Five (5) Favourite Squatting/Lower Body Movements

Ashley JonesSimmons Combo Good Morning with Cambered Bar or Safety Squat Bar.......Ash Jones

Five Favourite Squatting/Lower Body Movements
Ashley Jones

1. Simmons Combo Good Morning with Cambered Bar or Safety Squat Bar

Start by setting up for a Good Morning, I love the way that holding the cambered bar opens up you body and lifts your chest up, arch your back, have a slight knee bend and lower down slowly to the bottom position of a god morning pause then drop the hips into a deep squat position and then come back up to the start position using good concentric squat technique.

2. Safety Bar or Cambered Bar Box Squat

I use a 45 cm box which is slightly above parallel for me, chest up, strong arch and squat back onto the box keep the body tensed and drive up to the starting position. Feet flat on the ground through out the movement pushing out at all times.

3. Front Squat

Clean grip style or if you do not yet have the flexibility then use the Front Squat Harness, I love this exercise because if I can build the load up I have the confidence to clean and know that whatever weight I can rack into position I can stand up with it. Also great for the lower back as you must stay upright, I will often teach it first as it allows first time squatters to keep the chest up and to force you back onto your heels.

4. Gorilla Grip Trap Bar Dead Lifts

Gives a great grip strength workout at the same time as training the lower backs and gluts and hamstrings, also because of the hand positioning, to the side keeps you in a more upright posture as you “push the ground away from you” as you rise up to a standing position.

5. Zercher Lift and Squat

A great old time exercise, excellent for flexibility of the entire lower body, place an Olympic bar and 10’s on the floor squat down and hook the elbows under the bar with the hands supinated. If you can not achieve this starting position place in a power rack or on low blocks and work your way to the floor over time.  From the start position lift the upper body upwards as you lock into a solid arched back position and then stand up from this deep squat position, return slowly to the ground. I find it easier to use this in a cluster style rep sequence resting 10 – 15 seconds between each rep

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