Buthowdo you actually set up for squats?
What is a squat rack?
There are several types of squat stands, racks, and cages.
But well be talking about the kind with safeties.
Some squat racks include two upright posts, with one hook and one safety arm on each post.
All of these havehooksandsafeties, which is the important part.
At this point, the bar will be stacked over your hips, which are over your feet.
Your hips and knees are bent.
Now youll straighten your hips and knees, like a mini squat, to stand up with the bar.
Importantly,you need the bar to be clear of the hooks at this point.
If you hit or even graze the hooks as you step back, the hooks are too high.
Once its rotated, you might pull it out and then replace it into a different hole.
This videoshows a trick for moving the J-cups without having to remove the bar entirely from the rack.
Then, set a barbell on the hooks
Now, you need a bar to squat with!
A power bar or Olympic bar is the typical choice.
Other types of bars, like curl bars, wont fit on standard racks.
Do not take a stab at make one of these work.
Now is a good time to do a practice squat or two.
Set the safeties
This is the part a lot of people forget.
The safeties are important for two reasons.
It might make a loud clang, but at least it wont fall onto your body.
Take the time to set the safeties.
On a rack with only two posts, the safeties may attach in a similar way as the J-cups.
If youdoneed to set the weight down suddenly, its this secondary pin that takes most of the weight.
It may have an inner and outer tube.
In other cases, the safety may be a strap or chain rather than a bar.
Once again, if you cant figure it out by looking for it, ask somebody.
But sometimes theyll be removed or misplaced.
Look around, and ask around.
The proper height for the safeties is just below the lowest point the barbell will reach while you squat.
This is why those practice squats with the empty barbell are so important.
If you bonk into the safeties on every rep, they are too high.
double-check to practice bailing, too.
With the empty bar, squat all the way down, then pretend you cant get back up.
Set the bar down.
If its too low, youll have trouble doing this.
Find an appropriate height before returning the bar to the hooks and loading it for your next set.
Unfortunately, some racks have a single, fixed safety bar.
If this isnt the right height for you, youre kind of out of luck.
Try bailing, and see if you’re free to do so safely.
If you cant make it work, see if the gym has another rack that fits you better.
Get your shoulders set and your feet aligned under the bar, then bring your hips under the bar.
Get tight, and stand up.
Take one step backward, then another step with the other foot.
The bar is now well clear of the hooks and you are ready to squat.
There is no need to take more.)
Then you’re able to congratulate yourself on a squat set well done.
(Many racks have numbers by the holes.)
This way youll be able to set up more quickly next time.
