Overhead, Anderson, Hack & Zercher | Squat Variations You’ve Never Tried!

As well as the conventional back squat or front squat, there are actually a number of other squat techniques which are useful for increasing your usual squatting strength, general lower body hypertrophy and increasing your mobility. This article will detail four variations of the squat which the majority of us have never tried but should probably make use of!

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Overhead Squat

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 Generally associated with crossfit, the overhead squat is a very technical movement which requires a lot of balance, core strength and mobility; especially in the shoulders. This exercise usually requires you to travel the bar above your head by using a snatch or a clean and jerking movement; however, you can un-rack from a squat rack and re-position your hands to press the bar above your head if that’s easier for you.

The lift involves you keeping the weight above your head, descending into a squat and coming back up with your arms remaining above your head; it’s a very technical movement that will help improve your core strength, balance and mobility. 

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Technique

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1: Grip the bar with a wide grip

2: Bring the bar up to rest on your quadriceps

3: Snatch the weight up above your head by pulling the bar towards you, thrusting forwards and firing the bar up above your head 

4: Position the bar in line with the back of your head/neck

5: Point elbows down (flare armpits outwards)

6: Descend your backside towards the floor and let your knees travel forwards above your feet

7: Explode upwards to the top of the movement and repeat

Things to note: This exercise can be very hard to perform as it requires mobility in the shoulders, hips and ankles. Be sure to fix any mobility issues before attempting the overhead squat.

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Anderson Squat

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The Anderson Squat was named after Paul Anderson who was an olympic weightlifter and strongman. Anderson squats begin the movement “in the hole” at the bottom of a conventional squat, with a pause at the bottom of each rep.

You’ll use the safety racks on a squat rack to set the bar at a comfortable height for you to begin and end each repetition from the bottom of the movement. Simply, this exercise stops you from bouncing at the bottom of a squat and shifts more focus onto pressing with the quadriceps out of the hole.

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Technique:

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1: Set the safety bars to a height where you can place the bar on it and get into a squat position beneath, with the bar resting on your traps (as you would hold the bar using a conventional squat)

2: Make sure your feet are in a comfortable position and your form is right to start the movement

3: Engage your quadriceps and push upwards until you reach the top of the squat

3: Descend back down and let the bar touch the safety racks 

4: Take a pause for 2 seconds and begin the movement again

5: Repeat for desired amount of reps/sets.

This is a fantastic exercise for overall leg development and increasing the strength of your squat. By stopping at the bottom of the movement and using this as a starting point you are forced to become more comfortable of being down in the hole of a squat, making your exit from the hole much stronger.

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Hack Squat

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 There are two methods of Hack Squats; one of which is using the hack-squat machine, which is a plate loaded piece of equipment that slides on rails similarly to the smith machine, with a platform for your feet at the bottom (you will travel at an angle of around 45 degrees using this machine).

Using the machine is very self explanatory and most gyms nowadays have a hack squat machine for you to use. With this being the case we’re going to talk through the barbell hack squat variation, which is a much less common exercise that requires more stability and core strength.

Using the barbell hack squat method is similar to a deadlift, however the barbell you’ll be lifting will be behind your body as opposed to in front of your legs.

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Technique:

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1: Place a barbell with your desired amount of weight on the ground

2: Squat down and take hold of the bar, with the bar being beneath your backside and close to your calves; face your palms backwards

3: Keeping your heels firmly on the floor, your chest up, spine, neck and head neutral

4: Push up while exhaling and let the bar travel from beneath you to behind your backside 

5: Once you’re stood up straight, descend back in the same plane of motion until the barbell reaches the floor and then continue the next repetition

This exercise is very similar to the deadlift, however because the weight is positioned behind your body as opposed to in front, the emphasis on the quadriceps is greater, as your back will take less of the load. Making the hack squat very good for quadriceps development. 

Note: Be sure to exhale on all concentric contractions and inhale on all eccentric movements.

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Zercher Squat

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 ‘Zercher’ refers to the position you hold the bar when performing an exercise; which is in the crook of the elbows. Unfortunately, this position can be uncomfortable due to the soft skin in the crooks of your elbows, so this is best performed in long sleeved clothing or even by wearing knee sleeves on your elbows to protect them from the bar you’re holding.

The range of motion of the movement is exactly the same as a generic squat, however the position you hold the weight in means that you must keep your back straight, create a small arch in the power back and pin your chest up (retract your scapular); making this exercise very good for increasing core strength and improving posture while placing a lot of emphasis on the quads and glutes, similarly to the front squat. However, if you do not perform this exercise with strong form, it will cause you to round your back and perform ineffectively.

Technique:

1: Standing in a squat rack, un-rack the weight from in front of you by placing the bar in the crooks of your elbows and cradling the barbell

2: Adopt a comfortable squatting stance and descend, while keeping your head up, chest pushed out and scapular retracted

3: Keeping your back as straight as possible, once you’ve reached the bottom of the squat, drive back upwards and exhale 

4: Repeat for desired amount of reps/sets

Although this exercise is very simple to explain, performing it is another story. Be sure to start with just the bar and perfect your form before attempting heavy weights, as if you drop the weight or fail the lift you could be injured. I’d suggest applying safety bars on the squat rack just in case you need to bail out of a lift.

Note: If you struggle to reach a good depth when squatting due to your ankle mobility, you can use powerlifting (squat) shoes, which will make it easier by increasing the height of your heel when performing squatting movements.

Dumbbell Bench Press Exercise | Technique & Common Mistakes

Dumbbell Bench Press Exercise

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Whilst any form of training will bare it’s advantages and disadvantages, the benefits of training with dumbbells cannot be ignored! Due to the simplicity of barbells and machines, dumbbells are often overlooked, however, below are some of the most common advantages of using dumbbells in the weight room, including the dumbbell bench press.

Balance and Stabilisation: Using dumbbells will require more balance and stabilisation throughout and therefore can be an extremely effective tool for functional training. Furthermore, due to the fact that there is more stabilisation and caution taken during dumbbell movements, the muscle fibres will be maximally recruited in a way that would not be possible with barbells and machines. Resulting in your physique, strength and physical balance progressing.

Joint Friendly: Due to the fixed hand/elbow positioning of the barbell, our movement can become limited and not shoulder/elbow joint friendly. Using dumbbells allows us to have more movement throughout (and potentially increased range of motion also!) We can also alter the form and technique to suit our joints if we do have a slight joint problem, we can therefore work around individual issues.

Uni Lateral Implications: Muscular imbalances are one of the most common hindrances in people today, resulting in unbalanced physiques both aesthetically and physically. In order to prevent this, people should apply uni lateral exercises (where only one side of the body is being used). With dumbbells, we are able to apply these exercises and effectively target one side of the body.

Overload Methods: When we refer to overload methods, we tend to look at training techniques such as dropsets, supersets etc. Whilst these can be trained using barbells; dumbbells provide a far greater practical edge. With the barbell, you are left having to strip the bar, reload it, put the clips on, get back in position; with the dumbbells it is far simpler!

One of the most common dumbbell exercises is the Dumbbell Bench Press; a bilateral compound movement at the forefront of any chest workout. The exercise is a compound movement which primarily utilises the pectoral major with the triceps and anterior deltoids working synergistically and supporting muscles throughout.

Below is a step by step guide to help you achieve this.

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Preparation

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» Sit on a flat bench and grip both dumbbells whilst they are rested on the upper thigh.

» Whilst using your thighs and a slight degree of momentum, inhale your breath, lean back and kick the dumbbells onto your chest simultaneously.

» At this stage, the dumbbells should be gripped to the side of your chest and your elbow/forearm should be creating a 90 degree angle.

» Ensure that throughout this exercise, your head and neck is resting on the bench and is not lifting itself at any time. Doing this will only cause forward head tilt in years to come and increased risk of kyphosis.

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Execution

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» As you exhale your breath, create an extension at the elbow joint to push the dumbbells upwards. This concentric part of the exercise should be performed powerfully and within the 1-2 second tempo range.

» Throughout this phase of the movement, the dumbbells should be pressing from as far out wide as possible. Taking them inwards and creating a close grip dumbbell press will only result in excess tricep tension and the chest will become somewhat neglected. Remember; wide press is a wide chest!

» As you reach the top of the movement, generate the mind to muscle connection and squeeze the chest together before releasing slowly downwards to the starting position.

» In terms of locking out your elbows at the top of the movement; some feel it is essential for optimal chest/tricep force generation, though, others feel it places too much unnecessary stress on the elbow joint. It is all down to preference!

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Recovery

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» Whilst the concentric (upwards drive) phase of the movement will ideally be performed with a 1-2 second tempo range, the eccentric phase should be performed much slower.

» Aim to lower the dumbbells back to the starting position for 3 seconds, whilst stretching the whole cross section of the chest region.

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Common Mistakes

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Lifting More Weight Than They Are Capable Of: This is one of the most common mistakes to see in the gym and due to the fact that the chest is one of the most commonly trained muscles; the dumbbell press falls victim! Lifting (or trying) to lift weight that someone is not capable of will cause the following issues to your training progress; enhanced likelihood of injury, limited range of motion and therefore you will not be able to properly recruit all of the desired muscle fibres across the chest. In order to prevent this, use a lighter weight; perfect the form and only progress when you have these fully mastered.

Weak Rotator Cuffs: Rotator cuff tears tend to be one of the most common training injuries when training the chest, or any upper body part for that matter. The rotator cuff is a muscle located near the shoulder (comprised of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis) and is involved in almost every push or pull movement. When performing the dumbbell bench press, because of the indirect deltoid involvement; the rotator cuff is put under great stress and can become susceptible to injury. Whether it be due to improper form, lack of control or too much weight to handle, a rotator cuff tear is a common theme in the gym. In order to prevent this, next time you perform the dumbbell bench press, warm up with some rotator cuff strengthening exercises. Examples include; internal rotations, external rotations, face pulls, floor Y Raises.

Arching The Back: Arching the lower back is one of the most seen training errors when performing a flat bench movement. Due to the fact that arching the lower back will mean there is a limited range of motion and momentum, many people use an arched back method. This will not only lead to less fibre recruitment (due to limited range of motion) but also an increased risk of lower back injury. Furthermore, as previously stated with the the dumbbell press; increased stabilisation and control is required in this exercise, arching the back will reduce the base and stability of the movement and put you under risk of serious injury.

Not Using A Spotter: With any free weight movement, there is a risk of danger due to the fact that it is you versus gravity! Using a spotter will benefit you in many ways such as helping you get the last few repetitions out, enhanced confidence when performing the movement, critique form; but they will mainly benefit you in the sense that they can assist you if you cannot control the weight anymore. Instead of dropping the dumbbells on your body, the spotter can remove them carefully from your hands instead!

Lifting The Head and Neck Up: Whether it is because people are looking at their chest whilst training, keeping an eye on the dumbbells or simply force of habit; lifting your head up whilst you bench (whether it be dumbbell or barbell) is an error that should always be monitored and prevented! Lifting your head up will result posture issues such a neck pain and eventually create what is known as ‘Kyphosis’ (Excessive back curvature which will potentially cause a back hunch).

Build Muscle, Burn Fat | 8-Week Training Programme

Build Muscle, Burn Fat | The Programme

The workout below is suitable for individuals looking to build muscle or lose fat, but can only attend the gym 3 times a week. Many people still try and split body parts when they are only training 3 days – prefe8 Week Training Programme Benjamin Feinson PTrably Monday, Wednesday and Friday – or scheduled with a sufficient amount of rest days in between sessions!

The programme designed is 3 full-body workouts, it is high frequency as you will be hitting all your major body parts 3 times a week, and it has enough volume and intensity for optimal muscle growth.

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Key Points 

✓ Suitable for Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced Lifters.

✓ You should be in a calorie surplus to get the most out of this to build muscle and a deficit to lose fat.

✓ Make sure you are able to perform every lift correctly or regress it.

✓ Once you have hit the higher end of the rep scheme for all the sets then progress weight.

✓ Don’t go to Failure on anything.

✓ Progressive overload is done through reps and weight.

✓ Warm up properly before every workout.

✓ Perform a de-load week once you have completed the 8 weeks.

✓ Align your calories to your goal.

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Day 1 | Burn Fat Build Muscle

Exercise #1 Back Squat 

Feet Shoulder Width.

Use the Traps as a shelf for the bar.

Sit back into your hips, drive your knees out.

Keep your trunk tight throughout the movement.

Distribute the weigh evenly through your feet.

Bring your Hips through at the top and squeeze your glutes.

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Exercise #2 Pull Ups

Slide your shoulder blades down and engage your lats throughout.

Pull through your elbows.

Use your hands likes Grips to get more out of your back.

Slide your shoulder blades together a you pull up.

Squeeze your glutes throughout.

Think about pulling your chest to the bar.

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Exercise #3 Romanian Deadlifts

Slide the shoulder blades down and engage your lats throughout.

Keep your head in line with your spine.

Keep the bar as close to your body as you can.

Squeeze the glutes at the end of the movement.

Sit back into the hips keeping the shins straight.

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Exercise #4 Flat Dumbbell Chest Press

Dig your shoulder blades into the bench throughout the movement.

Engage your lats throughout the movement.

Allow a slight arch in your lower back.

Control the movement throughout.

Slide your shoulder blades together through the eccentric phase.

Try to avoid any anterior rotation.

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Exercise #5 Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Hold the dumbbell right at the end.

Lead the movement with your pinkie finger and your elbows.

Imagine pouring a glass of water with the dumbbells.

Control the movement.

Keep your upper traps relaxed throughout.

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Exercise #6 Tricep Pushdown

Slide the shoulder blades down and engage your lats throughout the movement.

Keep your neck in line with the spine.

Keep your elbows under your shoulders throughout the movement.

The upper arm stays static throughout the movement just hinge through the forearms.

Avoid any anterior rotation.                                                                           

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Day 2 | Burn Fat Build Muscle

Exercise #1 Deadlift

Feet should be shoulder width arms just either side gripping the bar.

Sit as far back as you can into the hips then soften the knees.

The back should be straight throughout the movement with the lats engaged and the shoulder blades down.

Keep the neck in line with the spine throughout.

Distribute the weight evenly through your feet.

Keep the bar close to your body as you pick it up using your lower body.

Squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement.

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Exercise #2 Shoulder Press

Feet should be shoulder width and hands a little wider gripping the bar.

Squeeze the glutes throughout the movement.

Slide the shoulder blades down the back and keep them there engaging the lats.

Neck should be in line with the spine throughout the movement. Give yourself a double chin.

As you press overhead the bar should be directly over the middle of your head.

Bring the bar back down to the top of your chest. Control the movement throughout.

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Exercise #3 Walking Lunge

Stay upright throughout the movement Keeping the lats engaged and the shoulder blades down.

As you take each step your back knee should be directly in line with your shoulder and your front with the heel of the front foot.

Distribute the weight evenly between the leading foot.

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Exercise #4 Dumbbell Row

Keep the lats engaged throughout.

Row into the hip.

Slide the shoulder blade across.

Keep your trunk strong.

Use the hands like hooks to get the most out of your back.

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Exercise #5 Low Incline Dumbbell Press

Dig your shoulder blades into the bench throughout the movement.

Engage your lats throughout the movement.

Allow a slight arch in your lower back.

Control the movement throughout.

Slide your shoulder blades together through the eccentric phase.

Try to avoid any anterior rotation.

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Exercise #6 Dumbbell Bicep Curl

Elbows should stay under the shoulders throughout the movement.

Try to relax the wrist as this will get more out of your biceps.

No swinging keep the trunk strong.

Control the movement throughout.

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Day 3 | Burn Fat Build Muscle

Exercise #1 Leg Extension

The pads should be over the top of your ankles and your back pressed into the back pad.

Your knees should be even with the pivoting cam of the machine.

Extend your legs and squeeze your quads at the top.

As you bring the weight down don’t go past 90 degrees to avoid stress in the knees.

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Exercise #2 Lat Pulldown

Keep the lats engaged throughout.

Squeeze the lats at the bottom of the rep.

Slide the shoulder blades together.

Control the whole rep and keep the tension.

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Exercise #3 Hamstring Curl

Place the back of lower leg on top of padded lever and secure the lap pad against your thighs.

Then grasp the side handles on the machine as you point your toes straight and ensure that the legs are fully straight right in front of you.

As you exhale, pull the machine lever as far as possible to the back of your thighs by flexing at the knees. Keep your torso stationary at all times. Hold the contracted position for a second.

Slowly return to the starting position.

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Exercise #4 Incline Dumbbell Chest Press

Dig your shoulder blades into the bench throughout the movement

Engage your lats throughout the movement

Allow a slight arch in your lower back

Control the movement throughout

Slide your shoulder blades together through the eccentric phase

Try to avoid any anterior rotation

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Exercise #5 Dumbbell Front Raise

Hold the dumbbells in a hammer grip

Keep your shoulder blades down and your upper traps relaxed

Soften the elbows don’t stay fully extended throughout

Lift no higher than shoulder height

Maintain control throughout

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Exercise #6 Rope Tricep Pushdown

Slide the shoulder blades down and engage your lats throughout the movement.

Keep your neck in line with the spine.

Keep your elbows under your shoulders throughout the movement.

The upper arm stays static throughout the movement just hinge through the forearms.

Avoid any anterior rotation.

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Exercise #7 Dumbbell Hammer Curl

Elbows should stay under the shoulders throughout the movement.

Try to relax the wrist as this will get more out of your biceps.

No swinging – keep the trunk strong.

Control the movement throughout.