Squats:

Try and get the position of the bar below the traps and over the rear deltoids. This will feel awkward at first but is much better than using a foam pad or having a high bar placement. You will be able to handle heavier weights without putting stress on the top of your spine / base of your neck area, also your stability will be much better. Balance is everything when squatting. The squat is a fantastic core exercise that will help to give you better balance. I can remember being at a world championships back in 2009. The judging was very strict on the depth of the squats. The top part of the thigh had to break 2 inches below parallel. With a low bar placement, my balance was much better than the lifters with a high bar placement causing a large number of lifters to fail the lift. Remember to keep your head up, try and find a spot on the ceiling or wall in front of you. Focus on the spot as descend, push back so the overload goes to you gluts and hips. Never drop down with your knees going forward, always push your knees out and bum back. If you watch some of the best lifters in the world on clips from YouTube, you will hear the coach shout “back, back”. This means they are trying to remind the lifter to push back and not just drop down. This will make you break parallel easier, save your knees and give you more power and explosion from the lift. Read more

Now when it comes to selecting the correct exercises to your goals whether they are for building muscle or cutting fat Compound movements I believe along with many other trainers are a vital ingredient to anyone’s successful journey in getting to the target goal.

The reason we want to include these movements purely is because of the fact that they recruit a whole compound of muscles both included in the target body part but also amongst other body parts too meaning more fibres are recruited, broken down and then recovered and over compensated by the body by building more size and strength in the repaired tissue created in what we know as muscle hypotrophy, along with more muscle hypotrophy there will also be more growth hormone and testosterone secreted through your muscles out into the body which will also enhance your muscle building potential. Where we also can include more isolation exercises that usually target one muscle at a time as long as performed correctly with good form we would have to include multiple exercises and sets to hit the same amounts as compound movements meaning more time is needed with the body under stress and more sets potentially also required in order to complete the same effect on the body to grow and progress. Read more