The STACK Exercise of the Week will help you improve your overall sports performance—including strength, speed, conditioning and flexibility. This week we highlight a Squat progression that builds lower-body power and endurance.

Who’s Doing It

• Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers pitcher

Muscular Benefits

• Increases lower-body strength and power
• Improves lower-body muscular endurance

Sports Performance Benefits

Squats strengthen the glutes and quads, large lower-body muscles that help you run faster, jump higher, or in Verlander’s case, powerfully drive off of the mound to throw harder. Performing a lightweight Squat superset after the final heavy set builds muscular endurance to help you maintain power over the course of a game.

Squat Superset How To

• Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart with the bar on your back
• Sink your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a Squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground
• Extend your hips and knees to drive up out of squat position
• Repeat for specified reps

Sets/Reps: 1×10, 4×6, 1×10 (with no rest on the last set)

Coaching Points

• Conserve your energy early so you can give your max effort in later sets
• Keep your back straight, chest up, and core tight
• Do not allow your knees to collapse inwards
• Drive through your heels