This combination exercise is going to mess your legs up big time...in a good way...

I like to refer to this as the legs version of the Zottman Curl. If you're not familiar with that exercise, it's a combination exercise where you do a regular dumbbell curl on the way up (the stronger of the two exercises), then rotate your forearms around and do a reverse curl negative on the way down (the weaker of the two exercises).

The purpose of this is to overload the flexors of your upper arm (biceps and brachialis) within the same exercise. Because the reverse curl is a "weaker" movement, the weight you can do for a regular is generally good for a negative-focused rep on the reverse curl.

This i sa squat version of this concept. I like to refer to it as a "Zottman" Squat because the concept is essentially the same, just applied to squatting.

You'll need a power rack to perform this combination exercise.

You're going to start with a negative-accentuated Front Squat. In terms of weight selection, use a weight that is at or around your normal 1 rep max for the exercise.

You'll want to pre-set the safety rails of the rack to the lowest position that you can yourself under for a bottom-start back squat (a.k.a. Anderson Squat).

I like to use a cross-arm racking style for Front Squats, though the clean racking style is fine, too.

Unrack then step back.

Lower down under control. The first half of the rep will be relatively easy to control.

Once you hit this halfway point, focus on actively pushing UP against the weight. This is how to do a true negative...it's not just lowering the weight under control. It's actively FIGHTING the lowering all the way down to the bottom, where you then set the bar on the rails.

If you find that you have to drop as you get to the bottom and it bangs loudly on the rails, you're using too much weight. Lighten it up.

Once you've set the bar on the rails, duck your head under and get the bar set on your back and perform a back squat. It's key to have this rail height set correctly before you try and get into this position. Practice this with an empty bar before you do this exercise, so you know you CAN actually get under the bar.

The bottom-start squat is a GREAT exercise for developing power out of the bottom of the squat. It removes all the elastic "rebound" energy you might normally rely on to get yourself out of the squat, forcing your muscles to do all the work. It can be humbling, if you've never done it before.

Then rerack the bar and repeat the Front Squat.

Aim for 4-6 reps of this in total. If you can do more than 6 reps, you're not using enough weight. Repeat for 2-3 sets in total with at least 2 minutes rest in between sets.

This is a leg demolisher...very simple to set up and perform and extremely effective for building strength and mass in the legs.

Definitely check out the video for this technique. It helps to see it in action.

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