We know you’ve been waiting for this, so here it is: the fifth and final installment of the “So You Think You Can Squat?” series. Matt Wenning is about to drop a knowledge bomb on you, so sit up straight and pay attention! This is the final part of a multi-part series, so make sure you watch the previous videos too. Now do you think you know how to squat?
Click here to watch parts one and two.
Click here to watch part three.
Click here to watch part four.
Matt Wenning is one of only a handful of people to total over 2600 lbs in a professional competition, hold an all-time world record of 2665 lbs in the 308-lb class, and bench press over 800 lbs in a full powerlifting meet. He currently the owner and a private strength coach at Ludus Magnus gym in Columbus, Ohio, a personal trainer to many executives and professionals at Capital Club Athletics, and contracted by the US Army. He also works with firefighters, physicians, children with disabilities, and all forms of athletes in the Columbus, Ohio, area. 
Spectacular Eye Candy
EFS Classic: Lee Gerney’s Home Gym
A “No Bull Shit” Q&A with David Allen
Get to the Edge: Q&A with Mike Spagnola
PDF 
This series has been more helpful than everything else I’ve read or watched on squatting. Thank you, EFS.
Words are not enough to express my gratitude to Matt Wenning for taking the time to bless us with this series. I have watched them several times, especially video number two. I must tell you folks that this series has changed my life. Thank you for all that you do.
Which of these exercises, if any help with knees turning in?
I remember it was a glute/hip weakness and I think this is a problem with the abductor strength as well. Is the GHR enough to help train this weak spot? any other suggestions?
Yeah this has been a great series. I’ve been looking forward to every new edition.
This is the best information I have ever found about the squat. Matt Wenning blessed us with such great knowledge, and it has helped me improve my squat tremendously. Thanks!
@Tuna,
A great solution to the problem you are talking about are seated band abductions. Take a band and double it up. Depending on your strength level you may have to start with a mini and work up to a light. Place the doubled up band below your knees while seated on a box, parallel or lower, and then abduct the thighs (push them out). You should feel this in your glutes. Work on using a below parallel box for max effect.
You can also do banded form squats. These can be done as an extra workout or warm-up. Double up a mini band and place it below your knees on your shins just like the abductions. Then perform barbell squats using a very light weight (30-40% max or lower if you have a huge squat). The low percent keeps it from being taxing. Focus on pushing your knees out to keep the band from caving them in throughout the whole motion.
Perform both with higher reps 15-20 for a few sets.
I have personally used both methods and within a month of doing so saw a HUGE difference in my squat. Hope this helps!
Waiting for SYTYCDL now.
Absolutely brilliant series!
Matt – EXCELLENT STUFF man..you should see how sorry I am at the glute ham raise…..
John Meadows
Outstanding! Learned a lot from this outstanding series.Thank you EFS.
Great series. Thanks for putting it together!!!
One of the best series I have seen.
another awesome series! how about a “so you think you can use powerlifting gear” for the bench and squat?
Hats off to Matt Wenning for a well done job on “so you think you can squat”. I liked the idea of the standing ab work with a band and the logic of why one would do that as opposed to laying down doing them. I like the idea of doing the accessory work to bring up my squating. I am fortunate to have a ham-glute machine. I am now able to do with 30lbs 6 to 7 reps. I am also trying to bring up or make stronger my lower traps. I don’t have access to a safety squat bar but i am doing some t’s with light weight just to get them to fire. Also i am trying to work on my butt to have the glutes fire especially when i am coming up. I am not sure my breathing is entirely correct but i do take a glup of air and hold it until i am finished with the rep. I also don’t like doing many reps especially with a heavy weight, 1 or 2 is fine. I agree that the abs are very important and i am a bit confused on execution of the concentric part the coming up from parallel. If i brace my abs they are tight. I am trying to brace them and take the gulp of air.
I’d appreciate any advice. Incidently I’d love to have some sessions with Matt or dave tate, that would be like a kid having Michael Jordan give him pointers on basketball.
thanks
keep up the education for all.
What size and length bands are you using for your standing ab crunches?
Not all great athletes are also great coaches. But Matt Wenning clearly is. One of the best resources on squat. I will be coming back to review these videos as I progress. Many thanks!
@ Tuna
I heard knees turning in is actually an adductor weakness. think that i read that in starting strength.
sick series!!!!!
Thanks a lot for this series guys, its been really helpful
Awesome series with an even more awesome ending. Matt Wenning saying, “Heeeeeey” made my day.
Thank’s Matt! Very useful! As far as ab work, I find that my best deadlift is correlated strongly to my strength in abdominal roll outs.
thank you matt wenning and efs. can we also have a SYTYC Deadlift?
So awesome! Great series of videos…
Unbelievably helpful! Explained so thoroughly and with clear instructions. The accessory work is something I often avoid, but I realize how necessary it is.
This should be mandatory viewing for all high school weight lifters. It would save thousands of kids from injury due to ignorance and poor technique. And could single-handedly turn around generations of wimps to aspire to be studs like Matt.
Interesting point on the ab training. I didn’t realize that much volume was used by elite lifters who are doing so many compound lifts.
Just a quick question. I lean forward and have a hard time getting upright when I get into ANY squats. What could be the weakness that I need to work on to improve my squats? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Just want to say thanks to Matt for probably the most useful video I have ever seen on the internet. He seems like an incredibly good coach, and I envy anybody that shares a gym with him. I learnt more from these 5 videos than I have from months and months of trawling forums and websites. Thanks again.
There has been a lot of controversy on rep range for abb exercises. What do you recommend Matt for the band pulldowns? Stay in the 8-15 range with a heavier load, or do a higher rep range??
does anybody has a list of failures (knee turnes in, back goes forwards in lowest position…) together with the likley weakness (adductor weakness…) ?
or does anybody has the knowledge to create one, that would be very helpfull for everybody who does not has a great coach like him.
What an awesome series!!! When I first started lifting, my squat was similar in form to what Matt is teaching (wide stance, hips and butt providing the power). Over the years, the form has gotten progressively worse (close stance, very quad reliant). It is time to break it all down and rebuild it back the right way. I don’t know how it changed but thanks to Matt for showing me how to remedy it. I will be watching these videos over and over for all the pointers I can pick up.
Thank you to Matt and the whole EFS crew for providing us with so much information and motivation to become the best lifters that we can.
Much obliged.
I wathced this series with a lot of interest. Having instructed quite a few people on how to squat I’ve always been curious as to how to break it down. I appreciate this series concentrates on the power squat but i think the majority of the information here can be carried over to full squats, squats for hypertrophy etc.
I was particularly impressed with the advice to keep the shoulders back and head up esp. under heavy loads. a LOT of the biomechanics of the squat, I feel, is fed off this and certainly the ability for overreaching is heightened using this method as opposed to straining the neck looking down. Funnily enough unless it is something i ony realised after having it pointed out to me.
I myself have been using box squats more and more to monitor form although unfortunately at the chain gym there are no boxes and i have resorted to using a bench for squats. It’s a fair bit lower but I don’t feel i’m at a disadvantage. The only thing that’s suffering as a result is my ego, going from 10 reps at 240lbs raw to 190lbs from the box raw.
Man I wish I would have found this set of videos sooner. I’ve been avoiding squat because my form is so bad, I feel like I’m not working anything at all. Finally I can start from scratch and teach myself how to do it the right way. Thank you so much for this series!