You love to squat. You love the feeling that you get from driving several hundred pounds up from the floor to the top. Is it easy? Definitely not. However, it is necessary in order for you to reach the goals you have set for both your legs and your full body development as well. Squatting isn’t as easy as just getting under the bar and pushing away. Rather, you need to utilize good form, proper momentum, and excellent weight control if you wish to get the most out of your time in the gym. Here are some general squatting tips you should be following in order to make the most gains with the least risk of injury.

Do: Warm up. Many bodybuilders will jump on the rack with 225 pounds and just start squatting. They may be excited to be squatting, but they are placing their cold knees at a major risk. Instead, they should spend 5 minutes walking on the treadmill, followed with 2 to 3 minutes of stretching and barbell squats to allow the knees to become properly acclimated.

Do: Keep the weight as high up on your traps as possible. Allowing it to roll further down the back is a powerlifter move which will allow you to move a heavier weight. However, it will also shift the pressure form the front thighs (the desired target of squats for bodybuilders) to the glutes and hips (the desired target of powerlifters lifting solely for larger numbers).

Do: Keep your back straight throughout the duration of the movement. You may feel some temptation to lean forward during the initial burst from the floor, but dong so will only take away the brunt of the work form the legs and transfer it to your back.

Do: Wear a back brace. On every set. Without fail. The lower back endures a great deal of pressure when you squat. The belt allows the pressure to be more evenly distributed throughout the back, and prevents many disc injuries.

Do: Try utilizing the 20-repetition squat method at least once per month. This exercise not only recruits a great deal of slow-twitch muscle fibers which normally sit dormant with sets up to 12 or 14, but it also allows you to greatly improve your lung capacity.

Don’t wear knee wraps on every set. They are an excellent aid on the final set or two when you are maxing out and need that extra bit of added support. However, using them on every movement will turn them into a crutch. You will not longer be able to safely squat without them. It’s nice to move more weight, as they provide, but on every set, they will set you back in the long run.

Don’t use too few repetitions. Singles (1 repetition per set) and Doubles (2 repetitions per set) work fine for powerlifters. However, your goal as a bodybuilder is to stimulate the muscle fibers of the legs into growth. Sets of 6 or more repetitions deliver this kind of stimulation.

Don’t drop below parallel. The moment your knees break parallel, it is time to begin pushing the weight back up. Sure, you will always hear the self-proclaimed guru telling you that you should go to the floor. However, once you pass the parallel point, your thighs stop working and your knee starts working. This is not desirable if you want to preserve your tendon health.

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