Squat Guidelines and Tips
The Squat is one of the most popular gym exercises but also one of the most scrutinized!
Every strength coach, personal trainer, powerlifter, bodybuilder, athlete and long term gym addict have their own views, thoughts, perception and techniques. While there have also been hundreds of journal articles looking into the squat, various techniques, pelvic position, knee dominant, hip dominant and what muscles are predominantly used.
Before I offer my 2 cents worth, it should be noted, before starting any exercise program, training, specific exercise, weight training or fitness work make sure you are cleared to do so by your local/personal medical practitioner and/or doctor.
With my comments below, I am not saying that one method or type of squat is better than another, these are my views on why I squat and coach the squat the way I do. With that being said, let’s get into it.
Pain!! No matter if you have knee or back pain, I am a firm believer Squats can be good for you and there is a variation out there that can help address your knee or back pain, while getting the positive hormonal, physical and mental benefits.
Essentially, in my eyes a standing to sit and sit to stand is a squat pattern/variation, so in essence we complete a squat multiple times per day. So if you complete this regularly through a day, there is no reason why you can't add a variation of this exercise to your program.
7 reasons why I love Squats :
Increase natural testosterone and human growth levels
Whole body exercise
Great aid in losing fat
Increase muscle mass
Stronger joints
Ability to complete anywhere with no equipment
Ability to generate large amount of force
Now for the science part and more technical aspects of the squat, which may differ slightly from what you have heard before…
No matter if you are an athlete, a weekend warrior or a dad running around after your kids, squats should be a staple part of your program. Not just because of the reasons above but 2 key areas that can be addressed through a specific squat pattern:
Maintain posture (core stability) and Lumbo Pelvic Integrity
Preferential Hamstring Recruitment => Coordinative Pattern (Hip Extension Knee Extension)
Squats can have a positive impact in addressing your posture and core stability imbalances. Many of us have had pain around our lower back/lumbar and pelvis at some point in our lives. Essentially, I am generalising to a degree here, pain around this area, sciatica and bulging discs etc are caused by instability created by how we spend our day to day lives, sitting or walking hunched over due, due to gravity and/or a weak posterior chain.
We then go to run, jump, pick something heavy off the floor or land awkwardly which puts excess pressure through our lumbar area, causing pain through the lumbar and/or damage inter-vertebral discs. Maintaining a neutral spine throughout the movement will address core stability and the stabilizers of the pelvis by focusing on what is happening between the shoulder and hip and Lumbo Pelvic Integrity (LPI).
This essentially means your lower back reacting to the movement, allowing you to maintain the same position when standing tall and in the bottom of the squat (ideally around parallel, but often people with lower back issues, a shallow squat is the best approach). Maintaining LPI allows the spinal erectors and Quadratus Lumborum to adapt and react to the movement resulting in increased strength and ability to stabilise through this area.
This is how the core/torso musculature wants to work, compared to the endless amount of spinal flexion movements, also known as sit ups, which can actually cause greater lower back pain. From an athletic and sports performance standpoint, research completed by Kubo et al in 2011, suggests there is a strong correlation between acceleration and Spinal Erector and Quadratus Lumborum.
Maintaining posture and LPI will also allow for greater preferential hamstring recruitment through improved stability through the pelvis. This may be a little controversial, as some research suggests there is little to no hamstring recruitment through a squat movement but, if you are able to maintain LPI and use more of a hip dominant squat pattern, you are able to feel your hamstring ‘punch’ out of the bottom of the lift. This is more of me talking from experience and generating a feeling rather than scientifically proven.
Why is preferential hamstring improvement? Dan Cleather in 2014 highlighted the importance and the role of biarticular muscles, like the hamstrings, play through lower limb extension and their ability to transfer force proximal to distally while expressing the force generated by the quadriceps. This means if you are running and jumping around with your kids, as they get older and heavier you may need to generate more power, jump a little higher or run a little faster, so strengthening and recruiting your hamstrings is key!
Also from an athletic performance standpoint, preferential hamstring recruitment allows for increased strength and impulse from these muscles in a specific coordination pattern (hip extension knee extension). This will allow for greater horizontal propulsion, increased acceleration and reduce hamstring injury rates.
Feel free to let me know your thoughts or drop me an email at tom@lawlesshealth.com if you have any question!
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