Strong supporting core strength is CRITICAL if you want to lift a lot of weight in your big exercises like squats and deadlifts.

And in my opinion, there is NO better "core support" exercise than the Curl Squat.

This exercise is exactly what the name implies...holding a weight in the top of a curl position and squatting with it.

Holding the weight in the "curl" position takes all skeletal support away from the weight, forcing your core to brace strongly to support it. In this way, it's similar to a Front Squat, only done without the weight resting on your shoulders.

This version of the exercise, done with just one dumbbell held in one hand so the load is off center on your body, is going to also strongly involve the DEEP muscles of the core...the obliques and transverse abdominis.

You'll need just one dumbbell for this exercise...I'm using a 95 lb dumbbell. You'll want to definitely start lighter than this the first time you try it. I've been doing Curls Squats of various forms for a long time and you'll need to build some specific strength before you go heavy.

Swing the dumbbell up to the top of the curl position. Don't curl it...swing it and use your other hand to help get it to that top position. This is a core exercise, not a bicep exercise.

Set your feet a little wider than shoulder width, in your normal squat stance.

Hold the dumbbell a little AWAY from your shoulder. It should NOT be resting on your body at all. That defeats the purpose of the exercise, which is massive unsupported loading on the core muscles.

Now squat down.

Hold your breath all the way down and until you're about halfway up again. You need to do so in order to maintain a solid "brick" of a midsection for maximum support. If you breathe, it will break the exercise and you'll likley have to set the weight down.

For this reason, it's a GREAT exercise for teaching you how to maintain "solidity" in your core as you're squatting.

If you have blood pressure issues, this is not an exercise I would recommend for you as holding the breath IS a critical part of it.

Perform 3-5 reps on one arm, then set the dumbbell down, grip it with the hand, swing it back and do 3-5 reps with the other arm. Perform 2-3 total sets with 1 minute rest in between.

I would suggest doing this exercise at the end of a workout, after you've done everything else that might need strong core strength. This exercise will absolutely fatigue the core and compromise strength if you try and do it first (unless you go light, of course).

The video for this exercise is #3 on this page.