Squat stalling? Here’s how to get moving again
A squat often stalls not because you are weak, but because one phase is weaker than the others. Once you find your dead spot, you can adjust your training more precisely and the weight starts moving again.
The bench press, squat and deadlift are known as the big three for a reason. They measure strength honestly. But every basic exercise is only as strong as its weakest spot.
Why does your squat stall?
Mike Robertson, a former US national powerlifting team coach, described it simply: lifters often fail because one specific phase of the whole lift is weak. These spots are called dead spots.
In the squat, there are two common tough spots: the bottom position and the middle phase on the way up. In the first, you get stuck in the hole. In the second, you get out of the hole, but the weight dies halfway up.
The squat is an old-school strength exercise in the best sense. In the early 20th century, George Hackenschmidt used the squat and its many variations in his training. Sergey Smolov is also known for his intense 13-week squat program, which in some cases has added as much as 50 kg to a squat record. Arnold didn’t underestimate the squat either. His attitude was tough: if necessary, squat so heavy that your vision starts to black out.
Frankly, wanting it badly isn’t enough here. If the same spot gives out every time, you have to train that spot separately.
The squat and the bottom-position problem
Weakness in the bottom position is often tied to a lack of stability. The descent is slow, your body doesn’t stay solid and the weight feels foreign on your upper back. You reach the bottom, wobble for a moment, and the lift is gone.
Robertson’s solution is the pause squat. The idea is simple: you learn to stay calm in the hole. At the same time, you build strength in exactly the position where you normally collapse.
Pause squats
On the first set, don’t overdo the weight. 50% of your max is enough. Put the bar on your upper back, hold it with an overhand grip, eyes forward and chest up. Push your hips back, bend your knees and lower yourself into the squat under control.
Your thighs should break parallel at the least. Hold the bottom position for 3-7 seconds and then rise back up. That is one rep. Limit yourself to three reps. Later you can gradually increase the weight and work up to 80% of your record.
The squat and the mid-phase obstacle
If you get out of the hole but get stuck halfway up, the cause may lie in the quadriceps, the glutes or general power. This is the spot where your body has to drive the weight onward, not just somehow survive.
For the middle phase, Robertson recommended the front squat. Many see it only as an exercise for Olympic weightlifters, but it loads the quadriceps and glutes heavily. These are exactly the muscles that help you get through the hard middle of the back squat.
Front squat
Hold the bar with an underhand grip, hands outside your shoulders. Raise your upper arms until they are parallel to the floor. The bar should rest firmly on the front of your shoulder muscles.
Push your hips back and squat down until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. Squeeze your glutes and thigh muscles and rise back to the starting position. The movement must be clean, not gymnastics for survival.
Speed squat with the bar on your back
If the problem is power, the speed squat helps. It uses the traditional back squat with bands or chains. In the top position, the bands should be fairly taut.
Put the bar on your upper back, hold it with an overhand grip, eyes forward and chest up. Push your hips back, bend your knees and lower yourself into the squat under control. Again, your thighs should break parallel at the least.
Drive up out of the bottom position as forcefully as possible, without breaking your technique. Do sets of three. If you use the pause variation, hold the position for 3-7 seconds. As you progress, you can work up to 80% of your record with the weights.
How do you get your squat moving again?
A simple truth: don’t try to fix everything at once. If the bottom position is unstable, put the main emphasis on pause squats. If you get stuck in the middle phase, use front squats and speed squats.
A practical plan could look like this: do front squats and/or speed squats 2-3 times a week and retest your squat record after 6 weeks. You don’t have to attempt a record in every workout. Most of the time, you gain more by consistently building up the weak spot.
Look at your recovery too. If your legs are drained every week, your technique falls apart and your sleep is poor, no accessory exercise will save you. The dead spot may be in the muscle, but sometimes it’s in the training plan.
FAQ: squat and stalls
Is the pause squat suitable for beginners?
Yes, as long as your technique is under control and the weight is reasonable. A lighter weight is enough at first, because the pause makes the exercise harder right away.
What should you do if your squat always gets stuck halfway up?
Add the front squat and the speed squat to your plan. They help develop the quadriceps, the glutes and a powerful drive upward.
How quickly should your record improve?
The original recommendation was to retest your squat record after 6 weeks. In the meantime, focus on the weak phase rather than on maximal weight in every workout.
Source: www.menshealth.com
Translated by Janar Rückenberg
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