Squat Variations

By | March 20, 2004

Jeremy Likness SquatThe squat is a very powerful exercise. It is one of the only exercises that will work 75% of your muscles with one, single movement. The squat should be one of the primary movements in any leg workout.

There are many varieties of squat that can be performed to make workouts interesting and prevent plateaus or stagnation.

Traditional Back Squat

The traditional squat should be one of the first squat techniques to learn. In this movement, the bar is placed high on the back. This is sometimes known as the bodybuilding squat. The shoulder blades should be retracted to help support the bar. Wrists can either be rigid or extended power-lifter style, depending on flexibility. Keeping the elbows beneath the wrists can be important, because outside of this position, the shoulder may rotate. This can impinge the rotator cuff and may actually pinch a nerve and make the arm go numb for some people.

Stance
Stance is just about shoulder width. Foot orientation is “natural”. When you are standing casually, this is “natural”. Most people will find that the feet are pointed slightly outwards. This is fine – in fact, forcing the feet to point straight ahead can place enormous torque on the knee joint and cause injury. I have had surgery on my right anterior cruciat ligament, and as a result, my right foot is exaggerated – it points at about 2 o’clock. This is my natural stance – right foot pointed more than the left – because the surgery has altered my leg alignment. Trying to force my leg into an unnatural alignment would only cause injury.

Hip Position
There is much debate about proper alignment of the hips when performing a squat. Slight lordosis is typically recommended – this means the back curves inward slightly and is not rounded. This engages the spinal erectae, or muscles that protect the spine. A neutral hip position can also be used. For the neutral hip position, you simply rotate the top of the pelvis back and bottom of the pelvis forward to flatten the back. Do not exaggerate this movement – too much of a “thrust” and the back will round – just use enough rotation to make the back neutral.

Look Straight Ahead!
Keeping the head facing straight ahead with respect to the torso rather than looking up or down also helps align the spine and protect it from injury.

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Squat Technique
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Descend as if you are sitting in a chair.
A common mistake is to allow the knees to bend so far that they extend well beyond the toes. The bodybuilding squat places a bit of stress on the knee joint, and the farther the knees track forward, the more stress is placed upon the joint. By “sitting back” so the weight is transferred through the heels rather than the toes, you assure that tension is on the quadriceps more than the knee joint.

It takes balance and flexibility to execute this movement correctly. Some people place their heels on blocks. While this improves balance, it is a compromise for lack of ankle flexibility. A better approach would be to address the root cause (lack of ankle flexibility) through stretching, rather than to eliminate the symptom by using blocks.

Descend as far as you can go without the knees tracking forward excessively or the torso bending too far forward. Most people through practice and with appropriate flexibility can descend to thighs parallel or beyond.

There is nothing wrong with going below parallel if you are healthy and your flexibility and strength allow this full range of motion. If your torso begins to bend forward, beyond 20 – 40 degrees or thereabouts, you are at the limit of your range and should stop the movement.

Excessive “lean” simply places extra stress on the lower back and can lead to injury. Try to maintain the torso as erect as possible – perfectly vertical is ideal but a slight angle is common.

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