I saw these videos and I was thinking how important it is to know how to squat. Five years ago I knew that I couldn't continue to train if I didn't do something about my knee pain. So I educated myself on squats, trained them relentlessly and with strict form and before long I was back at 100% and pain free. I believe that perfect movement is perfect rehab.
The place to start is the Air Squat. It is a foundational movement to the front squat, back squat, and the overhead squat.
1.Set up with your feet slightly outside hip-width at the heels and the toes turned out 20-30 degrees from center. You should be standing with good posture and full extension of the hips and knees.
2. Keep your head neutral, no looking up or down during the movement.
3.exaggerate the lumbar arch and then pull out the extra arch with the abs, maintain a tight midsection throughout the movement.
4.Maintaining your weight on your heels, send your butt back and down.
5.Keep your knees tracking over your feet.
6.Lift your arms out and up as you descend.
7.Keep your chest up.
8.From your profile your ears should not travel forward, straight down and up.
9.This is not a gravity fed movement, pull yourself down, under control, with your hip flexors.
10.Fight to maintain that lumbar curve, don't lose it in the bottom.
11.Stop when the crease of the hip is below the top of the kneecap.
12.Rise without leaning forward or shifting balance.
13.Use your entire body, nothing gets left out here.
14. At the top of the movement, stand as tall as possible.
Common faults include losing the lumbar curve in the bottom position, weight shifting forward to the balls of the feet, not going to the bottom, letting the knees roll to the inside, and slouching in the chest and shoulders. The squat is important, don't think about adding weight until your air squat is perfect. Remember - Proficiency, Consistency, intensity.
Aaron
Comments