- Place a barbell on the floor.
- Stand in the middle of the bar length wise.
- Bend down by bending at the knees and keeping your back straight and grasp the front of the bar with your right hand. Your palm should be in (neutral grip) facing the left side.
- Grasp the rear of the bar with your left hand. The palm of your hand should be in neutral grip alignment (palms facing the right side). Tip: Ensure that your grip is even on the bar. Your torso should be positioned right in the middle of the bar and the distance between your torso and your right hand (which should be at the front) should be the same as the distance between your torso and your left hand (which should be to your back).
- Now stand straight up with the weight. Tip: Your feet should be shoulder width apart and your toes slightly pointed out.
- Squat down by bending at the knees and keeping your back straight until your upper thighs are parallel with the floor. Tip: Keep your back as vertical as possible with the floor and your head up. Also remember to not let your knees go past your toes. Inhale during this portion of the movement.
- Now drive yourself back up to the starting position by pushing with the feet . Tip: Keep the bar hanging at arm's length and your elbows locked with a slight bend. The arms only serve as hooks. Avoid doing any lifting with them. Do the lifting with your thighs; not your arms.
Variations: You can also perform the exercise using wrist wraps. In addition, you can use many of the other squat variations. Finally, you can also perform the exercise with a wide stance or a closer stance.
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Tip: Jefferson Squats
Nov 11, 2011 7:38 PM: I offset my feet a bit and you can concentrate on a single leg then switch the stance and face the other way to work the other leg.
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Review: Jefferson Squats
Nov 11, 2011 7:35 PM: I still can't nail the form down perfectly but my quads were burning with 95 pounds! I felt retarded but I had to check the ego with this one.
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Tip: Jefferson Squats
Aug 27, 2011 7:59 PM: i do it kai greene style bar stays in the start position thru the whole exercise.. widen the stance a bit more...stop at the bottom come back up but never locking out then go back down feeling the negative
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Review: Jefferson Squats
Jul 25, 2010 12:53 PM: the rotation of the spine during the acent and decent with large loads is stupid. dummies. stfu.
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Tip: Jefferson Squats
Mar 23, 2010 10:00 AM: the lower center-of-gravity enables easier balancing, allowing a greater concentration for the quads. Great excercise.
Switch hands and barbell angle for each set to ensure uniformity.
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Review: Jefferson Squats
Jan 13, 2010 5:46 PM: Great work out, accept it sucks that every time I come up from the squat, I get sack tapped by the bar haha. Great workout though