What is a lift variation?
There are many different ways to vary a competition movement in powerlifting training, the main questions you have to ask yourself is to what degree the lift needs to be varied to achieve the desired result? Variations are generally used to limit fatigue generation, build muscle mass and train weak areas of the competition lift. The variables we can manipulate can be anything from removing a belt or knee sleeves and introducing pauses, to pressing on an entirely different plane - just keep in mind specificity and how far you are away from your next competition. You don’t want to be doing heavy overhead presses the week before your bench only competition.
How do I choose my variation?
Picking the right variation really depends on what you’re looking to use it for. If you have some weak areas to work and you’ve just come back from a competition and have a lengthy off season ahead of you, now is the time to address it with some non-specific variation. If you’re going in to a volume block and want to up your lift frequency without the added intensity and fatigue of your competition movement, then introducing a variation will help you train the right muscle groups without overloading your body and detracting from your important competition lift days.
The Front Squat
Putting the bar in a front rack position across your clavicle is going to shift the loading of the squat to your anterior chain. Expect sore abs and big quads. This is a great muscle builder in the off season and is a few degrees of variation away from the common low-bar position but bigger legs will always mean a bigger squat. Those who struggle with maintaining proper thoracic extension during the squat can benefit hugely from the front squat as you work to maintain a proper chest position throughout the lift - stick to a moderate weight and maintain the correct positions, there’s no need to push the weight here.
Squatting to a Box
Not to be confused with ‘box squatting’, squatting to a box is a well rounded variation and can build muscle mass throughout the entire body whilst also working to reinforce those squat positions and cues. I generally prescribe these with somewhat of a slower tempo where the lifter will do their competition squat on to a box set to competition depth. Once their legs (Glutes and upper hamstrings) come in to contact with the box, they pause for a second (come to a dead stop) and come back up in the same controlled manner, doing on the same on the way up as they did on the way down. There is no need (it’s actually important that you don’t) sit back on to the box but freeze in that bottom position instead. Extended time under tension and solid bracing can make these exhausting they will engrain perfect competition standard technique whilst allowing smaller muscles like the glutes and hip abductors to be recruited properly.
