Bill Hannon SSC: Thoracic Flexion in the Squat

[Mark Rippetoe]

Identifying and Correcting Thoracic Spinal Flexion in the Squat | Bill Hannon

[LimieJosh]

This was timely. I still have bad habits that come up from my old high bar days and so chest up seems like the wrong cue for me, but it's actually something I need to work on.

[spacediver]

timely for me too. I've definitely been experiencing "rolling bar" at bottom of rep when weight gets heavy.

[Troy May]

This thing with the bar rolling up on ascent has been happening to me, going to have to check and see if this is the cause. This is what happens when I get lazy with the videoing for reviewing form. Well overdue for some coaching as well.

[Giri Kotte]

As a coach you’ll need to be careful with any sort of “chest up” or “proud chest” cue. Many will interpret this as a cue to keep the torso vertical, or to lift the chest out of the hole. Reinforce the point that the “proud chest” back-extended position is to be maintained independent of back angle.

Insightful and helpful. I had the same issues and it took me hell of a lot of time to figure a part of what you tackled in the article.

[MapleRock]

Timely for me as well. I was experiencing the symptoms mentioned in the article and thought my gaze was too close. When I started looking out just a little further I felt my chest get proud and realized how loose my mid back had been. I had been concentrating on upper back tightness and was just a big soft mess everywhere else.

[David A. Rowe]

Thoracic position and proper breathing are so important to every lift. I hope the fourth edition specifically covers this ad nauseum. Everyone I have trained so far has had this, and even with a linear progression they struggle longer than they should because sedentary lifestyles and poor posture work against them. We'll endowed females can also struggle, but at least a selling point for them is, "You don't have to run with those any more."

[Abraham Gainz]

Amazing timing. I applied the "proud chest" yesterday squatting 260lb and experienced no elbow pain for the first time in weeks. A press PR soon followed.

[DannyP]

I actually sent Bill a PM about this article, since I only now saw the thread discussing it but wanted to let him know how relatable it was personally! Probably took me a year to "get it" since I always misinterpreted the "big chest" cue to mean raise my chest (by further extending my thoracic spine) which lasted one rep at most.

One day during a coaching session it all clicked somehow. I came up with "shoulder blades together" as a cue. Per my exchange with Bill I realize that this action alone doesn't engage the erectors, but when I cue myself that way, it reminds me to tighten everything on the northern part of my back. Bar stays put, I stay tight, I have less pain/fewer failed reps.