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"Sit back." "Chest up." "Knees out."
You have heard these your whole lifting life. Some of them cause the exact problems they claim to fix, and nobody tells you which.
Straight Down takes the squat apart piece by piece, from where your hands go to how you walk the bar out, and tells you why each piece works instead of asking you to take it on faith.
Some of what is in here will contradict what you have been taught. Bent wrists are correct, and straight ones are punishing under load. Most people who say their shoulders are too tight are holding the bar wrong. If you think you need more ankle mobility to reach depth, your ankles are not the problem. Low bar is not better leverage, and the usual explanation for why it works is wrong.
Seventy-nine photographs and diagrams. Fourteen chapters covering the setup, breathing and bracing, the unrack, the descent, the ascent, the mental side, accessory work, variations, programming, safety, equipment, and competition, plus a quick-reference chapter of the mistakes I see most.
Every fault in the book is photographed as well as described, so you can see what you are doing wrong rather than guess at it.
Written by Zachary Hall. A 661-pound squat in competition and 700 in training, more than three times bodyweight across multiple weight classes, elite-certified in three of them.
An illustrated PDF, delivered instantly. Read it on a phone, a tablet, or print it and take it to the gym.
This book is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Training carries risk. Full disclaimer inside.
"Sit back." "Chest up." "Knees out."
You have heard these your whole lifting life. Some of them cause the exact problems they claim to fix, and nobody tells you which.
Straight Down takes the squat apart piece by piece, from where your hands go to how you walk the bar out, and tells you why each piece works instead of asking you to take it on faith.
Some of what is in here will contradict what you have been taught. Bent wrists are correct, and straight ones are punishing under load. Most people who say their shoulders are too tight are holding the bar wrong. If you think you need more ankle mobility to reach depth, your ankles are not the problem. Low bar is not better leverage, and the usual explanation for why it works is wrong.
Seventy-nine photographs and diagrams. Fourteen chapters covering the setup, breathing and bracing, the unrack, the descent, the ascent, the mental side, accessory work, variations, programming, safety, equipment, and competition, plus a quick-reference chapter of the mistakes I see most.
Every fault in the book is photographed as well as described, so you can see what you are doing wrong rather than guess at it.
Written by Zachary Hall. A 661-pound squat in competition and 700 in training, more than three times bodyweight across multiple weight classes, elite-certified in three of them.
An illustrated PDF, delivered instantly. Read it on a phone, a tablet, or print it and take it to the gym.
This book is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Training carries risk. Full disclaimer inside.