The Start Position * Start with the bar on the floor, and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. * The bar should be over the balls of your feet. * Grip the bar in a neutral grip a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Your arms should be outside your knees but tight to your sides. * Pull the bar off the floor with your glutes and abs braced. The Lift * Take a deep breath. * Lower the bar while keeping your back straight. * Lower the bar a few inches below your knees or until your back rounds. * Your shin should remain vertical through the lift. You can achieve this by pushing your hips back without shifting your knees forward. * Raise the bar again by contracting your glutes and abs. * Note: you can also start this lift from a power rack. You can perform the lift in the same way except you will start with the bar at the top of the lift. Common Issues * People often go too deep, rounding their back at the bottom of the lift. Stopping a few inches below your knees is deep enough. * Don’t let the bar drift away from your body. It should be tight to your thighs and shins up and down. * A common mistake is people shift their knees forward through the lift. Imagine your lower leg is rooted to the ground and can’t move forward or back.