EXAM REPORTED QUESTIONS
WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
Common squat faults - Answer-surrendering of the lumbar curve at the bottom, not
breaking the parallel plane with the hips, slouching in the chest and shoulders, lifting the
heels, and not fully extending the hip at the top.
Causes of a bad squat - Answer-1) Weak glute/hamstring. The glutes and hams are
responsible for powerful hip extension, which is the key to the athletic performance
universe.
2) Poor engagement, weak control, and no awareness of glute and hamstring. The road
to powerful, effective hip extension is a three to five year odyssey for most athletes.
3) Resulting attempt to squat with quads. Leg extension dominance over hip extension
is a leading obstacle to elite performance in athletes.
4) Inflexibility. Tight hamstrings are a powerful contributor to slipping into lumbar flexion-
the worst fault of all.
5) Sloppy work, poor focus. This is not going to come out right by accident. It takes
incredible effort. The more you work on the squat, the more awareness you develop as
to its complexity.
Squat Therapies - Answer-bottom to bottoms, box squats, bar holds, focus, overhead
squats
Front Squat - Answer-Bar rests on chest and shoulders with loose grip-"racked"
The mechanics are otherwise like the air squat
The hardest part of this squat may be the rack position. Practice until you can get the
bar and hands in the proper position. Handstands help. This one will force shoulder and
wrist flexibility.
Overhead squat - Answer-ultimate core exercise, the heart of the snatch, and peerless
in developing effective athletic movement.
Shoulder press - Answer-SET-UP: Take bar from supports or clean to racked position.
The bar sits on the shoulders with the grip slightly wider than shoulder width. The
elbows are below and in front of bar. Stance is approximately hip width.
PRESS: Press the bar to a position directly overhead. Head must accommodate the bar
Push Press - Answer-SET-UP: The set-up is the same as the shoulder press.
DIP: Initiate the dip by bending the hips and knees while keeping the torso upright. The
dip will be only a couple of inches.
, DRIVE: With no pause at the bottom of the dip, the hips and legs are forcefully
extended.
PRESS: As the hips and legs complete extension, the shoulders and arms forcefully
press the bar overhead until the arms are fully extended.
Push Jerk - Answer-SET-UP: The set-up is the same as for the shoulder press and
push press.
DIP: The dip is identical to the push press
DRIVE: The drive is identical to the push press
PRESS UNDER: This time instead of just pressing, you press and dip a second time
simultaneously, catching the bar in a partial squat with the arms fully extended
overhead.
FINISH: Stand to fully erect with bar directly overhead, identical to terminal position in
push press and shoulder press.
Deadlift - Answer-• Look straight ahead
• Keep the back arched
• Arms do not pull, they are just straps
• Bar travels along legs
• Push through the heels
Sumo Deadlift High Pull - Answer-• Start on ground
• Wide, "sumo" stance
• Take narrow grip on bar
• Look straight ahead
• Keep back arched
• Pull with hips and legs only until both are at full extension
• Aggressively open hip fully
• Powerfully shrug
• Immediately pull with arms continuing the upward travel of the bar
• Keep the elbows as far above your hands as possible
• Bring the bar right up under the chin briefly
• Lower to hang
• Lower to ground
Medicine ball clean - Answer-Strategy for learning full clean; pop the hip and drop-catch
it in a squat
core strength (definition) - Answer-midline stabilization
Midline stabilization - Answer-the ability to maintain rigidity,stability and a lack of
deflection about that line that trisects the spine and bisects the pelvis. This translates to
improved efficiency and performance and greater power output. It is critical to the
deadlift, to the laden squat, to the shoulder press and to any sport.