Buildling Back Tightness – Squat

Many people that the squat is all about lower body strength. Well it’s not, it requires massive amounts of balls, back strength and trunk strength. You may be able to leg press 200kg but then you struggle with your body weight when it comes to squatting 

Getting tight through your back is crucial for back health and developing a big squat. I would say at least 1 in 3 people I see at powerlifting meets could avoid missing their lift by simply getting tight through their back. I see people just place the bar on their backs and their upper back starts rounding instantly. The minute they hit depth they fold forward. They miss the squat not because of leg strength but because they haven’t got tight. 

Just arching and keeping your chest up isn’t going to cut it when you’re near a max effort squat (will address this in a later post) or squatting for reps and getting tired. You need to get tight engage your whole back including your lats, rhomboids and traps.