The Kettlebell Goblet Squat with Pause

The squat in general is one movement that you will often see in any of our athletes workout programs. We do not only use them, as part of their workouts, but it is also an important component to our assessment at FLO Fitness.

Today we are going to go over one our favorite exercises to have most of our develop level or beginner athletes do. The kettlebell goblet squat with pause is one of many variations that can be done, the specific variation selected will depend on what you are trying to achieve with your athlete. We often use the kettlebell squat with pause to not only lock in proper squatting mechanics, but to also add depth into the hips, by slowly increasing the range of motion with each repetition.

Before we get more in depth, I think it is only right that we go over proper alignment of the torso, also known as the “Bracing Sequence”. This will not only protect your athletes from injury, but will also indicate when to increase the load for your athlete no matter which exercise he or she might be doing.

The bracing sequence is highly reviewed by Dr. Kelly Starrett in his book, “Becoming a Supple Leopard”. This sequence combines two internal forces in order to protect the back. These two forces are intra-thoracic pressure and intra-abdominal pressure. Together they create a muscular brace like harness in the mid section in order to create a safe environment to perform heavy lifts or just general body weight exercises. Dr. Starrett shares four easy steps in order to get into the bracing sequence:

1.    Squeeze your butt as hard as you can- this will set your pelvis in a neutral position.  (Position your feet parallel to each other, screw your feet into the ground, and squeeze your butt)  

2.    Pull your ribcage down- pull your lower ribs in, balancing your ribcage over your pelvis.

3.    Get your belly tight- this locks in your pelvis and ribcage in place with your abdominals. (Continue squeezing your glutes, take in a big breathe of air, and then exhale. As you let the air out, engage your abs and get your belly tight.

4.    Set your head in a neutral position and screw your shoulders into a stable position- center your head over your shoulders, and gaze forward. Retract (squeeze together) and depress (shift shoulder blades down) your shoulder blades.

Once your athlete can sustain a good brace sequence position, they are ready to perform the kettle bell with pause. Weight selection for these exercise can vary, we like to use a moderate weight for our athletes. The athlete below has a 45-pound (20.4 kilogram) kettlebell.

Starting position (top right picture): Elbows down, shoulder blades retracted and depressed, core tight, feet shoulder width apart, and inhale.

Bottom portion of Squat (top left picture):

Pause (bottom right picture): athlete extends his arms tapping the kettlebell on the floor while keeping brace position, duration of the pause could be anywhere from 3-7 seconds long. Also, tell athlete to exhale.

Back to Bottom portion of squat (bottom middle picture): indicate to athlete to squeeze glutes on the way up to start position of squat. Athlete should also, inhale before igniting upward motion to start position. 

Back to start position: 

The kettlebell goblet squat with pause provides the athlete with an anterior load in order to really activate that intra-abdominal pressure (core muscles), therefore increase efficacy and add to their stability. Something to keep in mind before your athletes or clients does this squat. Keep weight of the kettlebell relatively light, the lighter the weight the longer the pause can be held and the heavier the weight the shorter the pause should be.   

One benefit of the pause in the squat is that it will increase leg strength. The pause causes the legs to work more due to greater time over tension. Therefore, more muscle fibers have to be recruited in order for the athlete to push up to start position. It is a different variable to train.  This is a great way to add complexity to an exercise instead of introducing a new exercises, weight, increasing number of reps and sets, changing tempo, and adding equipment.

Have any questions about our training system or assessment? Take a look at our e-book “The Five Levels of FLO”, it can be purchased in our website www.flofitnesbh.com under the “The Five Level of FLO book” tab.  You can also email us at flofitness@gmail.com.