In this post let us try to learn how to properly do squats, the best lower body exercise. Let us do it in question answer format for better understanding of the basics
Q.Why squat at all?
Ans. Simply because it is called the “king of exercises”. You simply cannot get any lower body exercise better than it. Squats hit the glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves. Even isometrically abs and lower back get amazing contraction.
Q. Can these be done with dumbbells or without weight for beginners?
Ans. Surely! Goblet squats, where a dumbbell or a kettlebell is held at chest level, both hand held dumbbell squat (free hanging or at shoulder level) and air squat (free hand) are commonly used to teach the movement to newer clients. Move to heavy barbell squat after you master this, if you really care about your knees and lower back.
Q. What are the types of barbell squat?
Ans. Back squat where bar is kept on traps or posterior deltoids and front squat where the bar is kept on anterior deltoids. Also dumbbells and kettlebells can be used for squatting. Here we shall discuss on back squat, the most popular form of squat.
Q. What is the proper form for squats?
Ans. There are endless videos in youtube on squats and several online literatures too. Here we shall discuss mainly the barbell back squat, the most popular type of squat.
Simply keep the following cues in mind:
Center of gravity should move vertically up and down and the par path should be vertically over your mid feet.
Imagine the movement as sitting in knee height box a foot behind you (box squat is a great method to learn the movement)
Feet placement at shoulder width, feet 10 to 15 degrees outward rotated, chest up, contracted lats, tight core (contract abs tightly as if somebody gonna punch you at your abs), bar placed at shoulder over traps (high bar) or post. delts (low bar), grips little wide with indices or middle finger on ring are some important positionings to be remembered. wider feet placement hits the adductors more.
Alway create a block in you core (where you forcibly contract your abs, glutes, back muscles together) and maintain it throughout the movement.
Knees should travel in direction second toe, never allow them to cave in, i.e. knock knee. Also try as much as possible to restrict forward movement of knees beyond the toes.
Do not go down below thigh parallel position. Going down further with heavy load on you for long term strains your ligaments a lot. This is bad for long term. There is a lot of noise on ass to grass squat (it activates glutes more, better ROM for knee etc.) but simply ignore it. Simply do not go below parallel position with load for long term knee health.
Maintain spine neutrality all the time, i.e. spine maintained during standing straight. People commonly round their lower back and arch their neck, but NEVER DO THAT.
Take deep breath in with bar on your shoulder – hold your breath and go down get up and release your breath at top. But in case of CAD, hypertension etc. Breathe in while going down and out as you get up.
Q. Is it true that squatting is an injury prone exercise?
Ans. Keep the following in mind:
Neither bending forward nor excessive back arch is recommended. Low back injuries, even disc prolapse is common due to wrong squat. Also people tend look up during up phase and arch the neck. Back and neck are extremely vulnerable areas during squat. Keep back as you keep during walking and look straight forward all the time, not up or down.
Knee movement has been described before. For long femur guys, forward bending at hips have to occur during down phase. Always remember to keep you torso as upright as possible and look horizontally all the time. This can cause imbalance. By keeping tight lats, chest up position and scapula retracted, torso can be more upright.
Lifting belt and knee caps can be used for injury prevention while handling heavy load. But remember, lifting belt is never a guarantee against a low back injuryif form is poor.
No energy leak at all i.e. keep the whole body tight and try to contract every muscle possible below neck isometrically before starting a rep and hold it throughout the rep.
Breathe throughout the set. Cases of fainting and blood pressure spiking are not uncommon in cases of breath holding during squatting. But exhaling and inhaling during the actual lift will weaken the lift. Breathe only before and after each rep.
Be extra careful during unracking and racking the bar as injuries tend to happen there too. Bend knees and use your quads to complete these and not your ankle.
Always squat in a squat rack or a power rack. A good spotter during squatting increases safety during heavy lift.
Q. Any special tips on how to perform squats?
Ans. Try these following to get better at squats and stay injury free:
Work on your ankle mobility.
Use hip drive while you start the up phase to get yourself up from the hole.
In the lowermost position, your torso and your shin should stay parallel.
If you have difficulty in mastering the movement, lean against a swiss ball between a wall and your back and go up and down to practice squatting.
Hip and knee joint move should be simultaneous all the time. If you break knee first during down phase, knees may go too far forward. Again during up phase if you extend knee faster than hip, you can stoop and fall forward.
Always squat inside a squat rack or a power rack or at least have a spotter behind you.
If you have lower ankle mobility, keep a small wedge or weight plate below heels.
Always use training or lifting shoes with flat soles (better with elevated heels as in crossfit shoes)
Use belt if the load is heavy (more than body weight as thumb rule). Knee caps or wraps protect the knees to some extent.
Low bar position, i.e. bar over the post. delts help you to lift more weight. It also stresses the hamstrings more than the high bar one, i.e. bar over upper traps.
Do not use the Smith machine for squat. It makes you move in an natural path and does not strengthen the stabiliser muscles. Learn to squat the free bar with lower weights.
Use a squat pad, if you feel comfortable with it. But it prevents to get the proper feel of the bar on your back.
Progress slowly with increasing weights as you can comfortably do 8 to 10 reps with perfect form. Increments of 10 pounds (5kg) both sides are best options for progressive overload.
[…] Squat – Start with air squat without weight to learn the pattern (Later progress to goblet squat followed by barbell back and front squat as you master the movement) – 3 sets for 15 to 20 reps. For heavy barbell squats rep range should be around 8 to 10 per set. For more detailed discussion read how to do squats. […]
[…] Squat – Always engage your core, use belt for heavy lift, keep chest up and neutral spine, try to thrust butts behind while going down and use a squat rack/spotter. For details, read my post on how to do squats. […]
[…] Squat – Always engage your core, use belt for heavy lift, keep chest up and neutral spine, try to thrust butts behind while going down and use a squat rack/spotter. For details, read my post on how to do squats. […]
[…] Squat – Start with air squat without weight to learn the pattern (Later progress to goblet squat followed by barbell back and front squat as you master the movement) – 3 sets for 15 to 20 reps. For heavy barbell squats rep range should be around 8 to 10 per set. For more detailed discussion read how to do squats. […]
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[…] Squat – Start with air squat without weight to learn the pattern (Later progress to goblet squat followed by barbell back and front squat as you master the movement) – 3 sets for 15 to 20 reps. For heavy barbell squats rep range should be around 8 to 10 per set. For more detailed discussion read how to do squats. […]
[…] Squat – Always engage your core, use belt for heavy lift, keep chest up and neutral spine, try to thrust butts behind while going down and use a squat rack/spotter. For details, read my post on how to do squats. […]
[…] Squat – Always engage your core, use belt for heavy lift, keep chest up and neutral spine, try to thrust butts behind while going down and use a squat rack/spotter. For details, read my post on how to do squats. […]
[…] Squat – Start with air squat without weight to learn the pattern (Later progress to goblet squat followed by barbell back and front squat as you master the movement) – 3 sets for 15 to 20 reps. For heavy barbell squats rep range should be around 8 to 10 per set. For more detailed discussion read how to do squats. […]