There is no other single exercise that produces the same gains in whole body strength and muscle mass as the squat. Variations are performed in every exercise setting, from football weight rooms to physical therapy clinics. The squat targets every major muscle group in the legs and is one of the best core exercises, strengthening the muscles of the lower back, abs and obliques. If you are serious about improving your squat but have hit a plateau, there are other exercises you can try to see your squat numbers rise once more.
The Squat
Small corrections in technique will equate to large increases in squatting strength, and no extra exercises will help unless you are squatting correctly to begin with. Each rep should be "below parallel" -- the hip joint reaches just below the knee joint before ascending through the concentric phase. Going lower recruits more of the leg muscles -- specifically the hamstrings -- that oppose the quads and stabilize the knee joint. When these newly trained muscles become stronger, the bar weight will increase.
Pause Squat
This is performed just like a regular squat, except the lifter pauses for two seconds at the bottom before ascending. This reduces the amount of momentum the lifter can use to "bounce" out of the hole, and builds explosive leg strength from the bottom of the lift, which is typically the weakest position in the squat.
Front Squat
These are a favorite among many great squatters, including powerlifting icon Brad Gillingham, who has an official 870-lb. squat. In the front squat, the bar rests across the shoulders in front of the body and the lifter must keep his torso erect during the lift, allowing the knees to drift over the feet. This strengthens the quads and especially the ab muscles, which must forcefully contract through the lift to prevent the spine from rounding and the lifter from dropping the bar.
Conventional Deadlift
The conventional deadlift builds back strength better than any other exercise, a necessity for supporting big weights on the squat. With the bar resting on the ground, the lifter approaches the bar with a shoulder-width stance and squats down to grab the bar just outside of the shins. The shoulder blades are retracted so a flat back is achieved before driving the feet into the ground and standing erect with the bar.
Sumo Deadlift
In the sumo deadlift, the lifter assumes a wide stance with the hands around the bar on the inside of the legs, allowing a more erect torso and shifting the weight to the hips and legs. This exercise is basically a "reverse squat," and great sumo pullers usually possess an equally impressive squat. Powerlifting legend Ed Coan -- who sumo deadlifted a world record 901 lbs. at 220 lbs. body weight -- also had an official squat of 1,019 lbs.
High Box Step-Ups
The squat is a bilateral exercise in which the bar weight is a sum of the forces being exerted by both legs. Strengthening a weaker leg with high box step-ups will result in an increase in squatting strength. The box or bench must be high enough so the hip-to-knee joint angle is similar to the bottom position of the squat. Remember to push off the elevated foot, and try to minimize contribution from the back leg.
Weighted Planks
To stabilize the spine during a heavy squat, the lifter must possess incredible isometric ab strength. Although squats are a great core exercise, leg and back strength will eventually surpass that of the abs, and additional exercises will be needed. Weighted planks are good for building squat specific abdominal strength. Assuming a classic plank position on the floor, a weight is placed on the lifter's mid-back and the position is held for 30 to 60 seconds, for two to three sets.
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