Technique Tuesday: The Squat
One of the most functional movements we can perform, both in the gym and in our daily life is the squat. Weighted or unweighted, it is a fundamental movement pattern that engages the core, hips, quads, hamstrings, and lower legs. If you ever watch a child move around, they naturally perform an ATG or “Ass to Grass” squat without even thinking, but how many adults do you see that are able to squat all the way down?
As human beings, we are inherently lazy, which means that we find the absolute easiest ways to move, whether they are the best for our joints or not. It takes a lot of energy to squat, so being the lazy beings we are, we start bending over at the hips to pick things up as we get older, and over time we lose the ability to ATG squat. Usually, this is due to losing the mobility in our ankles and hips that is needed to perform full-depth squats.
Since the theme of this week is goal setting, my challenge for you is to A) set the goal to add squats into your routine if they are not already a staple, and B) set the goal to be able to perform an unweighted ATG squat by the end of the year.
So let’s talk a little bit about the components of a good squat.
1)Prior to starting a standard squat, you want to have a good setup, so place your feet about shoulder width apart with your feet rotated out slightly (about 45 degrees), and your knees unlocked.
2) One key that a lot of people don’t know, is that you want to squeeze your glutes prior to beginning the squat. The cue that I like to think about is imagining that you are screwing your feet into the ground, or like you’re trying to rotate your knees out. You should feel your glutes tighten up immediately. You want to maintain that feeling of trying to rotate your knees out throughout the squat.
3)Hip hinge and bend your knees at the same time, while making sure that your back doesn’t round and your knees and ankles don’t buckle in toward each other. You want to continue this and lower down as far as you can until you feel like you can’t go any further without breaking form. You can use a mirror or a partner to keep you honest.
4)Pause at the bottom for a second, and then drive through your feet to stand back up with both hips and knees moving at the same time. Breathe out as you push yourself back up into standing.
The great thing about the squat is that you can do it so many different ways with different benefits, but overall, it is great for lower body, hip, and core strengthening and should be a foundational exercise in any strength program.
If you want more guidance on how to improve your athletic performance and reduce your chance of injury, or need help with a nagging injury, feel free to contact us at Peak Performance so that we can figure out how we can best help you achieve your goals!
