Stop Squatting Like This (AWFUL!!) – ATHLEAN-X™

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If you are looking to improve your squat, then this is a must watch video for you. When it comes to a well executed squat, bar path cannot be overlooked. The fastest and most efficient path from point A to point B is a straight line. The more efficient you are with a movement, the more weight you will be able to move and therefore the more gains you will see from your training.

When I’m correcting an athletes bar path in the squat there are a few things I look at. How is the bar descending and then how is it ascending as the athlete comes out of the bottom of the squat. A common flaw is to pitch the head forward. A common cause for this particular fault is quad weakness. In the case of quad weakness the body attempts to recruit the stronger muscles of the posterior chain.

This is easily diagnosed by asking the athlete to perform a pause squat. Often the ability to properly hold a squat in the bottom position under control will reveal that it is not the quads as to do a paused squat properly requires significant quad strength. Some other causes for improper bar path are poor set up, lack of mobility; especially dorsiflexion in the ankle. Inefficient bar path could also indicate a weakness in the upper back specifically in the scapular retractors.

If an athlete has a strong upper back, it’s possible that they lack the muscular endurance to maintain it. They can stay tight in the set up but somewhere during the lift they get lax and lose the requisite upper back rigidity causing them to lurch forward. The last cause that we’ll cover in this video is habitual patterning. This is often caused by a previous injury that the athlete has sustained.

As a response to an injury the body will sometimes develop inefficient movement patterning to accommodate the injury. Once the injury heals the patterning has become so ingrained in the athletes movement that they continue to demonstrate it.

Whatever the reason is for your crooked bar path you need to address it. There’s no point slapping more weight on the bar and fooling yourself into thinking that you’re getting stronger. All you are doing is putting the problem off until it refuses to be ignored. That usually comes in the form of an injury and when you’re talking about the king of all exercises, the squat, there’s often hundreds of pounds of weight involved. Not a good idea.

If you want to get stronger and move better not just with the squat but on every lift you do then you have to start focusing on doing the things that help you to improve at every opportunity. Athletes take every element of their training seriously and leave no room for error. If you are looking to train like an athlete and get more out of every workout you do, head to and get the ATHLEAN-X Training System.

For more videos on how to fix your squat as well as the best form for increasing your squat, be sure to subscribe to our channel here on youtube at

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