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Squat Technique for Powerlifting

Build a repeatable squat from setup and bracing through depth, ascent, and competition commands.

A competition squat is a repeatable sequence: create tension before the unrack, keep the bar balanced over the foot, reach legal depth, and finish under control.

Setup and unrack

Choose a bar position you can brace against, set the hands as close as your shoulders allow, and stand the bar up before taking the smallest useful walkout.

Descent and depth

Break at the hips and knees together. Keep pressure through the whole foot and descend until the hip crease is clearly below the top of the knee.

Common faults

A shifting mid-foot, lost brace, or changing bar path usually deserves attention before another cue is added.

[PH] Add Cris's original fault-and-correction squat footage before M9.

Self-assessment

1

Film a repeatable angle

Keep the camera position stable enough to compare sets.

2

Choose one fault

Prioritise the error that most changes balance, standard, or confidence.

3

Retest one correction

Use the next set to test a clear change instead of stacking cues.

Cris RosaPublished

Written by Cris Rosa.

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Guides

Start here for the big-picture decisions: the sport, coaching formats, and choosing useful support.

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A practical first-meet entry path covering event choice, membership, registration, equipment, and weigh-in preparation.

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Programming

How powerlifting training is structured, reviewed, and changed across a real training cycle.

Technique

The squat, bench press, and deadlift—set up, executed, and judged to competition standard.

The Powerlifting Library

Technique, competition, programming, and practical guides from Cris Rosa.

What Is Powerlifting?

Learn how squat, bench press, and deadlift combine into a total, how meets work, and who the sport is for.