Plan to win or you will plan to fail.

You may ask why this ball size is relevant when it comes to the issue of compression. The compression is the force on the ball with or without body weight. So the 300-400lb Man needs a big ball to stabilize him and his weights.

So the first thing to note is the position of the ball. I suggest you put the ball in a cradle, or use mats stacked around the ball, to keep it from rolling or moving. Be careful not to put the mats in a way that you would step on them and slip.

Second is to determine the depth you wish to squat. It is critical that you then adjust the balls air fill or density to match your preferred squat depth. Another way is to use a 75% filled ball and have different cradle heights to support you at different depths. Still another method is the half moon ball or half ball stacked on a box that you box squat with. This could be the best way but the device is the most expensive as well, $150 and up, where as a ball is $10. A box is cheap and you build it your self in a day.

With the ball having the correct position and density you are ready to squat. Now take off the empty bar and squat onto the ball. It will feel very different to the box (even if you use foam on it). The mushy feeling will make you stabilize the bar with greater muscle effort.

Slowly perform 10-20 empty squats, (for 1 week then 50% for 1 week etc.), to adjust your strength to stability factors. Then slowly work your way up to triples and singles. Next try triples and singles with 10-50% greater speed. This is the secret when using the ball - SPEED!

Watch your squat max go UP!! Your joints will never complain from these work outs, I promise. You will however complain in the interim during the 3 month period it takes to develop tendon strength and ligament stability. This will enable you to go down to squat depth, break parallel and reverse the motion blasting through the sticking point much easier. this works better than anything I else have found.

There is a level of confidence that comes in doing this completely foreign action. It gives you back what you feel!! You have to think about this. Due to the fact that you will have not felt this movement before unless you are a ballerina or gymnast, (which I hope your not), your muscles and joints are learning a new movement.

I perform these squats with a straight or safety squat bar. We adjust the action of the bar by handle adjustments in the safety squat bars case. This is only available with the Mangan Strength System model and at $699 Canadian it can’t be beat even from China. I also perform the action in the Safety squat rack that I designed with wider stance foot position. The safety rack provides an immediate safety release from the bar if I need it. I STRONGLY ADVOCATE THE SAFETY SQUAT RACK IN ALL CASES INCLUDING COMPETITION. Why the insurance companies don’t force meet directors to use a safety rack is beyond me. How many guys have dumped the bar or had poor spotters whose lopsided the catch of the bar screwed up the competitors back for ever. All they needed was a safety bar from the rack to catch it evenly for them. Same goes for the Bench competitions!!!

Start thinking Meet directors and technical committees!! We need safety period!! Vote it in, now!!!

Give the lifters confidence and you will protect them in there lifting careers. Now if we could only work on the robotics of loading on and off the plates. Next year I will start the new robotics program that will safely on load and off load the bar and give a break parallel beep to the lifter, while video tapping its credibility.

The costs will likely be around 50 thousand US. But I believe its the future for safe lifting.

So that concludes the lesson on ball training for squats.

The next article is on Ball training for Bench.