Try Heavy Squat Stand Ups & Walkouts For A Stronger Squat
Something that I do with my female strength athletes and my own training are heavy squat stand ups and walkouts.
These are simple to do and have numerous benefits for improving strength, building muscle, and improving mental confidence when it comes to squatting heavy weights.
Squat Stand Ups
Squat stand-ups are one of the simplest, yet most effective things you can do to gain confidence in your squat and add more pounds on the bar.
They’re very simple to do. Let’s say your 1RM squat is 200 pounds. Work up to your 1RM squat, but don’t do a squat.
Simply load the weight on the bar in the rack, get under the bar just as if you were going to unleash a hellish squat, and just stand up with it.
Don’t squat. In fact, don’t move. Just stand there holding the weight on your back for 8-10 seconds.
Rack it and add 10% to the bar so you’re now at 220 pounds. Again, set up and get tight as if you’re going to squat it.
Brace hard, keep your upper back and core tight, and simply stand up with the weight. Hold it for about for 8-10 seconds while keeping everything tight and lower it back to the pins.
From here add another 5-10%, if you’re strong enough to handle it.
Try working to 15 to 20% above your current 1RM squat.
The benefits are numerous:
- Once you get comfortable with heavy weight on your back, your normal squat poundage will feel much lighter.
- Standing with a heavy load on your back will make your upper back, traps, and core work like nothing else. Just holding heavy weight in position like this will cause your body to adapt and work hard with a very low chance of injury.
- Your nervous system will get a serious wake up call.
Heavy squat walkouts combine nicely with heavy squat stand-ups. But don’t go as heavy as you do on stand-ups – about 10-15% above your squat 1RM will do the trick.
There’s obviously going to be movement of the legs and ankles, so there’s a much higher risk of things going wrong. Leave your ego at home and train smart. Set the safeties high and if possible, have a 3-point spot (three spotters).
Get the weight on your back, get tight, stand up, then walk backwards and set up as if you were going to squat. But don’t squat. Just hold the position for 8-10 seconds while staying tight and bracing your core and upper back.
Once you’ve held the squat at the top for 8-10 seconds, walk forward and rack the weight.
Again, once you’re used to walking out with a big weight on your back, your normal poundage’s for your sets and reps won’t feel nearly as heavy.
Squat Walk Outs
Heavy squat walkouts mesh nicely with heavy squat stand-ups. But don’t go as heavy as you do on stand-ups – about 10-15% above your squat 1RM will do the trick.
There’s obviously going to be movement of the legs and ankles, so there’s a much higher risk of things going wrong. Leave your ego at home and train smart. Set the safeties high and if possible, have a 3-point spot (three spotters).
Get the weight on your back, get tight, stand up, then walk backwards and set up as if you were going to squat. But don’t squat. Just hold the position for 8-10 seconds while staying tight and bracing your core and upper back.
Once you’ve held the squat at the top for 8-10 seconds, walk forward and rack the weight.
Again, once you’re used to walking out with a big weight on your back, your normal poundages for your sets and reps won’t feel nearly as heavy.
Here is a video of one my athletes hitting a 300 lb squat PR.
Before she hit this squat I had her a few days before walk it out and stand with it.
Then before she squat 300 I had her squat walkout 315.
This makes the weight feel lighter and really gets the nervous system fired up.
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Thanks.
Coach Rob
Hey Coach Rob here.
I hope you enjoyed article and that it helps your training.
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Rob King is a Competitive PowerLifter, Coach and Writer.
