8 Week Squat Progression

This course is designed to help athletes squat with better form and allow them to build a foundation to add load. The program will follow 4 variations of the squat

1. Zombie Cyclist 
2. Zombie Front Squat 
3. Front Squat 
4. Back Squat 

Each variation will be utilized in 2 Week blocks and performed a minimum of 3 days a week. 

THIS IS NOT A FULL PROGRAM!!!!  This progression includes squats, ankle mobility, and core work.  Perform this 3 times a week with your own lifting program and separate them by a day.

The variations will be incorporated into the warm-up of the next to expose the athlete as much as possible. The lift will be performed with heels elevated and ankle mobility drills will be provided as well.  We don't need to worry about ankle mobility on the squat when we cover it somewhere else. 

The goals allow the athlete to comfortably squat with a vertical torso to minimize low back pain.  Full-range squats are extremely beneficial to all athletes and no they will not destroy knees.  Almost every sport is played in some quarter squat fashion, so our athletes get millions of exposures to quart squats (not saying training them are a bad thing)  so to combat this, training in a full range allows our athlete to train in ranges they are unfamiliar with and will allow them to become more robust and stronger athletes. 

1. Zombie Cyclist Squat 
   1. Heels are elevated (shoot for 20 degrees) and feet are roughly 1 to 2 inches apart
   2. Knees will go straight forward
   3. Barbell or PVC pipe will be on the front of the shoulders like a front squat except with the area extended straight out. 
   4. The goal is to squat straight down and get your hamstring to cover your calves. 
   5. Reps will be performed with a 4-1-1-1 tempo
      1. 4 seconds down - 1 sec at the bottom, on the way up, and at the top.
   6. Trying to hit the as the 4th second expires. 
2. Zombie Front Squat 
   1. Heels are elevated (shoot for 20 degrees) and feet can be moved out to around hip-width but no wider than shoulder-width 
      • Knees will go over the toes 
      • Barbell or PVC pipe will be on the front of the shoulders like a front squat except with the area extended straight out. 
      • The goal is to squat straight down and get your hamstring to cover your calves. 
      • Reps will be performed with a 4-1-1-1 tempo
        1. 4 seconds down - 1 sec at the bottom, on the way up, and at the top.
      • Trying to hit the as the 4th second expires.  
3.  Front Squat 
   1. Heels are elevated (shoot for 20 degrees) and feet can be moved out to around hip-width but no wider than shoulder-width 
      • Knees will go over the toes
      • The barbell should be in the front rack position with the bar on the shoulders 
        1. Palms should be towards the sky with the finger underneath the bar
        2. Elbows should be roughly shoulder height
      • The goal is to squat straight down and get your hamstring to cover your calves. 
4. Back Squat- High Bar Olympic Style  

1. Heels are elevated (shoot for 20 degrees) and feet can be moved out to around hip-width but no wider than shoulder-width 
   • Knees will go over the toes
   • The barbell should be placed on your traps
     1. Hands on the bar roughly outside the shoulders 
     2. Think of bending the bar around your shoulder to lock into a stable position 
     3. The wrist should be neutral 
   • The goal is to squat straight down and get your hamstring to cover your calves. 

Tempos and different styles of programming will be used when the athlete gets to the Front and Back squat blocks. 

Now, if you the athlete or you do not feel like you have a grasp and movement efficiency on a variation, repeat a week or both until you feel like you are good at it. Movement before load -don't load a bad movement or you will only engrain that bad movement.