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Coach and Athletic Director

Proper Body Posture & Techniques For Squat & Deadlift

This is the continuation of the article from the December 2010 issue of Coach & Athletic Director.

By Ken Mannie, Head Strength/Conditioning Coach, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.

Ken Mannie, the author of Coach & Athletic Director's monthly “Powerline” column, has offered these 14 tips to ensure your athletes are using proper body posture and techniques when executing squat and deadlift exercises.

14 Tips

1. Head and eyes should face forward — not up or down.

2. Shoulders are pulled back and kept there. Do not let the shoulders roll forward.

3. Chest faces forward and is slightly raised. Keep a “big chest.”

4. Lower back is slightly arched. Tilting the pelvis forward (the butt will “kick back” slightly) will engage this position.

5. Torso should remain rigid throughout lift.

6. Feet are at shoulder width.“Dig” the heels into the floor.

7. Contract abdominal muscles and start descent with control.

8. Knees should remain directly over feet. Do not let knees bow in, bow out or flex too far over the toes.

9. Hips and buttock should move backward and downward as if sitting in a chair.

10. Descend until mid-thigh reaches parallel to the floor.

11. Pause momentarily to demonstrate control without bouncing or jerking at bottom.

12. Drive upward, raising hips and torso at same time. Do not raise hips before torso; lead upward with head, chest and shoulders. The hips will naturally roll upward and inward.

13. Rise upward until hips are beneath the torso. Do not hyperextend the low back.

14. Take a breath or two, demonstrate control and proceed with the next repetition.

Key Points

Other general key points for squatting and deadlifting include:

X Always remain more upright than flexed at the waist (a very slight forward flexion is natural and unavoidable with the free weight squat/deadlift).

X Bend more at the knees and less at the waist.

X Lower-back muscles should remain contracted and slightly arched throughout the entire movement.

X Heels must be kept flat during the entire movement; do not roll-up on the balls of the feet.

X Small problems with small weights result in big problems with big weights.

X Never sacrifice proper form for a repetition.