JCS Coaching

OK, I should caveat I’ve hit a few box squats here and there and demoed an empty bar.

I think one thing that probably doesn’t get talked about enough is not being married to one style or thought process when it comes to exercise selection.

I love barbells and all the exercises you can do with them, but the barbell squat annoys my groin. As someone who wants to improve my Olympic lifts, performing an exercise that then means I can’t concentrate on those lifts isn’t a worthwhile trade-off just because it’s what is traditionally done in weightlifting.

So, sometimes you have to look outside of what you would traditionally consider your “main squat.” For me, that’s been the hack squat.

It’s allowed me to keep a squat pattern in the mix without aggravating my groin, meaning I can continue training my Olympic lifts productively.

Not only that, but I also find that the hack squat forces me to use my quads more and for me this is a very good thing.

That’s not to say the back squat will never return, but for me, at the moment, it’s simply not a great choice.