JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?柊Ja1+@֥HV#Q0(@GZySi6@ v&=1M"M94\Bn) ӳf}{hx٣&SCSP1KBh1!@E IO{E!ZӊlC6E "(=)MLP;N}qE/q֓cU$yFWsSg4rƀ(})?٠v# e)AQ?E[L!"y6@ *GdeaCWʚʥfyO#ژ:K27c%LlS،K_|p0ODtJ\ttfTe[<̪xo5}K s~`umKC) I]sȮEF-XnӬ#P5ԙ.ʆXk*HgqOW ~-^pK8R?xՅjPk^k9(-N<46UNkSV5c4Zi*֛ZY-w؂3MQr& DAn=8ڡ;+k^Yh] K3$ #C QSmKMiiv +:?H,UQO_x~TdIVdAaBE'vsHS9튺oЦBuI/$w1]֚YhI28!Es!)ʱӜqP@FsQ9Il{}rٴ|I,ڄ䞹cW"꽜9TٞĨҒVfEt%s\޸m0W'&>hxĈC,ֵ.Mo c~ z9.Vx i7RWb=1Y':x|I̿{hmS%;Qy$eZ]XOC> o#;GON~"۳7s`,*ҝ/ŁH*+&o!7p8渔50V< [7+&g=<6GWE`[h%'I u?KUKF<\ܾ/h rK]w9{Γ?ևݪ>g+oi-;G?z_+F1I?=CB!dq5otxsUO, b! {ydzG'se*zӁm1'k}㚾qҹZs"ڴG+(p0CL]x*RFԝ 3R{}* ֣X=k^W7TS'J GL#䊴J8< aߜ+ڣvd~/'1Τ4QiVt2.c7[v cxW:ѐ&V8NcrA'ԃZM2jkETmy?`ʦց4{asSh *+@ڂ~{`.Pj?JNlMM,2s㚮]ιaRbK9M۱2ԣ1F 8*tydZMi"B{M?Ζ%*H$U\'Zr E&sch7 =dhvs/P0'Z\tgkZHզ+R9 qLWKx\:rc\{b~kŀ>jepVUxȯr%Hi$ Ԛ [gsZjiqE~o#_0=1E/0= ɬqPW 9C1]MV`JxJ#94w>'צ2VߵGZ؂ydH߰~f>_#m m5^ kRƗ@=uSc}NvXLmv LFHv} uh=KiWH5?BO['8ĞƜ gA s1u]Zߟ9B\Z2FU''0)&˖UldW[捓9q`Yӊ*r;0)FNrxVD'TRv?j6J%V'9?<)#&jW:Vo-#\`MJKfW;vc᫬T :Er6r~A̻or.&nbsp; His knees are back and not extended past the toes.&nbsp; The athlete is at a perfect parallel position.&nbsp; His eyes are 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 the