I think people mistake the “draw ribcage in” cue for “round the upper back”.
That’s the thing, he doesn’t say “Squat with a Rounded Back” at any point.
But for 30 minutes, every time he demonstrates, his upper back and hips go towards flexion on the way down and towards extension on the way up.
And then the article talks more specifics.
I said its tough and confusing to decipher. If you want to understand, you will have to try.
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Here’s a couple videos of Ed squatting, one old and one fairly recent. I don’t see any upper back rounding.
Perhaps he isn’t properly warmed up, doesn’t have great mobility anymore because he is an old man, and isn’t concerned about a bit of rounding because the weight is light.
That could be another issue, not extending beyond neutral is not the same as going into flexion.
I searched for this in both Google and Bing and it doesn’t come up in either. Where can we find this mythical article?
Try Kabuki Strength.
No “e” on Lock.
I think that his rounding is due to the muscle memory he has of bracing against the bar. It’s his pulling the bar in deep you see in the barless motions.
I thought the title sounded familiar, I read that when it first came out.
Ok, first of all he’s talking about setting world records in the deadlift, and pulling conventional.
" There is evidence in abundance that the spinal flexion position is necessary, and safe, if held in a Flexion Moment for maximal lifting."
So in other words, setting up rounded and not allowing your back to flex any further is safe, and may be necessary to lift as much as possible. But I also don’t see anyone setting squat world records with a rounded back.
“Muscles are used where demands are higher, and calorie expenditure is required. In our primal history muscular systems were turned on when tasks demanded more complex movement patterns and heavier loads. In order to lift a heavy weight from the ground (like your Wooley Mammoth steak) you flexed your spine and used muscles to complete the task of returning to upright. This is why spinal flexion is observed in all Conventional Deadlift World Records. You can see this phenomenon on YouTube, where the Lumbar and Thoracic spines are flexed, not in neutral lordosis. This is a maximization of both the passive elastic recoil mechanism (Fascia and Ligaments) and your active calorie expending (Muscular) mechanism.”
In other words, it takes less energy to lift with a rounded back and when you combine that with bracing and hip extension you can move some big weights. However, as has not been mentioned in this particular article, not everyone’s back can tolerate repeated maximally-loaded flexion. If you read some of McGill’s work, he explains that some people’s spines are better suited to tolerate compressive loading (more the short, stocky types) and others are more suited for loaded flexion (the taller, thinner, built-to-deadlift types). Also, he says that a neutral spine combined with bracing is the safest, flexion while braced is the next best, and the most dangerous is flexion without bracing.
So where are these videos of round-backed squat world records anyway?
I wouldn’t even give it too much thought at this point, I started thinking that maybe I missed something that Ed said but that is not the case. He never said to round your back and he didn’t round his in any heavy squat that you can find on video. I find it strange that we are even having this discussion.
I don’t know about PL records, but the roundest upper back squatter is Kevin Oak.
Regarding Coan. The back thing is subtle, like a cue. It probably comes out more, or shows more on light sets. On the heaviest stuff you can’t go as extreme or exaggerated with the motion.
“setting up rounded and not allowing your back to flex any further is safe, and may be necessary to lift as much as possible”
-chris_ Ottawa
We had this discussion so YOU could be exposed to enough information to reach the above conclusion!
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That’s nothing new to me, I already knew that. And it isn’t in relation to squatting either.
He has an all-time squat record. But he also doesn’t set up rounded, his upper back sometimes rounds on heavy squats, which can be hard to avoid on max attempts when you squat high bar like him.
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So in other words this part
doesn’t apply to Oak’s squat because his back is not held in a flexion moment, it is actively flexing and is an example of technique breakdown.
@FlatsFarmer you are my hero.
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Then it was all worth it.
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So what’s everyone doing for core? 
I will say that Deep Water has had me doing a 1 minute plank and then 20 sit ups for 3 rounds with no rest for the past 15 weeks or so, 4 times a week, and I think the larger abs have been helping me hide the fat gain.
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Is that what that means?
You’re immediately moving between each movement, not resting until you’ve completed all 3 rounds?
From my intial reading of it I just wasn’t sure if it was that, or not resting between movements, but resting between rounds.
Yup. In general, always assume it’s going to be the hardest way possible with that program, haha.
EDIT: I just feel the need to point out that I have to fight the urge to make a Stone Temple Pilots pun every time I reply to this topic.
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