Barbell
Curl Squats - The Toughest (and Most Effective!) Core Strength
Exercise You Will EVER Do
This is my very favorite core
exercise and, trust me, you will feel why from the VERY FIRST
REP. It's a squat, but how you DO that squat forces the abdominal
area to do almost ALL the work! If you want strong abs, it doesn't
matter if you're a total beginner or an advanced trainier, TRY
THIS EXERCISE.
This is one
of THE best overall abdominal/core exercises I've EVER
found. If you want a stronger core and you want it fast,
THIS is the exercise to focus on. It's tough, but VERY
effective.
This exercise
is actually found in "The Best Ab Exercises"
book - so you're getting another sneak peek here!
The Curl Squat exercise
is deceptively simple...basically, you're going to do a squat
while holding the barbell in the top of the barbell curl position.
That's it!
So what makes this
exercise different from a front squat (where you support the
weight across the front of your shoulders)? And what makes is
so EXTREMELY effective for training the core (which is the REAL
reason for doing this particular exercise, NOT for working the
legs)?
I'll tell you!
Holding the resistance
in front of your body in the top curl position takes away the
shoulder support that you would normally get with a front squat.
ALL the supporting tension goes directly onto the muscles of
the core, instead of having much of it being taken up by the
shoulders. ALL your core muscles will have to contract HARD
throughout the entire movement in order to keep the barbell
from falling forward.
The difference in
position may seem subtle, but it's tension that you have to
experience to believe!
This exercise also
helps you to get a feel for how to properly use the abs during
a squat, which is EXTREMELY important for maximizing your squat
strength. Using the abs while squatting (especially at the bottom
of the lift) is something that does not come naturally and is
very rarely taught or explained to trainers. And believe me,
it has the potential to add pounds to your squat FAST.
Another great benefit
to this exercise is that your breathing muscles (the intercostals)
NEVER get a chance to relax during this movement. From top to
bottom and back up (even while you're "resting" at
the top), your breathing muscles are being challenged because
of the weight they're being forced to support.
This can build up
great breathing strength (the term "breathing strength"
may sound strange but watch a strongman explode a hot water
bottle just by inflating it with lung power and you'll know
what I'm talking about!) and carries directly over to your work
capacity in the regular barbell squat as well as most other
demanding exercises and sports!
How To Do It:
-------------------------------
To do this exercise,
all you really need is a barbell, but if you have access to
a power rack, even better. The rack will make it easier to get
into position for the exercise and will serve to "catch"
the bar when you're done.
Set the rack up so
that the racking pins are one notch below where you would normally
set them for squats. The reason you want to set those pins one
notch below is that by the time you're done with the exercise,
it may be very hard to get the bar up to the height where you
would normally rack the bar! With the racks a little lower,
you'll have an easier time getting the bar back onto them.
Set the safety rails
just above where you normally set them for regular squats the
first time you try this. When you develop a better feel for
how it's done, you can lower them a little to get the full range
of motion.
The weight should
be about the same as what you would use for barbell curls for
about 8 to 10 reps. This is a starting point - you can add weight
as you get stronger with the exercise.
Step in front of
the bar and hold it in the top position of the barbell curl.
Now stand up, unracking the bar. Don't allow your elbows to
brace against your midsection. This will take away from the
supporting tension on the abs. Take a step back and get your
feet set.
Now, holding the
bar in that top curl position through the entire movement, squat
down as far as you can then come back up. You don't actually
curl the bar while doing the squat, you just hold it in the
top curl position.
To increase abdominal
stability, you will be holding your breath during parts of this
movement. As you start to lower yourself down, inhale. Begin
holding your breath just below the halfway point of the squat
as you come down to the bottom position. Continue to hold it
until you're about 1/4 to 1/2 of the way back up.
If you don't want
to or are unable to hold your breath, exhale through pursed
lips (as though you're blowing up a balloon). Keeping the breath
held towards the bottom will maximize core stability and allow
your abs to function more effectively during the movement. Since
this exercise uses relatively light weight compared to a regular
squat, holding your breath is not nearly as potentially dangerous.
That being said,
if you DO feel lightheaded at any point in the exercise, rack
the bar and rest. Always use your best judgement here. The idea
is to work yourself in a SAFE manner.
When doing the exercise
for the first time, it's a good idea to start with just the
bar, no matter how strong you are. This will help you get a
feel for how the movement is done, where to set the safety rails
and how far down you can comfortably go.
When you're comfortable,
work your way up slowly from there as fatigue will come quickly.
It's a movement your body will be totally unused to, no matter
how many abdominal exercises you've done in your training career
before this. The muscles of the core will tire before your legs
do. Be sure to keep your lower back arched and tight while performing
this movement.
If you're able to,
go all the way down until your elbows touch your knees. This
will give you the fullest range of motion. Tense the abs hard,
especially at the bottom as you're coming back up. For extra
resistance, pause at the bottom for a few seconds. This will
give you the best feel for how the abs should be used when squatting.
With this exercise,
having the resistance in front of the body (similar to when
you're doing a front squat) allows you to keep a more vertical
body position. The majority of the tension WILL go onto the
abs, but be aware that there will also be some tension going
to the lower back.
Because you're holding
the weight out in front of you, the lower back must also contract
to help stabilize the spine. As you keep up with the exercise,
your lower back will get stronger.
COMMON ERRORS
---------------------------------------
1. Doing this
exercise after a bicep workout
As you can imagine,
performing this exercise is not going be as effective if you've
just finished a bicep workout. The biceps will already be fatigued
and you'll limit the amount of weight you can use and how long
you can hold it for. Use this exercise on non-bicep training
days, if possible.
2. Going too fast
Dropping down quickly
in the squat will put extra stress on the biceps as you come
up and reduce the tension on the abs. This exercise should be
done very deliberately with no bouncing or fast movements. If
you have a tendency to do this, pause at the bottom for a few
seconds to stop the bouncing.
3. Using too much
weight
Since the legs are
so much stronger, it's tempting to use too much weight for this
exercise. Remember, our goal here is NOT to work the legs or
the biceps but to work the abs. The legs and the biceps are
only here to help push the abs. If your biceps fatigue before
your abs get a good workout, you need to reduce the weight.
4. Leaning forward
Try to keep your
upper body as vertical as possible with this one. It's very
similar to a front squat - having the weight in front of you
allows you to stay vertical more easily. Leaning forward will
cause the barbell to shift forward, which will put more tension
on the biceps, causing them to fatigue prematurely. As you start
to fatigue, you will notice you have a tendency to lean forward.
This is because the supporting abs are weakening. Do your best
to keep vertical. Once you start to move too far forward, end
the set.
5. Bar too close
to chin
If the bar gets too
close to the collarbones, you will lose some of the tension
in the abs. Keep it at least a few inches away to maximize the
supporting tension and torque demanded of the abs. If it comes
too close, it may be tempting to rest the bar on your collarbones,
which will turn it into an uncomfortable front squat.
6. Letting the
elbows brace strongly against the midsection
If you let the elbows
press strongly into the midsection, it will take away some of
the tension on the abs. A little contact is fine, especially
as you get tired, but don't rely on using this technique or
it will make the exercise less effective.
Letting the elbows
sink in like this will also tend to hunch your back over, putting
pressure on the lower back. This will in turn pull your torso
and center of balance forward, putting more tension on the biceps,
making you dig the elbows in more! Keep the elbows out front,
away from your body and you'll keep a better body position and
do a more effective set.
TRICKS
-------------------
1. Look forward
and slightly up
When you squat, keeping
looking forward and slightly up. This will help you to keep
an arch in your lower back and keep you from leaning forward.
We want to avoid forward lean as it causes the biceps to fatigue
prematurely.
2. Don't breathe
too deeply in or out as you're coming down or pushing back up
Breathing too much
during this exercise reduces core stability and can compromise
your form. For best core stabilization, keep your breath carefully
controlled. At the bottom, you can hold your breath for a few
moments to get the most solid stability. As you come up, you
can exhale through pursed lips after you've come about 1/4 to
1/2 of the way. This technique shouldn't be used if you have
blood pressure issues, however, as it does cause an increase
in blood pressure. Keep a careful eye on how you feel if you
do choose to do this - and if you feel any dizziness, end the
set and then don't use this technique the next set.
3. Pause at the
bottom
To really maximize
the tension on the abs, pause for a few seconds at the bottom
and focus on really squeezing and tightening your abs hard.
As you start to come back up, try to push with your abs as well.
This will help you to feel what it's like to use the abs to
help push out of the bottom when doing regular barbell squats.
CONCLUSION:
------------------------------
If you're serious
about improving core strength, DEFINITELY add this exercise
to your list. It simply one of THE most effective core strength
exercises I've ever found, and will provide you with dramatic
increases in abdominal stability and strength.
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