Technique- Stand stradling the barbell. Send your hips back and down keeping a flat back. Grab the barbell with a staggered grip, hands close together. Stand up partially keeping the weight on your heels and bent over. Keep your back straight the entire time and pull the barbell into your chest. Squeeze your shoulder blades together behind your back. This movement should be felt in your back and not your arms. Ensure the weight is in your heels and your back is flat. If the back rounds the exercise can become dangerous. Advantages- Easier for clients with less mobility to keep the barbell close. Faults- Do not let your back round. A rounded back is a dangerous thing. Do not let the weight fall forward onto your toes, you need to keep all the muscles down your back active, down to your glutes and hamstrings. Do not jerk the barbell up. It should be a slow controlled pull. If you jerk it up the weight is too heavy, lower it. Keep your chin tucked and do not crane your neck up. Keep the back straight. Scaling- This can be down with a lower weight. If the client has trouble reaching the barbell on the ground it can be elevated. A band can be attached to the hips pulling the client back to ensure weight is distributed back and the back stays flat. A one handed version of this can be down with the client standing next to the barbell to ensure proper back recruitment. The movement can also be done with dumbbells.

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