Setting up the perfect squat!

I can't stand when I'm at Maxximum and I see someone doing an improper squat; it drives me BATTY! When your form and technique is wrong, your not achieving the full benefits of the exercise. Here are some tips for the perfect squat.

• Stand with feet slightly wider than hip width apart, slightly, NOT sumo;
• Make sure the barbell is placed on the meaty part of your traps, NOT on your spine;
• Hold barbell in hands, lightly and start thinking about the descend (Visualize that there is a chair behind you that you are trying to sit down and back onto);
• As you go back and down, keep the weight in your heels and make sure to NOT let your knees come past your toes (as you come down, its a count of 2);
• Make sure you come low enough that your thighs are parallel to the floor and that you are still placing the weight in the heels, DO NOT LET YOUR HEELS COME UP!
• Once you reach parallel, press evenly and fluidly back to the start position through your HEELS, NOT TOES (come up to a count of 1 but fluid not jerky).

Coming nice and deep in the squat will really target those quads (upper thigh) and glutes (buttock). Pay close attention to your form and you'll have an amazing ASSets!

Falling off the wagon, man is it hard to get back on.

After the week of being sick before we went away, going away and then getting the sinus infection when we got back; I gotta say getting back on track has been hard. See everyone, no one is invincible, even trainers. I have started back to the regular program and I can tell you my down day will be St. Patty's, well because it's St. Patty's! That's my cheat and then back at it. I am looking forward to training with Scott on Saturday...eeeekkkkkk! He will seriously kick my ass but it'll be fun!

I hope that you are all having a great week and I will let you know how Saturday goes, if I survive?!

I'm back...in a couple of days.

Hey Everyone,

I am sorry that I have been MIA since Monday but when I returned home, I got a sinus infection, my daughter got bronchitis and my husband had something but wouldn't go to the doctors. We are just getting over it and I plan to be in full swing by Monday. We have March break, so things will be a little up and down but we'll get it sorted. I hope everyone has been well and I'll keep you posted this week.

Cheers,
Shannon