Better Ways to Squat

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We all know the squat is the king of exercises. But let’s face it – not everyone is cut out to do a deep squat. Here’s some ideas for Better Ways to Squat.

Squats are functional training that benefits your joints, muscles, and posture and helps you run faster with the proper form. Doing squats can be more powerful if you know how to do it properly and have some equipment to help you do it easily.

Rogue SB-1 - Rogue Safety Squat Bar with an athlete 2
Rogue SB-1 – Rogue Safety Squat Bar with an athlete. Squats work various muscle groups, primarily the quadriceps and glutes. Next time, do better squats with these pieces of equipment from different brands sold by Rogue. Both technique and gear can help you boost your performance and help you do your squats correctly, especially if you are new to squats and lifting.

Get that squat up there with these helpful things:

Better Ways to Squat – Overview

Proper form is necessary to avoid injuries and fully get the benefits of the exercises you are doing. You can achieve the correct form for squats by keeping your feet roughly shoulder-width apart and turning them out slightly, between 5 and 30 degrees. Tighten your feet to the floor to engage your lower muscles and build stability.

Rogue Squat Wedge with an athlete 4
Rogue Squat Wedge with an athlete 4

Doing squats is not just all about the lower body as your upper body, specifically your chest, is involved by keeping it up to avoid rounding your upper back and shoulders. Bend your knees, push your hips, engage your core, and descend. To help you do these movements, especially if you are new to squats and lifting, here are some gear and equipment to help you do your squats effectively and take them to another level.

Nike Savaleos left side
Nike Savaleos left side

VersaLifts V2 Heel Lift Inserts

Aside from raising the heel-to-toe drop of your training shoe by 1/2″, the VersaLifts V2 Heel Lift Inserts also feature a high-durometer polymer construction furnished to endure heavy loads while staying light and comfortable for everyday use.

Rogue VersaLifts V2 Heel Lift Inserts pair
Rogue VersaLifts V2 Heel Lift Inserts pair

These inserts raise the versatility of your favorite athletic shoes and create a new dynamic for everything from snatches and clean to box jumps, wall ball throws, and double-unders. The difference in heel height can also dramatically improve your form and positioning in squats and the long-term effectiveness of the movement.

Rogue VersaLifts V2 Heel Lift Inserts back
Rogue VersaLifts V2 Heel Lift Inserts back

Nike Romaleos 4

The Romaleos 4 is the top dog in Oly lifters – check out our full review of the Nike Romaleos 4 lifting shoe.

Nike Savaleos Weightlifting Shoe Review (26)
Can we compare these two? We can and will! The Romaleos 4 has less cushion – effectively zero cushion. The Savaleos o (on the right) n the other hand has just a tiny bit of cushion.

The Nike Romaleos 4 is an advanced Olympic weightlifting shoe, revised for efficient power transfer, complete stability, and a lockdown fit. The revamped design of the shoe highlights a supportive midsole and a wide, flat outsole, with adjustable straps over the laces at the midfoot to protect the foot during high-intensity workouts.

Nike Romaleos 4 left side
Nike Romaleos 4 left side

The substantial heel-to-toe drop decreases the ankle flexion required at the bottom of a lift and, merged with the rigid midsole, allows greater explosiveness off the ground. Its wide heel also produces a more reliable foundation for heavy lifts, while the durable rubber treads provide helpful traction.

Nike Romaleos 4 outsole
Nike Romaleos 4 outsole

Nike Savaleos

Nike Savaleos Weightlifting Shoe Review (29)
Nike Savaleos Weightlifting Shoe Review (29) – This is an excellent shoe for heavy weightlifting – Olympic lifting, squats, etc.

For the full details on this shoe – Nike Savaleos review – this is a great lifting shoe and significantly cheaper than the Romaleos.

The Nike Savaleos is optimized for max stability on the heaviest lifts with its hook-and-loop strap locks down the midfoot and an elevated heel for incomparable balance. The Savaleos also comprises a padded mesh inset at the heel for breathability and impact absorption and a padded tongue and collar with “Nike Weightlifting” branding.

Nike Savaleos quarter view
Nike Savaleos quarter view

The flat, wide sole creates a solid base under pressure, and the rugged midsole construction provides superior power transfer from the ground—vital for explosiveness.

Nike Savaleos heel
Nike Savaleos heel

Rogue 7MM Knee Sleeve – Pair

The contoured seams and flexible compression material used in Rogue 7MM Knee Sleeve can help ease knee strain and pain during and after a workout without confining your range of motion as you train.

Rogue 7MM Knee Sleeve - Pair main pair
Rogue 7MM Knee Sleeve – Pair main pair
The sleeve is one of the few American-made knee sleeves on the market, available in a 7MM thick SBR/Neoprene blend construction for rigid but comfortable support. Rogue Knee Sleeves are sold in pairs and are available in red with Rogue branding in white.

Rogue 7MM Knee Sleeve - Pair brandname
Rogue 7MM Knee Sleeve – Pair brandname

Rogue Squat Wedge

Rogue’s Squat Wedge is one of the few in the industry made from steel—certainly preferable when the purpose is stability and durability. Using a squat wedge helps improve squat depth and range of motion, engage the quads, and protect and strengthen the knees. Each wedge is furnished with a slot-and-tab feature for comfortable alignment and nesting.

Rogue Squat Wedge 30
Rogue Squat Wedge 30

It also has laser cutouts and degree indicators for immediate identification of diverse angles and a patented 2-hole feature that allows easy storage on any Monster, Monster Lite, RM43, or Infinity upright/strip. A handle cutout on the top of the Squat Wedge will enable you to pick it up off the floor with comfort, and the formed/bent side parts double as valuable handles in their own right.

Rogue Squat Wedge with an athlete 2
Rogue Squat Wedge with an athlete 2

SAML-24 Monster Lite Safety Spotter Arms (Pair)

Rogue’s heavy-duty 24″ Safety Spotter Arms are developed to protect the weightlifter and the bar and are compatible with all Monster Lite racks. Dependability is crucial when adding spotter arms to an existing rack, especially for athletes training alone in a home or garage gym.

Rogue SAML-24 Monster Lite Safety Spotter Arms main
Rogue SAML-24 Monster Lite Safety Spotter Arms main

Monster Lite Spotter Arms is manufactured from 3×3″ 11-gauge steel tubing, with welded-on end-plates for added safety and specially designed hitch-pins to lock the spotters in place. The arms feature a UHMW plastic insert on top to protect your bars’ knurling, making them dependable. The spotters highlight 5/8″ holes and a 5/8″ pin instead of the 1″ varieties of the traditional Monster Spotter Arms.

Rogue SAML-24 Monster Lite Safety Spotter Arms unattached
Rogue SAML-24 Monster Lite Safety Spotter Arms unattached

Monster Lite Strap Safety System 2.0

Protecting your equipment and body during even the heaviest lifts is now possible with the easy but reliable solution offered by the Monster Lite Strap Safety System. The system includes 0.3125″ thick-formed steel brackets and 0.625″ diameter pin, and a pair of 3″ Wide Reinforced Black Nylon Straps, rated for over 10,000LB.

Rogue Monster Lite Strap Safety System 2.0 main
Rogue Monster Lite Strap Safety System 2.0 main

The design of the straphangers is revamped to a J-Cup style pin-and-swing system, so you can make fast, easy height adjustments without having to remove the pin. Just insert the pin at the preferred height, swing the clasp down, and the safeties are ready to go..

Rogue Monster Lite Strap Safety System 2.0 unattached
Rogue Monster Lite Strap Safety System 2.0 unattached

SB-1 – Rogue Safety Squat Bar

SB-1 has a unique way of distributing weight. Training with the Rogue Safety Squat bar can tax your anterior chain; the weight dispersal falls between the front and high-bar back squat to change your power output training. This bar is safer for intense squat progressions or maximum load lifts.

Rogue SB-1 - Rogue Safety Squat Bar main
Rogue SB-1 – Rogue Safety Squat Bar main

This bar increases your maximum working weight compared to the traditional back squat. The bar has a black cerakote finish with a 1.5″ diameter formed solid steel shaft and a 1″ diameter included solid steel handles. It has a fully welded design and machined Olympic sleeves.

Rogue SB-1 - Rogue Safety Squat Bar with an athlete 1
Rogue SB-1 – Rogue Safety Squat Bar with an athlete 1

Want more Safety Squat Bars?

Rogue CB-4 38MM Camber Bar

The Rogue CB-4 38MM Camber Bar design is meant to produce a curved/bowed specialty bar fitted to the world’s top powerlifters, Strongmen, and athletes of every size and ability level. It is intended to accommodate the size of the strongest competitive and at-home lifters, giving them room to place their hands wider apart than a traditional barbell.

Rogue CB-4 38MM Camber Bar details
Rogue CB-4 38MM Camber Bar details

The added 9″ of the distance between the sleeves also guarantees that the cambered portion of the bar won’t flip down when unsupported on most racks. It also enables you to build strength with less weight by delivering the maximum drop between the center of the bar and the sleeves. This propels you to keep the lower back tight in the squat, resulting in a more significant stimulus than the same weight on a straight bar.

Rogue CB-4 38MM Camber Bar with an athlete 1
Rogue CB-4 38MM Camber Bar with an athlete 1

Rogue Resin Squat Wedge

The Rogue Resin Squat Wedge is made from compression-molded, 100% post-consumer recycled plastic—the same material used in the famous Resin Plyo Boxes. It is made in Michigan, USA, with debossed Rogue branding and heel height indication lines running up the face at 0.5”, 0.75”, and 1”. It measures 13” wide x 6” deep and features a single, standard incline of 10 degrees, rising to a height of 1” at the back.

Rogue Resin Squat Wedge main
Rogue Resin Squat Wedge main

The Resin Squat Wedge has a strengthened rib structure in the base to provide the power and integrity of the wedge under heavy weight. Elevating the heels on an inclined wedge during squats has been proven to increase the range of motion, improve form, and better target the quad muscles.

Rogue Resin Squat Wedge with an athlete 3
Rogue Resin Squat Wedge with an athlete 3

Better Ways to Squat – In Summary

That’s our close-up look at Better Ways to Squat.

Squats work various muscle groups, primarily the quadriceps and glutes. Next time, do better squats with these pieces of equipment from different brands sold by Rogue. Both technique and gear can help you boost your performance and help you do your squats correctly, especially if you are new to squats and lifting.

Looking for more options? Check out these other great products:

You know what else helps with a big squat? How about a rock solid Power Racks or set of Squat Stands from Torque USA – these hold the bar for you safely.

Rep Fitness also has squat rack options such as the Rep Fitness SR-4000 Squat Rack.

Find more gym equipment for squatting from Rogue.

Rogue Squat Wedge with an athlete 3
Rogue Squat Wedge with an athlete 3

Photo Credits

Product photos on this page are property of Rogue.

This website is not affiliated or associated with CrossFit, Inc. CrossFit is a registered trademark of CrossFit, Inc.

Rogue Monster Lite Strap Safety System 2.0 with a barbell
Rogue Monster Lite Strap Safety System 2.0 with a barbell

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