SQUAT
- BACK
 MPEG:
Squat - Side View
MPEG:
Squat - Back View
MPEG:
Single Leg Squat
CORRECT FORM
1) Grasp the Olympic
bar with an overhand grip (palms facing forward).
| Step
under the bar and position your feet parallel to each other.
Bring your hips under the bar.
Position the bar
in a balanced position above the posterior deltoids on the
upper trapezius at the base of the neck.
Lift and hold your
chest up and out. Pull your shoulder blades toward each other
and keep your head tilted slightly up.
Straighten both
legs to push the bar out of the rack and take 1-2 steps backward.
Keep your feet
positioned shoulder width apart and your toes pointed slightly
outwards. |
 |
2) Focus your eyes ahead
of you on the wall or in the mirror. Slowly and under control, lower
the bar by bending first at the hips. Your knees will begin
to bend after this. Keep your spine very straight and erect.
Keep your head
over the middle of the foot, not your toes or heels. Keep your knees
aligned over your feet.
3) Slowly lower
the bar until your thighs are parallel to the floor. At this point,
your knees should not be in front of your toes. Your head, knees
and feet should be in line with one another.
4) As you explode upward,
push through and straighten the hips. Push straight upward and keep
your back/lower spine straight the entire time. Do not lock your
knees at the top.
5) Inhale as you descend,
exhale as you push back up.
6) At the conclusion
of the exercise, step forward, aligning the bar with the rack. Squat
down slightly to replace the bar in the rack.
This exercise can also be performed as a single leg squat. This is
particularly effective for athletes as it is similar to the position
during single leg take-off associated with cutting maneuvers. Be careful
with weight used. It is recommended that you use only the bar at first.
MUSCLES
USED
SAFETY
CONSIDERATIONS/PRECAUTIONS
The most prevailing
myth surrounding squats are the notion that they are bad for the knees
and the lower back. Performed incorrectly, squats can be very damaging
to the lower back and knees.
There is one
very common flaw with most people's technique - an inability to
effectively use the hips. The squat should start and end with
the hip joint. This means that the muscles around your hip joint
(gluteals and hamstrings) need to be strong and flexible enough
to handle bending to almost a 120 degree angle.
If you are unable
to bend the hip to this level, then one of two things will commonly
happen:
1) The knee
will bend further and more importantly, translate forward. This
forward translation will cause a significant increase in forces
produced in and around the knee (in the menisci and the patellofemoral
joint).
2) Bending at
the lower back. Flexing the lumbar spine will cause increased pressure
in the lower lumbar discs and facet joints, as well as the small
muscles of the lower back, which may result in lumbar strain.
Both of these
compensatory mechanisms for not bending at the hips will occur to
prevent you from falling backwards.
Another misunderstanding
is the optimal position of the foot. There is no research to suggest
that the position of the foot will force you to use your inner or
outer quadriceps anymore than keeping your feet pointed slightly
outward. In fact the research shows that you will get more
overall quadriceps muscle activity if your feet are in neutral or
slightly pointed outward(1-3)
What turning
your feet excessively inward or outward WILL do is place an unusual
amount of stress on your knee ligaments, which could stretch them
out and make it more likely for you to injure them later.
It is essential
that you have two spotters when performing this exercise. Each spotter
should stand outside the squat rack with their hands on the outer
portion of the Olympic bar. The spotters should keep their hands
contacting the bar throughout the entire lift.
EFFECTIVENESS
The squat is the
cornerstone of all leg exercises. No single exercise is as effective
as a squat for total body development. Not only is leg strength, size
and power enhanced, but the trunk muscles are worked as well while
stabilizing the body. This will have excellent functional carryover
into other activities, more so than the leg press or hack squat.
While other forms of squatting (i.e. leg press,
hack squat) are safer for the lower back because it is much easier
to keep it straight, those exercises are no safer for the knees
than standard squats. If you watch someone performing a leg press
or hack squat and flip their body position around as if their feet
were on the floor, you would have a very unsafe-looking squat.
HELPFUL
WITH TRAINING FOR
Vitually every
sport can be enhanced by performing a squat since nearly all sports
require good leg strength.
REFERENCES
1. Signorile
JF, et al: Effect of foot position on the electromygraphical activity
of the superficial quadriceps muscles during the parallel squat and
knee extension. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 1995,
9(3): 182-7.
2. Ninos JC, et al: Electromyographic analysis of the squat performed
in self-selected lower extremity neutral rotation and 30 degrees of
lower extremity turn-out from the self-selected position. JOSPT May
1997, 25(5): 307-15.
3. Signorile JF, et al: The effect of knee and foot position on the
electromyographical activity of the superficial quadriceps. JOSPT
July 1995, 22(1): 2-9. |
