The Hatfield Squat

A Squat for All

Mark Brown

July 14, 2022

The squat is one of the core lifts anyone strength training does. It can be done any number of weighted implements in tons of different movement patterns. It is also one of the human body’s natural movements so it is something worth improving over the years. Straight bar squats can be difficult for those with shoulder and bicep tendon issues to do because the placement of the bar on the upper back places tension on both of those areas of the body. Other bars get around that by changing the angle at which the the hands hold onto the bar. I own 2 such bars: An EliteFTS Safety Squat Yoke Bar, heretofore known as a Yoke Bar, and a Rogue Fitness Cambered Bar. The squat variant I am here for today is one that involves using the Yoke Bar and the use of either the vertical supports of a power rack or handles attached to a power rack. That doesn’t make is an advanced movement by any stretch of the imagination. Someone just needs access to them, which I concede might be difficult. I am writing this under the assumption that a lifter has it.

The Hatfield Squat is an effective variant of the standard bar and movement pattern for both experienced and beginner lifters. It’s only really doable with a safety squat bar, which is made differently depending on the company that makes or sells them. The Yoke version of the bar sold by EliteFTS is particularly good for Hatfield squats because the pad on the part of the bar that sits around the lifter’s neck is so thick that it allows the bar to sit on the their shoulders very stably without holding the handles. That is the most important aspect about this lift because the hands are used to externally stabilize the body. Most squats and their variants work stabilizer muscles as well as the quads, hamstrings, glutei and back because the lifts use internal stabilization to keep the body upright during the movement. By using the hands to stabilize the body externally using either the vertical supports of a power rack or handles that attach to it, the lifter is able to isolate the quadriceps better. The main effect of the external stabilization is that the lifter can load far more weight on the bar than they could on a free squat to maximize the potential of the isolation. That is why it is a main supplemental lift when I use my Yoke Bar for my main squat movement.

The movement itself isn’t that different from a free squat, but there are some notes of to discuss. For full effect a lifter should squat to parallel before moving back up out of the hole. First, the lifter grabs the handles or vertical supports firmly at close to where a parallel squat would be then unracks the Yoke Bar then begins the movement. The squat is most likely going to feel like a high bar squat because doing a low bar squat on a Yoke Bar requires holding the handles out in front. At the bottom of the squat, also referred to as “the hole”, the lifter squeezes the handles firmly to keep the upper body still without using their hands to pull themselves up while their feet push through the floor to move the weight on their shoulders back up to the lock out position. The lift will feel like a leg press or hack squat, which are machine based lifts. If done as a box squat, it will feel like the latter. If it’s done without a box, it will feel more like the former. A lifter should feel a greater concentration of activation in the quadriceps than anything else. A lifter could definitely see this as a weighted sissy squat.

The value in this lift comes entirely from the external stabilization that is the main point of difference in it from most squats. That impacts directly how it fits into a lifting program. This lift follows the overload principle. The external stabilization allows more weight to be lifted during the movement. That makes it firmly one of the first or second supplemental lifts done after the main lift has been done. I do it immediately following a box or free squat with the Yoke Bar as an extension of that set. Remember, the point of a supplemental lift is to directly help the main movement. Overloading this lift will put help add strength in the quadriceps and upper back because of the movement and natural effect of the bar, respectively. Any squat or pull will benefit from that. The Hatfield Squat might be a lift meant for a home/garage gym set up because public gyms, especially powerlifting focused ones, will likely have a leg press and/or a hack squat machine. Being able to get the effect of those machines in a home or garage gym setting is a major plus.

There are a few specific points to talk about that favor the experienced lifter over the new lifter regarding this lift. Proficient squatting skills are helpful but not necessary. I went over the specifics of what the Yoke Bar brings to a squat in the review of the Yoke Bar but it bears repeating here. It is heavier is in the middle where the “Yoke” part of the bar is. There is a very large concentration of downward force on the body that can be felt right down the middle of the back vertically when in use. The slight camber of 2 inches on the bar sleeves causes the weight to be slightly forward comparative to where it is on a straight bar. These 3 factors give the bar a steeper learning curve than a straight or cambered bar. They will throw any lifter off who is new to using the bar. One factor that is independent of the learning curve is that the bar gets more stable on the shoulders with increased weight. That’s what makes hands free squats not only possible but also even more so the heavier the lift gets.The added weight puts more stress on the neck area between the shoulders so there could definitely be some soreness in those regions.

Experienced lifters would use this lift for the same reason why an inexperienced one would. I’ve already said that one. However, there is a second reason why athe latter group would use it. A Hatfield squat is a good intermediate step from a bodyweight squat or perhaps a goblet squat to a barbell squat for a new lifter if they need it. It helps learn movement more fully without putting them at an increased risk of injury. Yes, the new lifter won’t get the stability work that is key to the squat but that can be worked in with either other lifts or in the next phase of training. Keep in mind this kind of training would probably be done in a home or garage gym where a buddy is helping another one learn how to lift. In this phase, it would treated as a main lift and may be only a few weeks length of time. The Yoke Bar’s features might not bother a new lifter as much because they may not have the reps under them to know how different it really is. I’m not sure how likely that is but it’s possible under the “you don’t know what you don’t know” premise.

The Hatfield squat is a valuable variant of the the parent lift to increase strength in the upper back and quadriceps. Yes, there is specific equipment needed to make it work but if a lifter has access to them, they should consider putting in their program when a SSB or Yoke Bar squat is also in it. Doing a Hatfield Squat after a Yoke Bar box/free squat is as logical to me as doing a barbell row immediately following a deadlift. As Dave Tate said about the latter, “it’s right there.” Even very well stocked home or garage gyms need barbells to do the job of machines. That makes this lift perfect for any home or garage gym lifting plan.