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what does bill say about squats
Let me search for Bill’s teachings on squats from multiple angles. Let me get a bit more detail from a couple of the most relevant items: Bill has a lot to say about squats — and his perspective challenges most conventional thinking on the topic. Here’s a synthesis of his key ideas:
🦵 Bill Hartman on Squats
1. A Squat Is NOT a Pattern — It’s a Strategy
Bill firmly rejects the idea that a squat is a fixed movement “pattern” that everyone should replicate the same way. He calls this thinking overly reductionist — like assuming there are gears and pulleys that lock you into a specific position. Instead, he frames squatting as a behavioral strategy for managing the center of gravity under the constraint of gravity and load [1].
“Calling something a pattern is a little too structural reductionist… Movement is more of a sort of ongoing solution.”
2. A Squat Is About Descending the Center of Gravity
The fundamental goal of a squat is to descend the center of gravity while acquiring the right shape to control that descent. At the bottom of a deep squat, you have essentially arrested the forward movement of the center of gravity — it is at its lowest point with feet on the ground [1].
3. Shape Change and Posterior Expansion Are Key
To descend into a squat, the body must create posterior expansion — this slows the center of gravity’s forward movement and allows depth. When someone can’t create that expansion, you see compensations like:
- Heel elevation (the system tries to keep moving forward)
- Rounding of the lower back (trying to create the yield through structure instead)
- Shifting left or right (following whichever side has more rotational space available) [1]
4. Squat Asymmetries Tell You Something
When someone shifts to one side in a squat, it’s not “bad form” to be corrected — it’s information. They’re following the direction of the rotational space available to them. People with beautiful symmetrical squats are simply better at resolving the rotational solutions equally on both sides [1].
5. Propulsion Phases Apply to the Squat
Bill maps his early/middle/late propulsion framework onto the squat:
- Initiating the squat from standing = late propulsive representation (projecting forward)
- Descent = transitioning to early propulsion
- Bottom of the squat = early propulsive representation
- Rising back up = middle propulsive representation
This is why he says “a squat is a bottom-up activity” — the bottom is where the deepest early-propulsion shape must be accessed [1].
6. Strategic Resistance Changes the Game
Load placement isn’t just about making things harder — it shifts the center of gravity and promotes specific behaviors. For example:
- A goblet squat (weight in front) displaces mass anteriorly, promoting posterior expansion and often allowing greater depth
- A heel ramp gives more external rotation space, allowing the system to descend further
- Reverse bands can assist the “guts” of the lift to bias specific structural types [2]
“Adding load doesn’t fix anything — it either clarifies your strategy or magnifies your compensations.” [2]
7. More Weight ≠ More Results
Adding weight to the squat can increase a compensation just as easily as it can build capacity. Bill is critical of the idea that “we put more weight on the bar today, so we were successful.” The real question is: what was the trade-off? Did adding load sacrifice something else — like rotational access, space, or transferability to sport? [2]
8. Heel Elevation — Individual Assessment Required
On heel lifts for squatting, Bill says there is no black-and-white answer. It depends entirely on the individual’s structure, infrasternal angle, and what behavior you’re trying to promote. For some it creates better conditions; for others it may not be appropriate [3].
9. Wide vs. Narrow ISA Matters
For a wide infrasternal angle individual trying to regain a squat pattern, Bill suggests progressions like goblet squat, kettlebell squat, and Zercher squat — often using the safety squat bar — because their structural bias affects how they can access the necessary shapes [3].
In short, Bill’s view on squats is that they are not a technique to be drilled but a systemic, energetic strategy — one that must be understood through the lens of shape, center of gravity, pressure, and individual structure.
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