Troubleshooting Your Squat
There can be many reasons why you’re not feeling satisified with your squat including issues with range of motion, pushing up from the “hole” (the lowest point of your squat), wrist or neck pain, and ankle and knee stability. If you’re feeling stuck doing the same kind of squat, it can help to switch things up. Try a different bar position, different footwear, a different type of squat, or a different weight to see if it helps resolve your problems.
Troubleshooting Your Bench Press
The bench press is a very popular lift for building strength and size. It’s often viewed as being simple, but there are complexities to the lift that can lead to mistakes. The main areas of focus are range of motion, bar touchdown, bar path, grip positioning, stance set up, and bar speed. If you are having problems progressing in your bench press, it would be best to add in accessory work (in additional to doing your bench press) depending on which area the weakness is showing up.
When The Leg Press Will Increase Your Squat, And When It Won’t
Training more muscle specific exercises (ex: leg press for the quads to help improve the squat) can have crossover effects with other lifts, but the more they have in common with the lift, the more effective they will be.