Anderson Squat

The Anderson squat starts from a dead stop at the bottom position, eliminating the stretch reflex and forcing pure concentric strength development. This advanced variation builds explosive power and addresses sticking points.

Video coming soon

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Category: strength
Level: advanced
Force: push
Mechanic: compound
Equipment: barbell

Instructions

Set safety pins in a squat rack at the bottom of your squat depth with barbell resting on pins.
Position yourself under the bar in the bottom squat position with proper form and tension.
Grip the bar with hands evenly spaced and create upper back tightness before lifting.
Pause briefly at the bottom to eliminate stretch reflex, then drive explosively upward.
Complete the concentric portion by extending hips and knees, then lower back to pins with control.

Tips

Maintain full-body tension even while resting briefly on the pins
Focus on explosive concentric power since there's no stretch reflex assistance
Keep chest up and knees tracking over toes throughout the movement
Pause long enough to eliminate bounce but not so long that you lose tightness

Common mistakes

Relaxing completely on the pins and losing muscle tension
Setting pins too high or low for individual anthropometry
Rushing the transition from pins instead of focusing on explosiveness

Safety

Requires advanced squatting technique and proper pin height setup. The lack of eccentric loading can be jarring on joints, so start with lighter weights than normal squats.

Variations

pin squat
box squat
pause squat
front squat
safety bar squat