar, elbows forward position during back squatting, as this position has been shown to improve the recruitement of the knee extensors during the exercise.
However, many trainees have tight shoulders that prevent this position on the bar or makes it uncomfortable. During a conversation with Ed Coan, he gave me a trick that will make squatting with this position instantaneously more comfortable.
What you need to do:
Take your regular stance
Use only the 3 fingers of each hand on the bar (not counting the thumb)
Drive the elbow forward so they are under the bar
This trick will help drive the elbows forward more and be more comfortable in the back squat