JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?TܹG q׽=8ɩ YV"XƏ,ՔRM(:HӶӚ*VPyd"d:Q@''X>_ƞ>nOQP1/{v'Nր!9})Jgқn@䞦:3Qެ6sޘɑ@ȶ y3`\S=})|D#Nfl$sCҥx -z݉3`<MtnjB0,\&|Sm<4ℌz󊑐( SK0h @q !gLh< 8OuIsLY=6`;)}#9PgR m'21ΐʎL)p11@pH$d8٠ cFPF N@5F1BӽLT4 @W8:R`T#m#f$ѷqJd* ~Rs(WiH|<`w4Ni (zf @8hT 緵I*9}xuIyl {P"LJBdu!v}iwq@&cPI<)׽"㩧ճAMQ8}iB~t.8Q9F:t"'9Pv`(1ҚTpG_Z~Ө`H9hA:>@8ңX##5 t=8p{Nќ~[Ne m\xi4느ci@X:S8 soSNW+b3Ԯ ǽ5TSހi Sϭ~l})AҁJ@9u;tJ+y{E 8RGj1ׂzx|K&1S hO7HXdE789{&+sV!I~S#'gbAO)z8x0zy=:O:@ lN1ڙ3{\tw NwGIA? ~TTe$U0x3 3F$r@#9X1N3_7}=)\8 dM3g=xp;^oWsZz=3';2U.A4kMԘ4A6? +*6EV友M>rb#BS3JH{v MvܶWe\J)=Nrj͘` 9W '_sp R11 xeVzWG"IvJkAٞI=xRA^`T{f: C}G#7"1~$W'#`=sZ"ZSHǯ=ERZM=\>ݣU-ZB䢟ҝ䃊\@ϥW7_a7 %'1gǦ E[h0\4 2*ځ=qޝ]QnH,3LxfUg(qI[A#[PRWDXKg8J1ڜ%##򽨩E`·7 VQ*si~>Y&PUj1fW\܁),} 5NhfeBiCEdf=3^d1aϽAu=`xIF =ssV:aV2mx?x\]_ÕzV2} drzRmC~aL_읩zx &nH"*O+T]-ٌ|Lnt:CO70+?*N>ޜ/svzwg3jVmto{QXkrAIPs()3A sU)ZNWYK)dr+/u婸;ĠpG3R"?֦CZ钌?]X@ c=,稣sW|S} Z9'p`i `)x7P3w8[XMѓS[i[q6f[Zj pk{ÑɭE2TLTdt]4[ЬM 0joOcl9n#d`3 wG ǭxgJ=c֍ieuF=ָ;JOF #[i.'l[+HȭA[Ӛ;)+%jS^?P񹽨6!7Rl&tȮn7*Nk?e$5"؉$\6 WZ9iMc~SSI\0`N質qxL<ԛA,{ӕ0sYDa0@>إ Mt⍠c͇9g*O'sN86ciU86`|PFPkXl:ZP G P#)aZc%W69&## ր"+zc `3'^Z6:`fcg">֭l69\PTqJM֚zTԌPLJ94ܕ*R5#=2W5u0:$++N1Qq5s j%pz)Ͻ;ЁE<4P3\qΔ/<84{b \y4}G98` 'pxJPq({)<SA)P\R9;fO>#!8NgE3sI w;w$e=SтH qҀ"'< JGҚx'HyH?JONOԇ4A0W sc(MHx\v|ޜvH#J<@e focused on a point which helps the lower back and upper body position.&nbsp; If you said one of the major problems in figure 2 and 3 was the head position, I wouldn't argue.&nbsp; Notice the difference in the chin position of figure 2 and figure 6.&nbsp; The athlete pictured is my son, Matt, while he was in the 8th grade.&nbsp; At this time, he weighed 125 and Parallel Squatted 225 pounds. </P> <P align=center><STRONG>PRE-SQUAT TECHNIQUE</STRONG></P> <P align=left><STRONG>A. Grip:</STRONG> There are two technique guidelines to consider when establishing a proper grip on the squat.&nbsp; First is thumb position.&nbsp; Should you have your thumb around the bar or in back of the bar as illustrated in figure 7?&nbsp; About 60% of power lifters have the thumb in back while 40% of power-lifters prefer their thumbs around the bar.&nbsp; Both styles are acceptable, but I prefer to coach my athletes with their thumbs in back of the bar.&nbsp; I feel this style is superior as it tends to prevent slippage of the bar.&nbsp; Sometimes athletes will have a problem in keeping the bar on the shoulders.&nbsp; Sometimes the bar will actually slip off the shoulders and slip down the back.&nbsp; The bar seems to be more secure with the thumbs in back; but if an athlete, after trying both styles, really prefers to have his thumbs around, I don't object.</P> <P align=left>The second grip guideline to consider is the width of the athlete's grip.&nbsp; This is another one of those secrets which can give you an edge.&nbsp; At clinics, I ask everyone to pretend they have a bar on their shoulders and to get a "very narrow grip".&nbsp; Then, I ask everyone to sit tall, spread their chest and lock-in their lower back.&nbsp; Next, they are asked to take a wide grip and lock-in their lower backs.&nbsp; Now I ask, "Which grip makes it easier to lock-in the lower back?"&nbsp; It's unanimous!&nbsp; It's the wide grip.&nbsp; Make sure you use the lines which are grooved into most Olympic bars about four inches from the inside collars.&nbsp; Use these lines as reference points.&nbsp; An athlete might put his first finger on each line with his thumb behind the bar.&nbsp; Now, he is properly balanced with a wide grip and has some assurance that the bar will remain secure on his shoulders.&nbsp; He is now ready to place the bar on the shoulders.&nbsp; </P> <P align=left><STRONG>B. Bar Position:</STRONG>&nbsp; A very common mistake for athletes who squat is placing the bar too high on the shoulders.&nbsp; In fact, many athletes place the bar right on the neck.&nbsp; This hurts, so they'll use a barbell pad.&nbsp; For most athletes, this also affects proper balance for heavy squatting.&nbsp; The vast majority of athletes will squat more and squat more effectively with more comfort when the bar is placed lower on the shoulders as shown in fig