2024-01-16 04:20:00
Notice a baby when he or she starts to walk or a girl when she plays on the floor at home. We do squats constantly, since we were little. It is a natural gesture. Think back, how many times do you sit down and get up from a chair throughout the day? Have you bent down to pick up an object from the floor?
Exercises related to the movements of daily activities are of great interest within the development and research of physical exercise. The squat presents components of everyday functional gestures, such as walking, climbing, descending stairs, sitting and standing. The studies show how proper stance width and foot placement angles should be chosen according to the ranges of motion of specific joints (knee, hip or ankle).
Aaron Horschig, Ph.D., strength and conditioning coach, dedicates his work to helping find procedures to not only reduce training-related aches and pains, but to help users—regardless of their physical condition—discover their true potential. .
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As author of the book The Squat Bible and founder of SquatUniversity.com, Dr. Horschig has managed to adapt his techniques to improve sports performance in the general population. As he explains in his work: “Without mastering the simplest movement patterns, there is no way to reach the maximum physical potential that Socrates wrote regarding. Until we shift our perspective and become experts when it comes to our physical bodies, and move better before we try to move more, we will continue to fall short of our potential. And we will continue to see injuries increase. “All of these changes start with the squat.”
Las research have shown that the squat is an effective exercise for the development of hip, knee and ankle muscles. Now the question is: How to do it correctly? “A good squat has three factors: the feet remain stable with the body weight distributed on the placed tripod, the knees remain aligned with the feet (without sinking of the knees) and the torso remains stable, without any excessive movement of the spine ”.
Debunking myths
There are different beliefs when it comes to including and executing this gesture in a training room. Our expert dismantles them. These are some examples:
- “If you do them deep, your knees will hurt.” This is one of the phrases most heard in gyms and is paradoxically used by both clients and some professionals. According to the expert: “Deep squats do not damage the knees, when performed with the proper technique, the appropriate loads are planned and adapted for a specific training period. The body can handle these forces very well and without great risk of injury. When improper technique comes into play and/or the use of too much load—more than the person can support—the risk of injury increases.”
- “The knees should extend beyond the toes.” According to Dr. Horschig, “Science has shown that the knees of healthy athletes are relatively safe when performing a deep squat. This research cannot be denied. As long as excessive loading is limited and good technique is used, the knees can and should move past the toes at the bottom of a squat to allow the hips to drop completely.”
- When performing a squat, respect the established technique, but which is appropriate? When training, many in the gym ask themselves the following question: Should their toes be facing forward or at an angle? “There is no single position that is better than another when it comes to toe angle. However, most people should perform barbell squats with their feet outward between 10 and 30 degrees as a general recommendation. Always use the position that is most comfortable for your body. Your musculoskeletal system speaks, it sends signals: if something hurts, don’t do it. Exercise should not cause any aches or pains. Remember: no two squats look exactly the same. It is normal. “You and your friend are expected to adopt different postures while lifting the bar,” explains the expert.
- The ankle and its great underrated power. Squats are a complete exercise, involving hip mobility, but also ankle mobility. The latter is often left aside. As Horschig admits: “Ankle mobility limitations are almost the number one problem that hinders good technique.” The author clarifies in his work the following: “If you want to do a good deep squat, your knee has to move forward over the toe, that requires mobility in the ankle. So if you have range limitations (range of motion in this joint). His chest is going to fall forward.” You can see a proposal for mobility exercises for this joint here.
In a training room, as in life, performing squats is what in fashion would be called a must, a basic. We do it without realizing it in numerous daily actions. As Horschig recounts in his book The Squat Bible: “When we talk regarding the squat, many people often want to talk directly regarding the barbell squat. We forget the basic element of the bodyweight squat. If we don’t try the squat movement before its exercise version, we set ourselves up for failure. If we can solve the problems that arise during the bodyweight squat, we will give ourselves a greater ability to lift the weight of the bar. We should all be able to perform a deep squat, in which we reach the lowest possible position, without using any weight. Spot. We all want to live, play and compete pain-free throughout our lives. This starts with learning how to squat correctly by moving your body weight.”
In this sense, our specialist is clear regarding what advice he would give you to train and get them done well: “Take your time and don’t rush with the weight. Always focus on form before adding load.”
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