COUNTERBALANCE! A Squat Skill for Life

COUNTERBALANCE is a fundamental knee skill.

Let’s look at the same weight, 25 pounds, behind my back vs. out in front.

Out in front is significantly easier!

And it’s a smooth scale:

Lighter plates are ideal for full reach.

Heavier plates are ideal to increase challenge through greater load (obviously) and being closer to the body (just in front of the knees rather than fully outstretched):

Dumbbell (or kettlebell) is better than a plate for even heavier and closer to the body.

Dumbbell can provide enough challenge for most walks of life, but barbell is better than a dumbbell for even heavier and closer to the body.

The behind-the-back style is also a valid increase of challenge for someone with great knee demands, but no bar and/or no desire to lift heavier weights.

Notice the tremendous difference of knee angle below, despite the same load.

It’s worth mentioning that the popularizer of this behind-the-back (aka “hack”) squat, George Hackenschmidt, was able to jump over chairs till the end of his life in his mid-80s!

Squat racks didn’t exist at the time, so this is how he challenged the ability of his legs.

This is significant history. Instead of seeking further UNDERSTANDING of this ability, the exercise science world wound up going the route of FEAR and avoidance.

Exercise science’s own research has since found the deep squat to be an effective exercise to help protect and preserve the knees while strengthening the legs.

However, the decades of avoidance created a great halt in the development of skills and systems, so that development became my primary job.

Now the skill of ability is simpler and more well-known than ever!

Before signing off, two notes:

1. Assistance is a valid form of counterbalance and reduction of load!

This is also a valid pull-up regression!

You’re able to do a full pull-up and full squat, with reduced load for each.

This can be life-changing as opposed to letting these abilities go dormant and decay.

2. Heel elevation is not required for a deep squat, but most people need it to get low. Even if you can get low without it, it’s still a good tool for extra knee development.

I’ve seen the counterbalance system work well with or without a ramp, with heels on the floor or with heels up!

The fundamental point is ABILITY in a low position, and a ramp is simply a useful tool to assist this pursuit.

Conclusions

COUNTERBALANCE is a fundamental knee skill.

ASSISTANCE is not to be scoffed at.

HEEL ELEVATION is useful but not vital.

And ABILITY deserves validation and attention rather than avoidance and fear.

I hope this comes in handy the next time someone needs your help.

Yours in Solutions,

Ben

For everything I’m doing in-person, but online, the Exercise Skills For Life program on the app has up-to-date form videos for all the skills I’m teaching to students and faculty. As always, it’s the lowest price I’ve seen to coach YOUR FORM.

We also make our own squat ramps.

And to see if there’s an in-person ATG coach or gym near you.