Weight releasers are a rare but extemely powerful tool for strength development.
They allow you to load the negative portion of the rep heavier, then at the bottom, they release the weight and you power up to the top with a much lighter weight. They're a fantastic tool for strength development.
When you don't have weight releasers (they're available from Rogue Equipment), you can do something like THIS...
Instead of release the weight at the bottom, we're going to use bands to instantly INCREASE the weight at the bottom.
You'll essentially be doing a reverse band squat into the bottom position, then releasing the bands so you're suddenly using the ENTIRE load...then you have to squat that up.
How to Set Up Weight Increaser Squats With Bands
First, you'll need a bar, a power rack and a couple of medium 42 inch bands (I'm using the blue bands - I found this size to be ideal...bigger bands didn't sit under the fingers right and had a tendency to pull the fingers off the bar...lighter bands didn't give enough of a weight differential at the bottom).
The bands I'm using in the demo are from SetForSet.
Hitch the bands to the top side cross-beam of the rack. Let the bottom ends hang loose.
Load the bar with a weight you could normally do for 6-8 reps (you can adjust this once you get a feel for the technique). We want to use a weight you definitely CAN squat, which is different than weight releaser squats.
Now, the KEY with this technique is how you hold the bands.
You're going to grip the bands onto the bar underneath your second and third fingers ONLY. This leaves your thumb and fourth and pinky fingers to hold onto the bar.
Because at the bottom of the squat, you're going to LET GO of the bands...and put the ENTIRE load of the bar on your body right at the bottom (more on this in a second).
So get the bands under those two fingers, grip onto the bar as you normally would, then unrack it.
Now the fun begins...
Squat down into the bottom position, just as you normally would. The bands will stretch, taking up some of the load of the bar as you come down.
Now simultaneously RELEASE the bands from underneath your two fingers while keeping your grip on the bar with the rest of your hand.
Now power out of the bottom with everything you've got!
Keep pushing as fast and as hard as you can until you get to the top (this is also known as CAT or Compensatory Acceleration Training where you compensate for the improving leverage as you come to the top by consciously trying to move the bar faster).
What you will likely find with this increasing-weight technique is that bar won't actually move any faster...it's the EFFORT to do so that's important.
Rerack the bar, get the bands out from underneath the bar if they get pinned (I demo this in the video at the end), then go again.
Do this for 3-6 total reps and 3-5 total sets, taking at least 2 minutes rest in between sets.
Why does this insane-looking technique work so well for increasing squat power out of the bottom?
The reason lies in the strong muscle activation response you get when you put a muscle under load suddenly (i.e. the myotatic or stretch reflex). The nervous system reflex kicks in without conscious thought, to activate the muscles strongly to prevent injury.
Imagine as though you're holding an empty tray out in front of you in one hand them somebody plops a heavy sandwich on it. Your biceps instantly fire to keep the try balanced and not drop the sandwich. This is an automatic reflex.
We're doing the same thing with weight and bands.
We squat down into the bottom, which puts the muscles under load and under stretch, then very suddenly add a lot more load to them...then we use that stretch reflex activation to instantly fire the muscles and push all the way to the top.
This teaches your nervous system how to more efficiently fire all the muscles and appropriate motor units simultaneously to maximize power out of that position.
Can you use this technique with other exercises like bench press?
Absolutely. In fact, I'll be posting the bench press version of this method soon. It works GREAT for bench press.
It can also be used for overhead pressing as well, as long as you've got a setup that works for it.
If you'd like try an adapted version of Weight Releaser Squats, try this yoke bar/kettlebell setup.
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