It's time to mess with your squats a little...don't freak out...we're going to do it in a GOOD way.

This squat variation is actually a very "functional" movement for athletes in that (like the name says), it's done in an athletic stance.

That's really all there is to it...but this simple change in foot position changes the focus of the exercise into a more hamstring and glute-dominant version of the squat with (in my experience) less lower back involvement than a regular back squat, making it a potential option for those who have issues with the lower back when squatting.

This one is done in the exact same setup as you would do a regular squat...with a rack and a barbell. Use a weight you could normally get about 15-20 reps with the first time you try it, to get an idea of how it feels.

Unrack the bar and step back. Now set your feet in an athletic stance, meaning one foot forward and one foot a little back of that rather than feet side-by-side, as you would set them for a normal squat. You don't want a super big difference in position...it should be a normal athletic stance.

The angle of your feet should be whatever feels natural and comfortable to you. I find the front foot pointed forward and the back foot angled out more is good for me.

Now squat down.

If you're an athlete, this bottom position should look familiar to you as the "ready" position for almost any sport you've ever done. It's more stable that a parallel stance, which is why you get into it before action. Honestly, you may find you like this variation even better than the regular squat because of the increased base of support.

And even though it looks weird to have a bar on your back when doing it, it actually feels quite natural, even with that bar on your back. You want to keep the bar parallel to the rack, just like you would for a regular squat. Don't rotate the entire torso around as you come down. Keep the shoulders square.

Do your reps on one leg (whatever rep range you like is fine...you can do high or low reps), then switch to the other leg forward (either go right into it or switch on the next set).

As an athlete, you'll generally have a favored forward leg...if you're right-hand dominant, it'll probably be your left leg. Just make sure you balance the workload between the two legs equally.

Here's a direct side view of the exercise.

As you're coming down into the squat, you will notice that you'll some rotation tendency happening in the midsection. This is absolutely fine and to be expected because of the uneven stance. This is what we're training, so start with a moderate weight and work your way up...don't go for one rep max attempts and don't push to failure.

This exercise is more appropriate for people who want to develop their athletic capabilities or simply change things up from regular squatting.

It's not going to add weight to your regular squats, but it will absolutely improve your athletic performance and power out of that ready position.

You can watch the full video of this exercise in action here.

Or start right from the exercise demo here.

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I've Got Five More Killer Leg Exercises For You Here...

• Dumbbell Switch Leg Split Squats
• One Shoulder Barbell Squats
• One DB Sumo Reach SLDLs
• One Leg Glute Deadlift
• Lengthwise Barbell Donkey Calf Raises

Check out all 5 here!

Nick Nilsson
The Mad Scientist of Muscle

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